We here at Palmer are fervent believers in the idea that when it comes to creating compelling content for your social media strategy, inspiration is all around you. Take the World Cup, for example. Sure, you still have no idea why a bunch of guys run in circles for 90 minutes, but the fact is that soccer is, at long last, catching on in the states. In fact, a recent ESPN poll found that among young people, the sport is running neck and neck with baseball in terms of popularity.
Our point is simple. You can engage followers by commenting on fun, lighthearted, and universally appealing events without getting too far from your business. It's not rocket science, yet it's nonetheless one of the most widespread social media marketing trends out there today. This post will show you how to do it.
The first step, not surprisingly, is to know your audience. After all, you'll want to talk about events that actually mean something to your followers, prospects, and customers. Therefore it's important to whip out your trusty buyer personas to get a better idea of the kind of news items you should be on the look out for. Take the World Cup example above. The typical fan is male, under 40 years old, and with at least a college education. To look at it another way, if your target audience is middle-aged suburban women, you may want to bypass the soccer angle entirely.
Now that you have an idea of the kinds of news items you're looking for you can have relevant pieces of content delivered to your inbox via tools like Google Alerts. Let's say you're a high-end BMW dealer. Many of your customers are male, affluent, and with an affinity for golf. You can set up alerts for upcoming tournament like the US Open or individual golfers so you'll have, in essence, and endless supply of relevant content.
Next up is the nitty-gritty: actually incorporating the news into your social media strategy, also known as "newsjacking." Your options are many. For example, you can promote your dealership's brand by Tweeting about an inter-office pool regarding upcoming World Cup matches. This approach puts a human face on your dealership and helps build a connection with viewers. Of course, you can also use the content as a springboard to engage readers via Facebook posts, Tweets, and contests. After all, your paramount goal for incorporating events into your social media strategy should be to engage followers. Throw a question back to the reader, ask for Likes, Shares, and Comments, and encourage people to give their opinion.
Like most social media marketing trends, using events to promote your brand also comes at a risk. Be judicious in the types of events you talk about, especially ones that are international or political in nature. As we've noted before, some of the greatest social media disasters in history involved brands foolishly newsjacking tragic news like, believe it or not, terrorist attacks. This isn't the New York Times and "bad news" doesn't sell.
What types of events have proven successful in generating social media chatter? How do you get readers to engage with your brand? What's difficult about incorporating news and events into your social media strategy?
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