Anderson Robertson Marketing

Holding Hands in Social Media Marketing

Let's face it, sometimes as marketers we need to "hold the hand" of our audience. Otherwise our message gets lost or is even misinterpreted.

I've been chewing on this for a while. For as long as I can remember people have been using social media logos in attempt to increase users to sites like Facebook and Twitter. The concept behind this is that if the consumer sees the social media icons, they will remember to go home and like them on Facebook and start following them on Twitter. If only it were simple. I'm sure Big Tom Callahan could come up with some great lines on how this is a waste of visual property.

Have you every done this? Have you? Raise your hand right now if you have?

GUILTY!

Have you told your marketing department or designer "slap a Facebook and Twitter icon on our ad" like it gives your company some Klout or will magically increase your social media numbers? I've done this for clients, only because they insisted on using this method. Like telling your children to clean their room while they are watching a movie, the message doesn't fit the response you are looking for.

If you have and still use the logo icons on your marketing materials I want to ask you some questions.

Have you been able to measure how many new followers you have based upon these methods? It's already very difficult to gauge ROI (Return On Investment) on social media, especially in traditional media.
If you are comfortable using the Facebook and Twitter icon on your marketing materials, would you useto signify you have a website instead of giving your domain name? I mean why not, a globe is the symbol for the internet. Easy pickens, eh?
Would you use instead of giving your phone number to people? Do you trust your clientele to go to their phone book or the internet to find your phone number?
Would you use instead of your address on your marketing materials? Google maps is pretty accurate you know so why not trust them to find where you are.

These are silly questions, yes, but put some thought into them. You are openly marketing to potential customers and wanting show you have a social media presence yet fail to deliver them to the area you want them to go. It is very difficult to find a business on Facebook or Twitter and you may end up leading them in the complete wrong direction.

Proof flavored pudding.

Before the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation set up a Facebook profile, many local people would search for them and like the Hancock County Community Foundation. They may not have realized though that this is a community foundation in Hancock County........Indiana. There is still 8 people in my Facebook circle who have liked this page, only because they believed that had found the Findlay, Ohio Community Foundation. By using a unique username you can direct people to the correct area rather than having them search for your company name.

Hold the hand of your audience

If you want to effectively capture as many new leads as you can for your business you need to hold their hand to your social media profiles. Using icons is a waste of visual real estate, instead use these methods to increase your leads.

Sign up for a Facebook username. Did you know you can create a custom username for your Facebook page and profile? Just go to www.facebook.com/username and fill out the information presented. Then you can tell people to go to facebook.com/armarketing to like us on Facebook rather then giving them the Facebook logo and hoping they find you.
Don't just give the twitter logo, give your twitter ID. The '@' symbol has become synonymous with Twitter so on your marketing materials use @jayyeater along with the twitter logo.

Thanks for reading my little rant on Facebook and Twitter in traditional media marketing. I really enjoy what we as marketers dream and create, but with dreaming comes responsibility. Hope this opens your eyes, inspires or even better, causes you to mail me a check like I'm your long lost royal cousin in India. Thanks friends, now share, tweet and +1 it.

Jay

jayyeater

I look forward to hearing your comments.
JFMFT

Cool blog post, Jay. Makes sense – but it seems so obvious. I can’t believe people don’t do this automatically. I would never put up a Twitter/Facebook image without giving the exact URL/name for my page(s), and I have zero marketing experience. For that matter, I essentially have zero business experience. It is a well-known fact that people on the internet are perhaps the most lazy of all, so you MUST do nearly everything for them (hold their hand, as you say) if you want page views and social media adoption by your target audience.
lconrad.vzw

So true its almost mind numbing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve like or followed the wrong company due to the lack of an official address or multiple companies with similar names. I’m not in the marketing business but as an entreprenuer I can’t tell how how valuable this will be down the road for me. Great post, keep up the great work.
haynest

I’ve been proactively lookin around some findlay sites and I see some serious icon violations
fergusonsarah

We probably have even participated in these types of group think activities.He describes this practice as a toll he uses that improves the decision making process.
http://www.insuranceadviceblog.com/ Sonya76

I think a lot of people slap the facebook and twitter icons on their websites and consider it as job done. You need to work to get customers to sign up to social media. As you say, they need leading.
http://www.insuranceadviceblog.com/ Sonya76

I think a lot of people slap the facebook and twitter icons on their websites and consider it as job done. You need to work to get customers to sign up to social media. As you say, they need leading.

Holding Hands in Social Media Marketing

GUILTY!

Proof flavored pudding.

Hold the hand of your audience

Jay

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