Social Engagement - It's NOT about the platform.

For the past 6 years, I have spent a ton of time talking about digital marketing platforms and their ability to reach consumers in an effective way.  Early on, it was all about the platforms themselves - how easy it was to target certain consumers or patients based on geography, likes or interests.  Back then - it was enough to convince clients to just get out there and try some targeted advertising, the risk was minimal and the reward could be great.  "Create a Facebook page" I would say, "what do you have to lose?".  Yeah - there are days I yearn for those simpler social media times.

Since then, I have changed my tune quite a bit. Now, my favorite line is "it's not about the platform!" and "don't EVEN go there if you don't have a content plan ready.  I'm not going to use the overused cliche of Content is King, but, well.....it is.   What many marketers struggle to understand is that the best content has nothing to do with them, what they want to sell or who they are.  The best content is ONLY about the audience (consumer or patient)  and what the store, product or brand can do FOR them.  It's hard for marketers to make that shift when for decades, advertising and marketing was about blasting out your message without any ability for consumers or patients to talk back.  Now, customers and patients are talking back AND talking to each other.

 There is a recent stat that says over 40% of people would be influenced by social media in their choice of physician, hospital or other health care issues.  The more frightening stat is the one that said over 90% of people 18-24 trust the healthcare information they learn on social media.  From a brand, product or store perspective, to not engage would be ridiculous.  You want to be IN the conversation, you want to be talked about in the conversation.  The key to doing that is by creating a functional and iterative content plan.

Not to over simplify it, but content doesn't have to be that hard.  Start with a blank calendar and fill in anything that you know you do every year.  If you are a store and have an anniversary sale, - write that down.  If you are a brand that is in the diabetic space, then mark down National Diabetic Month.  Fill in the calendar with messages that you want to send and things you want to say.  THEN, and most importantly - figure out how to make those messages about you, NOT about you. For the anniversary sale - it should be positioned as "Thanks to you, our loyal customers, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary - and we want to say thanks by offering YOU x".

There is an art to taking content and authentically connecting.  Start with your plan and forget for a moment that you are a marketer.  Think like a human.  What would you want to hear?