You’ve finally finished that epic blog post [infographic, LOLCat, Thundercats remix…] and tomorrow morning you’ll unleash it on the world. So, what should you do between now and then? You could take a nap, sure, or you could start priming the social pump early. Here are 5 tips for how to put your network to work before you need it…
i. Be Genuine
This is the pre-tip that makes all the other tips work. I honestly hate giving social media advice, because I find that just about every “Always do…” or “NEVER do…” has an exception. There are people who can Tweet out the same link 10 times a day and see great returns. There are others who can talk about nothing but what they eat for breakfast and get 10,000 happy followers.
What’s the difference? Sincerity, and a little moderation. If you’re genuine, believe in what you’re doing, and aren’t just trying to game the system, people will forgive the occasional over-indulgence. Just like we all deserve to eat a bit too much for the holidays, we’re all allowed to get carried away when we’re passionate about something we’ve created. Just do it because you mean it, and try not to overdo it.
1. Participate
It’s sad that I have to say this one out loud, but priming the pump starts long before the eve of your launch. The first word in social media is “social” – if you just create an account on every platform, broadcast your own links, and never participate, you’ll get no results. The only exception is if you’re already famous. The rules that apply to Kim Kardashian don’t apply to you. Life isn’t fair. If you’re already famous, congratulations – you can go read another post now.
The usual argument is “I don’t have time.” If that’s true, fair enough – focus your efforts. Better to spend quality time on one social network than just throw links at ten. Even one solid network you actively participate in can create amazing returns.
2. Pre-Announce
You’ve got a post scheduled, and you’re itching to click [Publish]. Why not share that excitement? Even if you don’t have a link yet, let people know you’ve got something great in the works. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a Tweet like this:
Of course, please see Section (i) – for this to work, you have to mean it. If you’ve never been psyched about anything, or you send out this message twice a day, you’re going to sound like an ass. The best way not to sound like an ass is not to be an ass.
3. Be A Tease
This is the advanced form of pre-announcing. Did you ever watch a movie preview and it was so awesome you stopped caring about the movie you actually paid to see? Studios are great at turning short versions of their work into teasers – take the best minute or two, put it to dramatic music with a booming voiceover, and Bam – magic!
So, why not take a couple of the best bits of your post and pre-release them? It could be a bit of a copy, a piece of data, or even an illustration. For my recent dupe content mega-post, I posted this on Google+ just for fun:
I’ll admit it – this was a tease. I wanted people to think “Wow, I wonder what that post is about?” The trick, and the art, is to give people something of value (no matter how small). I honestly thought the quote was funny, and I wanted to share it. Of course, the other trick is to make sure that you don’t waste all the good bits in the previews, like almost all romantic comedies of the past 5 years.
I also did a bit of a post-post teaser, using the opening illustration:
I could’ve just as easily made that a pre-post teaser, but I was a bit afraid to waste it. I sometimes get a little too attached to my mediocre drawings. It’s all part of my charm, I imagine.
4. Create Buy-in
Have you ever seen someone post a survey asking for data or topics for a post? The magic of that tactic isn’t just that other people are helping create your content – it’s that each one of those people has just bought into your post. As soon as they provide data or feedback, they’ll want to know what you’ll do with it.
The trick to this one is that you have be specific and create something interesting enough that people want to participate. I’m not a big fan of Tweets like this:
Don’t get me wrong – it’s a perfectly valid thing to say, and it lets people know you’re human. Just don’t expect your boredom to result in someone else’s interest. If you want participation, you need to structure it – create a survey or even a simple poll, ask people for data, and generally get them invested in your idea.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. While working on a recent slide deck, I Tweeted this:
Looking back, it’s a combination of teaser + participation – by asking people’s opinions, I was trying to get them both interested and invested. Ultimately, participation is just another facet of social influence and a way to impact people in your network.
By the way, if you want to know which caption won, tune into my free webinar on Tuesday – “Future-Proofing Your SEO: 2012 Edition” (see what I did there?)
