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.