I received several questions from readers in response to yesterday’s newsletter about standing out from the crowd.
I wrote that, ironically, with social media giving everyone an equal platform, it’s easier than ever to stand out from the high-volume, low-quality crowd.
A number of people asked me to elaborate on this, and this post is my effort to do that.
Basically, social media has created an awful lot of noise. A lot of people think they have very important things to say. Millions of people think they have an audience of thousands, so they transmit countless communications — links, 140-character proclamations, commentary, retweets, etc. — via these networks.
Social media has created a degeneration in the quality of marketing communications.
Social media is where much of your competition resides.
This the crowd you’re trying to stand out from. It’s not difficult. Here’s why — and how:
- Most social media marketers are not talking to buyers. They are talking to other social media enthusiasts. Your job is talk to buyers. Whether your customer is the consumer or business executive, you should relentlessly identify, create lists of them and….
- …Provide and demonstrate compelling value to them. Help them. Show them how they’d be better off if they worked with you, or bought from you.
- Communicate with them relentlessly. Directly. One-on-one. In groups. Constantly communicate value — provide an astonishing amount of help.
- Also, be sure your existing customers are able to communicate how happy they are with you. It’s your job to facilitate this communication between current customers and prospective ones. This takes the form of written testimonials, videos, case studies, white papers, etc. There is nothing you can say about yourself that is as powerful as what your customers say about you.
These techniques require more effort than your competition is using on social networks, but that’s exactly what’ll help you stand out.
A bit of extra effort.