5. Pre-Reciprocate
If you’re good at social media, you’ll thank the people who help you and try to help them back. If you’re great at social media, you’ll help them before they help you. Be active the day(s) before you put out an important link – talk to people, re-tweet/Like/+1 their URLs, and generally make yourself seen. Social media is all about perception. You don’t have to be online every waking minute, but it never hurts to look like you are.
Now You Know
Those are all my dirty little secrets, and my social media life is now ruined forever. Seriously, I fall back on Tip (i) – I can say this out loud, because I’m sincere. Yes, there’s method to my madness, and I probably scheme more than most people realize, but I also love what I do.
You can game social media to a point, but real success in the social world is ultimately a reflection of you. If you don’t care, neither will anyone else. If you’re excited about what you create, why not let your excitement be contagious?
Thanks Dr. Pete ..for giving us some tips to make the social interaction more easy and productive.
The word "Social" is meant for us to be social person in social sites rather than being a Spammer Guy/bot shouting same lines more and more ..and that's what I learnt NOT to do ..from your post. I dont want to be Kim Kardashian because I know I can't marry and beark up on a particular period of time,so of course she is Exception for this. Nice example you(Dr. Pete)gave for it.
Regarding the teasers, it's ruling every industry, Many times we get to see some ads which pre announce before launhing of thier products, e.g. TV commercial of Mercedes SLS , In India.(The ad was made in 2 parts and the 1st part was teaser)
Thanks , :)
Great pointers, Dr. Pete!
It's amazing (and sad) how many people only focus on "media" and forget the "social" part of the equation. I'll admit, it's sometimes hard to remember to keep your promotional tendencies under control. But it really pays off to keep it to a minimum.
"The rules that apply to Kim Kardashian don’t apply to you." This saddens me each and every day...
You've made some great points in the post, whilst also making me a little ashamed of my contrived Google+ usage, and slightly relieved that I thanked you for retweeting my blog post yesterday! I'll definitely trial a few more of these in the near future and see how I get along.
I think the point about being genuine is very important. I worry about the balance of my Twitter profile because it's as much for personal use as for 'business' use but ultimately I'm being myself. I like it when SEOs I follow post about the football or whatever and I'm much more inclined to believe that they genuinely like the content behind the links that they post to SEO related material, if I can see that they have opinions about other things too.
I used to worry about the personal/business aspect a lot more than I do now, but I admit that being a one-man shop certainly helps. Even my work for SEOmoz has a "personal" aspect in that I'm promoting my own content and ideas most of the time. It can be tougher when you're an employee for a big company or an agency, but I still think there's always an aspect that's personal and genuine that you can tap into. Most of the companies who try to strip every ounce of humanity out of their social media efforts fail miserably, IMO.
I used to worry about the personal / business aspect and felt guilty about the fact that any social media presence I had would be contrived to the extent that I didn't participate at all.
Recently I shifted my thinking to "this may be contrived or self-interested right now, but I'm genuinely trying to learn and figure it all out, so that's what I'm going to count while I move forward."
Pandas speaking about SEO is funny, full stop.
Love the advice Dr. Pete. Participation and authenticity are so huge. It's easy to tell when someone is just trying to get traffic instead on contribute.
I'm happy to see my recent Tweet (link to twitter) meets your advice for #2 Pre-Announce. Not quite as professional as yours, but possibly got the job done.
That first one is the most often forgotten among small business I think. Even more difficult is figuring out which strategies to use for which platform. While some of these, like #1, are a general rule of thumb would you recommend using only a few of these idea per platform (such as teases on Facebook and buy-ins on Google+) or are they really relevant to every platform?
I think it's a good question, and it's fair to say that the strategies take different forms on the different platforms. Teasers are harder on Twitter, because of the short format and lack of images, for example. On the other hand, you can push micro-content harder and more often on Twitter without annoying people, in some cases. So, let me be specific:
(1) Everywhere, of course.
(2) Mostly Twitter, could get annoying on FB and G+.
(3) More impact on FB and G+ with long-form content. Also, image sites (Pinterest?).
(4) I do this mostly on Twitter, but I can see applications on FB and G+, done well.
