Social Media: Icebreakers, Openings, and “the Approach”
Now that you’ve got all your social media set up and you’re tweeting, posting, and pinning your heart out, what do you do next? Brands can learn a lot from interactions with potential customers, as this article from AdWeek, What Brands Can Learn from Social Conversations explains. Here’s a short primer on where to begin.
If You Say Hello, People Usually Say Hello Back!
Say Hello
Yes, it might sound overly simplistic, but it does work. Say hello. You could also say how are you, what’s up? how’s the weather? or any other number of things. Think about what you’d say to the checker at the grocery store.
Ask a Random Question
Ask a Random Question
If you want to get people going, you could ask a random or “stupid” question. People may even respond so that they can correct you! The point is to get the ball rolling.
Make Personal Comments
Personal Comments
How personal would you want to be with comments you share? Sometimes you’ll find that you have a hobby in common with your new friend. Asking about their yoga class or favorite dog could make an ordinary relationship a little more special.
Holiday Posts
Holiday Posts
If you celebrate certain holidays (or even if you don’t), how about sharing pictures? If you’re an introvert like I am, you might even talk about how you don’t like to share. Surely someone else can relate to that! Here’s my Six Facts About Introverts and Social Media, by the way.
A9 A tip we heard: Comment on some piece of their content to start a conversation. Compliment or question. #digiblogchat @ToscaSac
— BusinessCoach.com (@CoachGaryHenson) December 8, 2015
Comment on Their Content
You could ask for clarification or ask a question, as @CoachGaryHenson suggests, above. And in person, the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question works for @ToscaSac.
Ask About Their Website or Blog
Ask About Their Website or Blog
If your new friend is in business, this one is a surefire winner! You can ask a million billion gazillion questions about their blog, how long they’ve been blogging, who their best customers are, but be prepared to listen. Most people in business can talk about this stuff for a looo (breath) ooooooong time!
Facebook or Twitter?
Give people an either or question that’s simple and they’re sure to answer!
Ask Where a Photo Was Taken
Ask Where a Photo Was Taken
This could apply to a Twitter header, Facebook post, anything online. Even better if it’s a picture of them, and you can give a compliment.
Timing is Everything
Timing
Timing is one of the most important things in a conversation. For instance, don’t follow someone and immediately send a DM on Twitter! Take some time to get to know them. Here are a bunch of social media worst practices, by the way.
Great advice here Carol. We seem to forget that content is only part of social media. We still need to be social.
Hi Robert. To me, the social should be the bigger part. Thank you for stopping by!
Carol
I’m big on commenting on people’s blogs and some of what they post to Twitter, which are the two places I hang out the most. Twitter gets way more engagement overall but I’ll sometimes hear from bloggers as well, especially if they decide to come by my blog. You’re right, there’s not enough social, so small ice breakers can be a big deal.
Hi Mitch,
Sorry for the delay in answering you! Somehow I missed your comment. Saying hello is a big deal, since it can be the beginning of a larger conversation. Even when we get into the thousands or tens of thousands of followers, not that many people have conversations. A small ice breaker can make a person and a business stand out.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Sincerely,
Carol
Great advice! Thanks for all the good information!
You’re welcome, Justine. And thank you for stopping by!
Carol