If you use a social media agency to create your brand's social content, they won't want you to read this, but who cares.
Your Social Media Agency Doesn’t Want You Reading This
Last week, I was getting my hair cut at the barber shop I've been going to for five years. I go there because the owner is focused on creating a cool, high service environment, there is reasonable stability among its employees, and it is close by.
Business seemed slow, and the conversation between the person who cuts my hair and another long-time employee turned to social media, in part, because they know I do “something with social media strategy.” Talking about the social media agency the owner hired to create social media content, they expressed their frustration over what was being posted on Facebook.
The big complaint was the posts either weren’t accurate (i.e., on how frequently to get a haircut) or seemed odd (a Jim Morrison quote about haircuts and mistakes).
I quickly started looking at the Facebook page. I subscribe to it, but hadn't noticed ANY of the updates from the place's page (I know, surprise, surprise).
The problem was clear in an instant.
On the surface, the content was VERY much in category. There was an Earth Day post of a guy whose hair and beard were green. There are quotes and pictures related to men’s' haircuts and shaves.
Those all make sense.
Nothing on the Facebook page, however, related to the barber shop’s brand experience, personality, or people - all the things that set it apart and turn people into loyal customers.
It was if the new social media agency simply posted generic content on men's haircuts without any other thought about how the brand related to the content. The social media agency has gone the easy route (creating external relevance) without doing the hard part of content marketing – appropriately integrating the brand so there’s a reason for current or prospective customers to care about the content in any meaningful way.
What Social Media Strategy Includes
This gap between content and a meaningful brand connection is common. It's why we advocate developing a content strategy implementing the right mix of:
- Your audience’s interests
- Intriguing content
- The appropriate level of brand presence.
There’s no one answer that works for all brands or even all content a brand creates.
It doesn't work, however, to just see what your competitors are doing and launch into content marketing or simply start sharing content about what you do. If a social media agency advocates sharing content right way and figuring out the right mix later (if ever), you'll just be wasting time/effort/money and probably making a BIG mistake that could cost your brand even more.
If this is the path you are one and want to see just how far your social media agency has led you astray, download our social media strategy diagnostics eBook and find out for yourself.
You’ll quickly realize the difference it would make to work with a partner who understands both brand strategy AND social media strategy.
That combination turns social sharing into business results. - Mike Brown
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