There are no strict rules on how businesses should run their social media pages. However, applying the 80/20 conversation ratio is the best strategy to ensure that you will be able to generate meaningful engagement with your social media communities. To simply explain, brands should dedicate only 20% of their social media content on topics related to their brand and the bigger 80% should focus on things that matter to their community members.
While social media plays a huge part of any businesses’ marketing mix, marketers should never fail to forget that the medium is primarily made for people to connect and socialize with other people and that they are not on it to be part of an advertising sales pitch. Here’s how you can integrate the 80/20 rule in your social media marketing:
20%: About Your Brand
Don’t use social media as just another platform to distribute your brand’s messages. Instead of treating it as a traditional medium, you need to create a compelling story for your community members. Develop content that will illustrate why your service or product offering would be beneficial to them; tell them about the value it would bring to their lives; offer a discount, give out coupons; include persuasive call-to-actions that will make them want to learn more about your company. Essentially, give them all the reasons why they should engage and feel honored to be part of your community.
80%: Less About Me, More About You
80% of content that you distribute on social media should reveal more about the people behind the brand/company. This allows consumers to connect and relate to companies more, humanizing the whole marketing process.
Think about it: If your company were an actual, living person, what kind of articles, information, or content would he likely share on his Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram accounts? While it’s recommended to share content that’s not just about your business and the industry it operates in, marketers should not stray too far away from it either. For instance, if you are in the restaurant business, 80% of your posts should still be about food—food art, cooking tips, interesting content about food from around the globe, articles from top chefs, etc.
Next, think about your audience and ask yourself, would the posts interest them? Would they appreciate the content? If your answer is ‘yes’, then, you’re likely to receive positive community engagement.
In summary, if a brand focuses too much on itself within social media as a means for boosting sales, its audience will immediately see through it and tune it out. Only by discovering what your audience is really interested in and responding to those needs, will your brand be able to maintain a consistent, sustainable, and engaging online social media presence.
