If you still think that social media can’t really get your brand attention, I have a story for you.
Over the weekend I tapped into my music-loving side (I do live in Seattle after all!) and went to a concern put on by Train. Train is known for its energetic concerts that really pull in the audience. And I guess they have some marketing sense too. Because after a couple of songs to warm up the crowd the lead singer, Patrick Monahan stopped and took a photo of the crowd and told them he’d post it on his Twitter profile for us after the show. Really? You’ve got a stadium full of 20,000 people and you are gonna take a photo of them? But wait…..that little marketing stunt just got him possibly 10,000 new Followers to sell his next album to! Ohhhhh!
In the online marketing world an instant conversion of 10,000 fans is not so shabby. So why not learn from this guy. Because in addition to playing a great show, he also used some smart principals in social marketing.
1) Be prepared. There is something to be said about having a presence. You have to have a place that is up and running before you can send a crowd to that spot. Sure it is time consuming to set up the social media page with your company name. And yes, even more work to populate it with some useful information about your company. And you may even be reeeeally bored while you are setting it up. But when you start sending people who are interested in your brand to that awesome looking page, you will be very glad you put in the work.
2) Tap into the crowd. As a small business owner you know when you are going to have a handful of customers looking at you, whether it be on or offline. That’s when to convert them to either your social media page or your email list. Plan ahead. When are you doing your next newsletter, tradeshow, or sponsorship? Go with a goal to capture names.
3) Inspire with visuals. Not only do graphics and images illustrate your idea or update, they can be a big draw. Pat told us all to go see the photo he took on Twitter. And I did. In fact, I actually tried to find myself in the crowd! Would I have gone home and became a follower of Train if I wasn’t curious about the photo? Nope.
So before you decide that social media marketing is not for you and your brand, take a few minutes and think big. What kind of stunt could you pull off like a rock star?
