Social Media Cocktail Party

Social media, according to the business  owners I talk to, is like a big cocktail party. You enter a room and have all kinds of opportunities for communicating.  But just as you wouldn’t  go up to a group of people at a cocktail party and take over the conversation,  at the social media cocktail party you  just don’t barge into someone else’s conversation  and say, “Hey, come shop at my store.”

Conversations come from being both timely and topical: good social media cocktail party conversations are  fresh and connected with what other people are talking about. Like at any cocktail party, you don’t want to be seen as the bore who talks only about yourself. Your goal is fit your business into the conversations that are currently happening.

Social media starts with the tone: use an informal, conversational tone and make sure people see that there is a person behind your tweets and Facebook posts.. The overall feeling needs to be  spontaneous…even  if you’ve spent a long time thinking about what you’re gong to say. Establishing an overall consistency to tone is important.

Many businesses look for a humorous, casual tone, but that isn’t a requirement.   The ultimate goal is to have something that is going to be interesting for other people to hear, and subsequently to talk to other people about. This is how word of mouth starts.

Successful retailers agree that anything that seems overly managed will not work in the social media marketing sphere.  The “overly managed” category of messages  includes using any type of automated message. Social network sites like Twitter will allow you to create an automated response that is delivered to people who chose to follow you. While it is great to recognize new followers, these automated messages are missing the personal touch.

The owners of Sweet Flour Bakery in Toronto are  adamant against using any type of automated messages, and like many other businesses, owners Rich and Kim make a point of personally responding to people so their own personalities shine through. Their messages are consistently lighthearted and upbeat, which matches the tone they wish to see in their store.

How to be a good partygoer at the Social Media Network Cocktail Party? The owners of the Vancouver yogurt store  Qoola  encourages businesses to be able to provide “ some kind of benefit or some sort of insights that people find beneficial in their lives.”  Trey Pitsinger, the blogging nurseryman, focuses on whatever is on the mind of the garden center industry.

His messages react often to what is happening in the industry and how it might affect him, his customers, and other small business owners. So when wholesales close, or large competitors change their practices, Trey gives his perspective. He finds that talking about what is on his mind, from an informed, professional perspective, resonates with his audience.

What both these businesses have in common is that the people involved with social media listen to the conversations happening around them. This is another great characteristic of someone who is successful at the Social Media Cocktail Party: someone who takes the time to tap into the existing conversations and add to them. Get your party manners on, and you’ll be poised for success at the party!

– Kim