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Why Social Media Does Not Correspond to Exponential Growth

Recently, someone mentioned an old Faberge shampoo commercial. It reminded me of what people often believe about social media. In the Faberge ad, Heather Locklear says “I’ll tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and so on…” When does that ever happen? Answer: Never! Almost never, anyway.

Long-Term Strategy

Social media is a long-term strategy; you need to be in it for the long haul. As this article from Inc Magazine, 8 Things You Need to Understand About Social Media, underscores, “There are very few brands that have instant fame and exponential growth on social media, just as there are very few overnight successes in business.” Amen to that.

The Reality

Here’s a scenario that’s closer to what really happens. Say someone is at a party, drinking. And the subject of your business comes up. At that point, someone might say, “oh, yeah. She did a pretty ok job.” And then, if both people remember what you were talking about, one of the people might write down your website or phone number. Maybe. And that’s if someone was looking specifically for your service or product.

Social Media Helps

When exposed to your business or brand, people will tend to remember you longer. And if they know you personally, they’ll remember you even more. Social media helps to get your business in front of more people, but it’s not a magic bullet. Speaking of which, you might like Social Media Expectations that Are Full of Baloney.

Social Media Can’t Help a Rotten Business

If you treat your customers badly, social media can’t fix that. If your product is one that most people don’t want, social media can’t fix that, either. For instance, I once had a client who manufactured clothing. The fabric and manufacturing were very nice, but the outfits looked outdated. Social media can help get people to your website or get more eyes on your product, but it’s not magic!

Testimonials Help

What people say on social media does help, but it’s not magic. It does remind people that your business exists. Sometimes people just need a little push so that they will buy from you. So if they don’t know that you exist, your sales will suffer. And if you’re looking for a new social media manager, you might want to read: Social Media Manager: 10 Secrets to Care for Yours.

Influencers Also Help

If you have influential people in your life, hearing them talk about a solid business can help even more. So having one or two people who believe in what you do can really boost your business.

Follow Those Who Like Your Posts

Here’s a good tip, and way to improve your engagement and maybe up your follower count, too: “like” or follow people who like your posts. It’s pretty simple. That was a good tip from Fast Company’s 6 Social Media Tips That Will Improve Your Marketing.

On the Other Hand

If you really mistreat people, you can bet others will hear about it on social media! There’s a local grocery store that I’m always hearing about on Facebook. They may not even know that people are talking about them, either. In that case, two people will tell two people, and so on. Unfortunately.

Pinterest Influencers: Curating Pins

Pinterest, like other forms of social media, is somewhat like high school. Looks only get you so far; it’s the nature of your content, either good or bad, that will draw attention. But you may not always know what you should pin or not pin. And Pinterest, like Twitter, seems to reward those who post often, since it is through discovery that most people find others. But what should you pin? Here, then, are some ideas on pins that you could curate for your own brand.

Pin Your Own Content

For this example, let’s say that you are a garden shop. Your shop sells roses, fruit trees, and decorative plants of all kinds. Some boards you might want are: edible gardens, mulch, indoor plants, and flowers. You can pin your own pictures, you can post special garden events, and you can engage with those who comment on your pins. You probably want to keep your important boards near the top of your account, “above the fold” in website terms. Also, pay attention to making your board covers beautiful.

Do you have to keep all your pins limited to your own content, though? No!

Curate Pins from Strategic Partners

You can also pin from strategic partners. For a garden shop, that could mean a board about garden art, protecting honey bees, lotion for gardeners, and fancy-pants items such as special gloves. You want your followers to follow you because you curate the best pins–and those pins don’t have to be strictly about gardens or plants.

Amplify Your Message with Group Boards

Tulips One of Your Pinterest Boards Could be About Tulips

You might want a group board shared by all your garden specialists, where everyone can add photos of successful gardens. Your clients can look at boards for ideas on which garden styles could work for them, too. Rather than looking at magazines, they can look at actual pictures from your own clients’ gardens. You can send pins or board locations to clients looking for a garden remodel. You might also want to join big gardening boards with lots of pinners, so long as they are active.

Sell from Your Website

Do you sell gloves, lotion, or greeting cards? You can pin right from your website or Etsy account. Be sure to fill out the pins’ descriptions completely, so that you can be found in search.

Secret Boards

Pinterest now allows you an unlimited number of secret boards, so why not use them to stage your pins? You may want to hold content back for pinning at optimal times or create boards for off-topic pins (rather than creating a personal account). And, if you’re pinning on a team, you can share secret boards with clients or team members.

Make it Pretty!

This might sound obvious, but make sure that your pins are beautiful. A beautiful image will make others want to follow you, repin from you, and want to engage with you more often. Curating the best content will keep people wanting to see more. And that’s good for you and your brand.

How Do You Curate?

Do you curate pins? How do you decide what to pin? I’d love to hear from you!