Why your social media marketing shouldn’t be like a Christmas present… Christmas has come and gone, the tree is away, and businesses are getting back into it. But customers are seeing the same old same old marketing. It’s like the businesses they follow are like some elderly Aunt who, with their heart in the right place, gives you the crappiest Christmas present that only they could possibly like.
What is Christmas Marketing?
You know the story. You’ve not since Aunt Mabel since last Christmas and once again you’ve got the same present and it’s precisely what Aunt Mabel would love to receive or would choose for herself. In fact, if you listened to the self-talk it would go something like this:
“If I were little Johnny I’d love to receive a present like this”.
Here’s the thing, most business social media markeitng is written with the same talk:
“If I were little Johnny, I’d love to see/know about this.”
Truth be told, little Johnny or Jenny, actually doesn’t like it because Aunt Mabel actually doesn’t take the time to listen to little Johnny and find out what they like and need. Aunt Mabel is so stuck in Aunt Mabel that she can’t see the needs of others around her.
Sound about right?
What’s wrong with Christmas Marketing?
Too often business social media marketing focuses on the message that the business wants to convey rather than what the client wants to hear. They assume that because they think it’s brilliant news that everyone else will think the same too.
But like Johnny & Aunt Mabel, clients and businesses are at different stages in their life and have different pressures, needs, and expectations. Telling them what you want them to hear or what you’d like to know doesn’t help them. (And therefore doesn’t help you)
Some businesses will tell you that so long as you know your avatar you are fine. Sure, but it’s more than knowing their “vital statistics” or demographics. If you actually want them to do something with your posts, to interact, engage, or click through and buy/book (all technically called engagement). Then you need to understand what makes them engage.
How to fix your Christmas Marketing!
A few years ago I wrote this blog and developed this handout on how to engage your audience online. I took some hard core research by psychologists and turned it into plain English steps. What it came down to, other than what businesses currently do of “giving them an incentive” and “telling them to do something”, the big tip for engaging online was to “appeal to their self-image”.
So don’t be an Aunt Mabel and appeal to your own self-image in your marketing. Appeal to what your audience actually tells you what they want for Christmas (or any time of year). You’ll find out how in the download.