(5) Everywhere.
hmmm...number 4 is a sore point right now 8)
Clearly my attempt last week to "create Buy-in" with a little "tease" mixed in was an abject failure. While the dented ego really doesn't bother me, the real disappointment is knowing that without a reasonable amount of data an interesting theory will never be properly tested.
So Dr Pete, the question becomes "at what point do further attempts to illicit a response move from being "genuine" to becoming annoying and risking being unfollowed"?
Sha
It's tough, and it depends a lot on you and your audience. That's why I hate giving social media advice most days, because people could do any of the things in this post badly or well, and some of it may not even really by their fault (just circumstance).
A couple of things:
(1) You have to have empathy. This is something I think we marketers are bad at. We engage in tactics that, when they're applied to us, annoy the crap out of us. That makes no sense to me. We all have to push the envelope a little, but you and I know what bothers us. So, put yourself in your audience's shoes.
(2) You have to keep at it. These things are like viral marketing, in a sense. They don't always work, and they almost never work the first couple of times. You have to try things out, get to know your audience, and make a few mistakes. On social media, most people don't even see the little gaffes, let alone care.
(3) Don't keep hammering on something that fails. If a tactic doesn't seem to work or a post isn't getting attention, I switch gears. I also pick and choose - I know some posts are better than others. I pushed my dupe content post hard, because I have enough experience to know it was good. I won't push this post that hard, honestly, because it's decent but not great.
Some points from my expeirnece with social:
1. Be Active - show users you want to talk to them on a daily basis.
2. Engage - show users you want to reply and engage with their comments.
3. Optimize - Be cheeky and optimize content where possible, but do not make it spammy no one likes seeing linkedin profiles with: JONO JONES - SEO EXPERT | SEO SPECIALIST | SEO WRITER | SEO SEO lol...
4. Track your social conversions and engagement - Social Analytics are a huge much.
Yeah, I think it's fine to optimize and test. Try different approaches, link placements, times of day, etc. There's a big difference between playing around with variations of your message and being outright spammy. Plus, I think social media is a great place to test your message for broader use (your site, your sales pitch, etc.).
5. Pre-Reciprocate ---I love this!
I also agree with #1 on being genuine. I think its important to actively participate with your customers and have real relationships. People buy from those they know and trust. But not only that, from a research stand point, it allows you to listen to your customers and tailor your marketing in an extremely personal and customizable way. I will definately share this with the businesses I consult and my vlog.
Dr. Pete this article was very helpful
hello, Great stuff! I was wondering if you and/or anyone else could help me develop my site. its all functional with a friendly feel and all but is it SEO friendly? www.newdeals-directories.co.uk if you could help that would be ace
Great insightful tips there Dr Pete ;)
I definitely struggle with time & have multiple accounts to manage (mine & clients)
Regarding my own accounts.. I have 3.. original account which is my musician alter-ego (not the most appropriate for business at times), company account & newly established personal account). I find myself tweeting via my company account as the primary account when engaging with individuals but don't get much reciprocation :( It feels like I'm shooting blanks hehe - help me dr pete !
Would you advise to build out the personal account out a bit more and use that as the primary account for personal engagement?
Also, how often is too often to tweet the same tweet? I'm assuming that twice per day is ok maybe 3 to target different timezones
It's not easy to separate - I've honestly tried to launch a couple of accounts for my own company and web properties, and have ultimately abandoned them. I prefer to brand myself as "Dr. Pete" and that works for me. If you're really working to build up the company brand (and want it to be a multi-employee operation), then you've got to invest in building two identites.
I suspect you could merge your personal account and alter ego, depending on the goal of that. Your musician alter ego is presumably an extension of yourself, and that content and audience can mix. It's not impossible to maintain both, but trying to actively support 3 accounts gets pretty rough.
On the tweets/day, it REALLY depends. My advice is to do re-tweet your own stuff in moderation. Three times/day may be fine for an occasional link that you're really proud of - if you do three/day every day, though, it's probably going to irritate people. You really split it intelligently (every 8 hours x 3 or 12 hours x 2) and you know you're hitting different groups of people, that's a bit different. Just pay attention to people's reactions - if one person is vocally annoyed, 20 other people are annoyed and not saying it.
