Let’s say you call a florist, and you have to leave a voicemail. Or, maybe you send an email. You wait for a reply. Nothing.
Frustrating, isn’t it? You’ve probably been there before. It’s difficult to imagine someone being in business and letting inquiries go unanswered or ignoring opportunities to engage.
It’s also hard to imagine why you would have a phone or an email account if you didn’t bother to check the incoming communication.
But, that is exactly what happened in a recent informal experiment I ran using Twitter. True, it wasn’t exactly scientific. But, the process yielded some pretty useful insights for businesses and nonprofits alike.
So What Did I Do With Twitter?
I sent a variety of direct questions and shoutouts to businesses and other organizations. In most cases, these tweets were in direct response to being followed by the account.
A sample tweet might look like this:
.@TwitterUser thanks for the follow! I haven’t visited #Springfield in a while. What’s a good time to visit?
Conversational. Engaging. Easy to include others in the conversation. This is exactly what marketers might kill for.
And What Were The Results?
Users – even pedestrian users – were generous with likes. 54% of the tweets generated likes from some source. This seems promising.
The surprising part? Only 8% generated either a mention or a private message in response. Crickets.
Don’t Forget The Social In Your Social Media Strategy
As a customer or interested prospect, imagine getting a “like” for your question, but no answer. It’s the equivalent of getting an automated message for your phone call that goes something like this . . . “We’re glad you called!” Click.
A recent experiment: Would certain businesses and #nonprofits respond to questions and shoutouts? 8% did. #SoMe #Twitter
— Gamelan LLC (@GamelanLLC) March 1, 2016
Business people – and even content marketers – can get so focused on using social media for pushing content that the social in social media gets lost. With so much noise out there, incoming communication – what’s supposed to be the heart and soul of social media – can be forgotten. It should not be. Incoming communication is one of the most effective ways to gain new eyeballs and prospects.
Is Your Social Media Strategy A One-Way or Two-Way Street?
In a later post, I’ll explore some of the potential causes for this neglect of engagement opportunities, but there are some big question to ask yourself right now before moving on:
Is your social media strategy one-way or two-way? Whether you’re a business or nonprofit, are you actively monitoring and managing your social media accounts? Or, are you just logging in to push out a message or a link occasionally?
If you think your strategy is more passive or it’s a one-way street, you’re very likely missing opportunities to engage on a meaningful level.
