The Four E’s of Social Media Marketing

by Josh Amidon

On a daily basis I work with small business owners to help them navigate the world of marketing. The world of marketing, is filled with little countries with names like Graphic Design, Branding, Digital Ads, TV Ads, Radio Ads, Print Media, etc. BUT there’s a crazy little country in marketing world called Social Media, and in Social Media rivers flow upstream, fish can fly, birds swim and nothing makes sense.

This is because social media continues to change at the blink of an eye. Businesses need to change with the times in order to make their marketing communications effective. Social communities are being inundated with postings from businesses and many of them through automation. The question is anyone listening anymore? If there is any listening going on, is anyone engaging in a conversation?

These four E’s will help guide you build interactions, discussions and engagement.

1. Educate

Educational content can be helpful to your followers in the short term, and over time it can present the you or your business as a industry expert. People are more likely to hire an expert. Just one piece of advice, present the material in a fun and accessible way. Educating your followers is tricky, you want to be informative, but not boring. No one goes to social media to be lectured to.

2. Entertain

Humor is one of the simplest ways to trigger emotion. So why not have something funny to make your audience laugh? As I started to say above, when people follow a business they want to see the face of that business, no matter how big or small. No one wants to follow a lifeless, boring, never-ending lecture. People want to see content that engages them and makes them laugh. Entertainment will have your followers coming back for more every time and will allow them to see the sense of humor your company possesses. Don't forget, whatever content you generate must relate to your brand.

3. Engage

It is important to have engaging content on social media. Social media is successful because it is a place where people can go to engage with one another; whether that is through laughing at a shared video, or commenting on a shared post. 62 percent of shoppers will become loyal customers of brands that engage with them.

4. Evangelize

Technically, Evangelize means spreading the word of God. In this case Evangelize means spreading the word of your company or brand. You want to turn your followers into walking/talking billboards for you. Social media can make it easier for your customers to refer you to new customers. Word of mouth influences 50% of allllll money spent in the world!

As always, I’m here for you. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at josh@asterfg.com or (315) 258-8780.