Social Media Week Day 2: Reaching an Audience

Our Social Media Account Analysts are at it again and Social Media Week in NYC will not disappoint. People are talking about everything from page likes to generational differences, but a major topic of the day was audience. Below are some things that were covered in today’s classes. Keep these in mind when dealing with your business’s audience!

Speak with the consumer rather than at them. Social media doesn’t just have to be a promotional tool- it should also be used for storytelling. By creating content that’s authentic or that sparks an emotional connection, you are more likely to resonate with your audience.  Shouting at the audience about your brand is not necessarily the most effective way to reach others and build a following. Social outlets should be used to start and engage in conversation.

Right place. Right time. Right people. Jake Silverstein, Jenna Wortham, and Alex MacCallum from the New York Times stressed to our analysts the importance of getting your content in front of the right people and in their hands in order to develop an audience. They also placed a lot of emphasis on the idea that while there should be a well-planned strategy behind what you post and the way you do it, there still needs to be an element of authenticity in your content.

What’s the difference between social PR and social marketing? The audience. For social PR, it’s the journalist, the blogger. For social marketing, it’s the consumer. Jan Rezab of Social Bakers explained that with social PR, the goal is to produce something big that other outlets want to write about. For social media marketers, the goal is not necessarily to go viral, but rather, to be consistent and engage with a fan base.

Targeting networks. Executives from Translation, Elite Daily, and Crimson Hexagon suggested that we need to be more focused on “networks” rather than a target audience. Many times, our target audiences are based off of demographics, which don’t always truly represent people. Networks are groups of people who exchange information, experiences, data, and knowledge. Within these networks are shared beliefs, unspoken rules, rituals, and social norms- more on the end of psychographics. If marketers can tap into these networks, they can do a better job at understanding people and who they are, and can therefore better target them.

 

Keep an eye on our blog for more updates on Social Media Week in New York. To learn more about our Social Media Marketing Campaigns as well as other packages that we offer, contact us today!