Pay to Play is the Future of Social Media?
Clients often do not want to pay to boost, sponsor, or create ads on their social media. For many of them, the very idea of paying to play is an emotional issue, whether the amount we’re discussing is a $3 boost on Facebook, or a sponsored tweet. What’s a social media manager to do? Here are some ideas, not that any of them have worked for me, but you never know. The future is a big, bright place, or so I’m told. Do I need to say I’m joking here?
Soothe the Emotional Client
You could say something like: “There, there. Even though that post we put up of the rotten lemon got a million views, that was a long time ago.” And explain that it’s almost 2018, and things have changed. Get them some Kleenex® (the good kind with aloe vera), and dry their tears. No, I’m not an affiliate.
Use Humor
Without making fun of your client, you could gently explain how quickly things change. Or not. You could also show them this article: What Happened to Quality Versus Quantity on Social Media? And see if they stop frowning and/or start laughing. If not, don’t despair. There are plenty of jokes on the Internet. All you need is a laptop and Google! But back to the topic at hand: Yes, you or your client do need to pay a little for at least some posts if you want them to be seen by the proper audience.
Photo by blag jet 
Explain with Facts
Believe it or not, some people respond to facts. For those, a good article with lots of factoids or an infographic could do the trick.
“When you log onto Facebook or Twitter, you don’t see the most recent content. You see a stream of content served to you by an algorithm. Instagram has recently jumped onto the bandwagon, as well.
~ Blaise Lucey, Want real results from social? Start paying. on MarketingLand
You could also explain that boosting a post on Facebook can cost as little as $3 (more info here: About boosting posts from your Facebook Business Page. And that Instagram ads may get you more bang for your buck, according to this post: How Much Do Instagram Ads Cost?
Storytelling Wins
Those who know how to tell stories make time stand still. And on social media, time is very, very important. So here are some questions to ask:
- What stories can you tell?
- What stories will influence your customers?
- Which stories are the most important ones?
For more questions to ask yourself about you and your business, this post might help: Which Story Do You Need to Tell? Of course, a combination of storytelling and paying for a post could be the best of all.
Recent Convert of Paid Posts?
What has been your experience with boosting or promoting posts? Good, bad, or ugly? Let me know in the comments! And thank you!
What has worked for myself and my clients is a shift in focus from organic reach (getting posts to show in a feed on their own) and paid (pay to play to get reach) to ‘manufacturing’ it.
Build social profiles organically – less asking, more driving the right followers.
Publish less and with more, high-quality blog like content which is relevant (mix in the fun)
Create those published posts in a way which makes it easy to engage (don’t just post links).
Create relationship building content: Share from others, tag appropriately in posts and comments.
Spend more time interacting with the content of others (your comments are an incredible form of content).
Drive profile views, not reach.
With great content, others will read multiple posts.
WIth engaging content (relevant and easy to interact), people will.
Said engagement creates interaction.
Interaction creates ‘shareability’
“Shareability” ‘manufactures’ reach.
Hi Robert,
Yes, I agree 100%. Commenting on others’ posts is a great way to create content. People see your comments and engage with you just as they would the person who created the content. Being more interactive is a great method. Thank you for the thoughtful comment!
See ya soon!
Carol