That Depends on Your Expectations and Definition of “Winning”
Social media is a communications tool, it does not drive direct sales. When social media first became the rage, and now a necessity, many people became enamored with the sheer numbers of followers they had. It literally did become a numbers game and many believed that the higher their numbers, the more money they would make. Is this true?
Yes and no! Having a good following on social media is definitely a good thing and CAN lead to higher conversions and increased sales, but it is not a direct correlation.
Social media is the measure of influence and brand awareness you have on the social web. Social media marketing done correctly engages and interacts with your audience. It is not an advertising platform. The same way you wouldn’t walk into a cocktail party and tell the guests that they need to buy your red widget, you shouldn’t be only promoting your products or services on social media.
Let’s go back to the cocktail party analogy. What do you do at a party? You socialize. You introduce yourself, ask questions, answer questions, engage in conversation (not promote), find a common ground, etc. At some point, you might get around to what you do for a living. If the person you are speaking with at a party has an interest in what you do for a living, they might ask you questions (or vice versa) . Will they hire you at the party? Probably not, but they will remember you from your social interaction and maybe three months, or three years later, especially if you continued your “relationship” after the party, there is a good chance they will hire you or refer someone else to you.
Social media marketing is no different. It is not about selling. It is about establishing relationships and getting people to know, like, and trust you. When you continually provide value to your audience and when you have established yourself as your industry expert, then they will be more likely to listen to you when you do have something to sell them.
Social media marketing is about being social, communicating, establishing relationships, educating, learning, listening, and being both proactive and reactive.
Getting Back to the Numbers Game
The more people you have an influence over and the higher the number of social media followers you have, the higher the potential of having more people know, like, and trust you. Why does this sound so vague?
Because the reality is that even if you do have 80,000 followers on Twitter, there is no easy way of knowing how many of those 80,000 are actually listening and reading what you are sharing. Think, instead, of the number of followers or viewers of your content being more indicative of your level of influence and a gateway to future business growth.
Don’t focus solely on the numbers – focus instead on the quality of the followers rather than quantity. How many of them engage and interact rather than just how many there are!