Thanks - I think I'll keep the company brand one rolling but just for announcements, link sharing etc etc & build out the personal brand like your "Dr. Pete" identity for human interaction - although I won't be "Dr Woj", don't worry ;)
Thanks for all the tips. I'm forwarding your post to our Community Managers.
Really awesome tips Dr.Pete, I think there nothing any panda effect.
Simple, intuitive, and ultimately valuable points, Dr. Pete. I'm particularly fond of pre-reciprocating; I think that's the most directly analogous to "priming the pump". As Rand often says, inbound marketing is earned. By working diligently to build your reputation within certain social circles, you're establishing a level of trust with your audience that only further qualifies your input.
There's obviously a correlation between being truly vested in a social community (participating and contributing regularly) and that respective community's trust of/response to your input. Not necessarily full causation, mind you. There are always exceptions. Perseverance is key.
Dr. Pete
This was a great post... thoroughly enjoyed it! What are yours/everyones thoughts on those new things popping up about "The Daily News is out" aka www.paper.li ?? I'm trying to see if those are of value and how we can incorporate those into our social media presence.
Thoughts?
I'll be honest - I find them a bit annoying, in most cases. It's a nice idea, but they just end up flooding the tweet stream. I think content curation is great, and if you can do it well you can definitely make a mark in any industry. I'm just not sure that auto-curation is the answer. I'm open to counter-opinions, though, as I can be a bit curmudgeonly about these things :)
Great pointers. I would recommended that businesses have a plan and a scope of what should be communicated via social media.
When it comes to Social Media marketing all you have to do is fully understand the Pre-Tip, "Be Genuine" the rest will fall into place.
Thanks for the tips there, sir Pete.
I like that you pointed out pre-announcement here. It's always interesting to see how successful something can be simply by how well it is marketed BEFORE THERE'S EVEN ANYTHING TO MARKET. The closest example I can think of is how hipster.com got several thousand signups before anyone even knew what it did.
Good marketing doesn't start with the launch and it doesn't ever end. That's... both encouraging and disheartening. :P
It is exhausting, isn't it? :)
Whatever Panda says it doesn't become easier to promote the websites.
These are sound ideas and as I read them I came to the conclusion that they are a time poven technique called "flirting".
Love your advice and tips Dr. Pete. Need to know some more tips related to Social Media form you in cming future.
Thanks :)
I noticed the panda poster in the dupe content post - I had to keep going back and looking at it to amuse myself whenever my brain hurt too much.
Great tips, as per.
Interesting points here and some useful tips. It is important to engage with users on a regular basis and ensure that your interaction is genuine and not necessary a means of just promoting your services. Being able to excite followers and engage them in what you are passionate about will assist in your success.
Though all tips are usefull, but I am more inclined towards #4. Using this, one can also develop serendipitous connection that would lead to certain direct benefits for SEO.
Nice tips Dr. Pete. I'm waiting for more :)
Dr Pete, thank you for the great tips, it's interesting to see/hear other people's strategies and etiquette for doing day to day social media on twitter.
Very Interesting Dr. Pete! I like the teaser idea... if you interact with people in real time environment and reply to them (ideally help them) the people actually associated with you and then when you through any pre buzz of the post like you said teasers it actually go kind of viral (RTs) and you can always increase the eye balls and healthy comments!
The best and the most important part of the post is the suggestion that instead of creating on every tom, dick and harry community just select one and participate by giving away some valuable data!
Participation is critical, especially for the little guys. But... just participating is not enough, you have to think about what your goals are and make sure you participate with that in mind. Just posting comments like "nice post" might not be too beneficial. With that said:
Nice post Dr. Pete. ;-)
Great tips that really bring the "social" element to social media. Too often this is ignored and a business social media page is just a bunch of links. Why not promote a discussion about your content before and after it gets posted?
Building suspense for the release of your post is a great idea. Just like almost anything else people want more when they are just teased. With a killer headline, you could have people checking your profile constantly. You may even want to take it a step further and post the teaser to someones profile that you have an established relationship with and can benefit from the topic!