Mobile, Social Media, and Personality
11 Aug 2010, 9:33 a.m.
You're probably familiar with using social networking tools, like Facebook and Twitter, to put a personal face on your business. Letting people know there is a personality behind a corporation is a great way to attract new customers and instill loyalty in the customers you have. But It's important to remember that not every personality is appreciated, especially now that the mobile internet is becoming the most personal form of media the world has ever seen.
Mobile phones are beside people when they work, when they travel, when they sleep. Mobile phone use has long since surpassed the use of conventional phones. With text messaging and internet applications, it's predicted to surpass the use of laptops and regular computers as well within a few years. And it does so from inside a person's jacket pocket!
If your business gets someone's email address, or is friended on Facebook, or added to a Twitter feed, or even if the mobile site is just bookmarked, you are now part of their daily lives. In order to stay part of their daily lives, you need to keep that in mind.
The old saying, "familiarity breeds contempt" is old for a reason. Over time, what was once impressive loses its shine, and mild irritations build up. If this sounds discouraging... it's meant to be! Specifically it's meant to discourage any temptations you might have to post to your twitter feed what you had for breakfast that day, email out a newsletter regardless of whether you have something worthwhile to say, or produce ANY communication that does not deliver value to your customers.
Before doing something to promote your business online, make sure you can say these three things about the message: it's useful, it's well-timed, and it offers something new.
The first is the most important. Whatever you do online has to be useful. This doesn't mean that it has to be vital. "Useful" could just mean "fun," or "interesting." A redesign of your mobile site so that it displays a picture of your employee of the month and a funny fact about him or her is useful. It's something new, interesting and amusing for the customer to see.
Timing is also quite important. Sending a round of text messages or twitter updates that your coffee shop is having a special on blended coffee drinks at 10:30 in the morning is not good timing. By that time, people are already at work, coffee most likely in hand. It's too late. Seeing an update like that is just an annoyance, and it doesn't take too many annoyances for the person to unsubscribe (i.e. stop reading forever).
Think of what timing is most convenient for the customer. Put yourself in their shoes. When would be a good time for you to hear about a sale - the morning of? The day before? Three days before?
The third criterion - "always offer something new" - seems counterintuitive. Why wouldn't you want to advertise as much as possible, even if you're repeating yourself? The more exposure your business gets, the better it should do! If it were public exposure, that could be true. But personal media is different.
When people engage in social media - check their Facebook status updates, email, Twitter, etc. - they aren't just looking for sales and discounts. They're looking for messages from their friends, their family, and employers. Your business is part of that media venue because they think staying current with you will enhance their lives the same way their friends do. If, instead, they find that they have to sweep through mountains of useless updates in their personal media accounts just to be able to see the emails that their friends are sending them, at best they will unsubscribe.
Social media gives you access to someone's personal life. Make every interaction fun, useful, interesting, and convenient, and your bottom line will benefit!
