Social Media wrong , there are some fantastic company social channels . However , more often than not we see commercial messages when looking at vendor feeds . What do their followings look like ? Is there high engagement on their posts ? If so , who is interacting ? Customers ? Other industry thought leaders ? Those strange bot accounts that the company hasn ’ t gotten to blocking yet ? Or maybe no one is . Maybe that content is falling on deaf ears and the time invested in generating and then promoting that content is wasted .
The Face-to-Face Test
We suggest treating social media , regardless of the channel , as if you were looking to engage in a face-to-face conversation and be recognized as a thought leader and expert in your field . What are some of the ways you start that conversation ? Would you walk up to someone and simply begin talking about yourself ? If you knew that person wasn ’ t interested in talking about cars right now , would you continue to shout about how great your cars are and how they can buy them ? No , and no . But what if that person needs a car , just not this minute , or maybe they need the next model of car you will be offering . You wouldn ’ t want to scare them off for good by continuing to talk about your cars until they were ready to buy , would you ?
Not a chance ! You would look to find common ground , ways that you can interact with that person that are meaningful . What are their interests ? Challenges ? Goals ? What if you could learn that information and provide a solution , maybe in the form of educational content or inspiration that led to earning their trust ? The result would be an actual relationship , a partnership .
Listen Before You Speak
Social media is a powerful channel for forming deeper and broader relationships with teachers , administrators , librarians — any educator , at any level . This occurs when you treat it like the ongoing conversation that it is , not just a venue for free ad space . Odds are that if you prove yourself to be a competent and helpful presence online , your prospects will be far more receptive to information pertaining specifically to your products and services when they come up .
Just like you want to conceive of social media like a conversation rather than a pitch meeting , you want to be sure that your entering the conversation with the right social cues and appropriate “ attire ,” so to speak . Think about it : you wouldn ’ t show up to a neighborhood potluck outfitted for a black-tie gala . The tone and cadence of a social media conversation will vary from other marketing outlets that you ’ re using , and different social media chats may even have their own conversational norms .
Listening is one of your best tools in conversation and on social media . For anyone who has spent more time by the food than the people at a social function , you understand that picking up on the language and behavior patterns of others can be difficult at first . Give it time , listen to others whose online presence you respect , and don ’ t be afraid to commit to some trial and error . PR with Panache ! ( PRP ) recently wrote a blog post about various social media tips and tricks that can help you get started looking like a pro on these channels .
Social Guidance
If you ’ re anything like us , then this talk about vibe and tone , and having a congenial conversation is all well and good — but where are the logistics ?! As a true-to-heart marketing champ you want to know about process , baby ! Pragmatism ! Anything more concrete than “ be a good listener ”!
We get it , and we hear you . It is possible to harness those hardcore logistical skills to help build the sort of relatable but smart social media account that we are discussing . At PRP , we ’ ve also crafted a social media checklist that
accomplishes just that .
While it ’ ll take your personality and perceptive nature to understand how your social media presence should look and feel , this checklist will help manage that activity . A huge part of becoming a trusted source online is keeping your content consistent , high-quality , timely , and on-message for your audience . The checklist breaks down each of these components , and tells you exactly what you need to do and when for your social account to truly take off .
Social media can seem like a big , isolating space at first . That said , we know from personal experience that once you get over some initial hurdles , the rewarding connections that you make from these platforms
Some of our favorite educators to follow on Twitter include :
Steven Anderson @ web20classroom , Vickie Davis @ CoolCatTeacher , Richard Byrne @ rmbyrne , Michelle Luhtala @ mluhtala , and Shannon Miller @ shannonmmiller .
are genuinely worth the bit of extra effort . Happy posting ! n
JACOB HANSON is a Storyteller and Managing Partner at PR with Panache !, the leading PR and inbound marketing firm for the K-12 education market . Connect with him on Twitter @ PRPanacheJacob or follow PRP ’ s blog at prwithpanache . com / prp-blog .
LISA SCHMUCKI is the founder and CEO of edWeb , a leading professional learning and social network for the education community . To connect with Lisa , you can reach out to her at lisa @ edweb . net or visit ed- Web . net .
essentials | www . edmarket . org 15