Doing social media doesn’t mean ‘just Facebook’

Some people might tell you that social media is all Facebook and nothing else. Don’t listen to them.

Social media is as far from being ‘just Facebook’ as a car is to being ‘just seats and 4 wheels’. To say so would be to take a very reductionist attitude indeed.

There’s a multitude of social networks out there, and each work differently, although the basic rules of engagement are the same.

So many social networks, so little time. Image credit https://dustn.tv/social-media-logos/

Why do I need to know all this stuff about social media and the different social networks?

You need to know because you (and your company) have a story to tell and a product to sell. If what you’re selling is a highly sought after, very popular t-shirt brand, by all means, go to Facebook. You need the eyeballs and at 1.4 billion users and counting, Facebook has eyeballs by the truckload.   But what if you’re selling something else? Or worse still, what if you’ve tried Facebook but failed miserably? Does this mean you should give up on social altogether?

You made me think about my social media strategy now!

What if your product is a handmade decorative birdcage, or a filigree spoon, or a gorgeous handmade leather handbag? Is there no hope for you? Hell no! Highly bespoke and curated items such as these do very well on other social networks, notably Pinterest and Etsy. Did you know this? Had you ever heard of these social networks? No? Now you do and now you know! Go forth and multiply!

Think and think some more.

What’s the best way to sell a guitar amplifier? Is it by giving me pictures of it on Facebook, or by shipping out a complimentary unit to a famed guitarist and have them make a video blog of them putting the amplifier through its paces?

Let me tell you; it’s the latter, and I know because as a musician I’ve seen this trend grow and grow over the past 4 years.

Using social media to sell – a musical case study

If you sell an expensive musical product which is aimed at a moderately sized niche, you’re best off making friends with bloggers and online content creators and have them promote your product.

Companies such as BlackKat Guitars, StrictlySevenGuitars, Fractal Audio and other makers of highly tailored, highly bespoke and expensively priced musical equipment quickly understood that trying to compete against the big guns, the Gibsons and the Fenders of this world, was not cost effective because their budgets are out of this world.

A gorgeous instrument like this may sell itself, but it sells better when displayed on a Facebook community called ‘Guitar Porn’, which is over 10,000 members strong! Does your brand have 10,000 fans? Taken from https://www.facebook.com/pornguitar

So, they use ‘brand ambassadors’, people such as Ola Englund, Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood and Misha Mansoor, excellent musicians all of them, who have dedicated fan followings on the social media, many of which are musicians themselves.

The fans get honest reviews from sources they trust, the ambassadors get remuneration in some format and the company sells more units; everyone wins!

In conclusion, social wins!

So, yes, your content does have to tell your story, and you do have to do social media, but that doesn’t mean blindly copying what everyone else has done. It may well be the case that you need to try something just a little bit different, tailored to what you need to say and ultimately, sell!

What everyone else has done may not apply to you, your personality, your business and what you want to sell!  If you have questions about social media and your business and can’t get satisfactory answers, speak to us!