Social media marketing gets easier all the time. After creating your content, it only takes a few clicks to publish and share it to the dozens of popular social media platforms, each with thousands of eyes eagerly awaiting the next eye-catching post. Yet sometimes, even your best work seems to get lost in the busy world of social media. You might also notice that people with similar posts get a lot of engagement, but for some reason, your work is virtually ignored. So why aren’t your posts more popular? And how can you turn this situation around to your benefit? Maybe the Party Principle can help.
Applying the Party Principle The Party Principle is simple: honest interaction leads to genuine engagement. For example, let’s say you’re throwing a party. You could plan the biggest, baddest party around, but if no one knows who you are, no one is going to come. But if you start going to other parties first, and spend time getting to know the host and other attendees, chances are they’ll take an interest in you. After you develop a relationship with them, they’ll be the first people you see at your next party. Now let’s apply this idea to your social media strategy. If you begin retweeting, sharing, and commenting on content posted by people that interest you, and throw in a friendly direct message to boot, you might get their attention. This could lead to reciprocation on their part, exposing your content to their audience, and then the engagement can really begin. Before you know it, you’ll be retweeted, shared, and followed so much you’ll feel like a social media superstar! It sounds great in theory, but how can you get started? Unleash your Engagement Strategy Unlike your neighbourhood party, you rarely need an invitation to join a social media event. All it takes is finding the people you want to engage with, and then unleash your engagement strategy. Here are 5 tips to get you started:
Leave comments, even if it’s just, “Great post!”
Share/retweet their content with your network
Participate in their live chats and video discussions
Promote them to your network
Always be positive, enthusiastic, and authentic
Now that you have that audience, what do you do with them? Make the Connection, Not the Sale Let’s go back to your party for a moment. When your guests finally start streaming through the door, do you immediately begin to start selling them some of your products and services? Of course you wouldn’t (unless you never want to see them again). Again, this applies to your social media strategy. Engagement is about connecting with people, finding out about their business, and exploring partnerships that benefit you both. You can also learn about their customers, suggest ways to solve problems, and arrange for further discussions in the near future. These new connections may eventually become your biggest referral source, and you’ll be part of a network of professionals dedicated to supporting the entrepreneurial community. And that sense of community is at the beating heart of social media.
