It’s a Sign! Social Media and the Art of Awareness and Gentle Reminders

I have a friend who has yet to get Internet in her home. (In her defense, she recently moved to a new place). I’ve told her over and over again that she needs to do so for both business and personal reasons. She can only do so much on her smart phone.

So since I bug her a lot, she informed me yesterday, “I got a thing in the mail for a special deal from Comcast. I think it’s a sign!”, as it were some cosmic message from on high. And presumably she will now be getting Internet in her home, after all, you don’t want to go against the signs! (You can’t see me now, but I’m NOT holding my breath).

So, while she was joking (kinda), for her, that direct mail piece was a sign to take action. Which also means she’ll be stocking up on Depends, purchasing a Miracle Ear, and ordering that commemorative plate of Elvis that is “guaranteed” to become a collectible. Because after all, it’s a sign.

Actually, the reason the direct mail “thing” from Comcast worked this time around is because it came to her at a time when she was actively searching for an Internet provider. It served as a reminder. If it had come at any other time, it would have ended up in the trash.

But that’s the beauty of using social media. Many of the purchases and actions we take are because the right businesses find us at the right time.

• You’re looking for a place to go out and eat for dinner, and that new restaurant in town posts something in Facebook about their menu for the evening.

• You need a plumber and before you head to Google or the Yellow Pages, you remember the local plumber who has the funny Facebook posts, and blogs about toilets.

This is how inbound marketing works.

If you start using Facebook, Twitter, or other social channels hoping for rapid returns and a spike in sales, you’ll most likely be disappointed. But if you stick with it and connect with people online, your updates and tweets will serve as gentle reminders to your followers. You are building awareness, and you’ll probably save some money.

DON’T SHOUT. DON’T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK. IT WILL JUST ANNOY PEOPLE. LIKE LOUD COMMERCIALS AND TELEMARKETING PHONE CALLS DURING DINNER.

Instead, take your time. Use social channels regularly. Consistently. Often.

Be helpful. Provide useful information. And perhaps you’ll catch folks at just the right time. Sometimes just seeing your business name will be all it takes to get them to take action.

So now I know that all I really need to do is go on Facebook and start talking about Internet providers. My friend will see it and have those constant gentle reminders, and know that she has to follow through.

Hey, Jackie: Got Internet?

How do you approach social media with your content? Are you shouting? Or have you mastered the art of gentle reminders?

Tagged as: Comcast, facebook, Google, inbound marketing, Social Media, Twitter, Yellow Pages