Social like you're Dating

For some, dating comes easy but for others it can be a stressful, angst filled experience that can leave you feeling discouraged and cause you to shrivel back into the corner you dared moving out of.

Creating successful social media channels can be very much the same.

Like dating, entry into the thought-through, solutions driven world of social media marketing can be overwhelming.

Anxieties abound ….

How to connect?

What to wear?

What to say? What to reveal and what not to?

Where and what time to go?

The list goes on and on and on ….

Many of us would have grown up with the old adage that there is “a lid for every pot”.

And yes, there is! All one has to do is search the realm of relationships and even the most obnoxious, undesirable of people are either in a committed relationship or married. This is the fundamental rule before embarking on both dating and woo’ing an online audience. You may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you will be uncontrollably desirable for some. With over 7.5 billion people in the world, if only 1% find you attractive, that would be pretty awesome right … because that is a whopping 70 million people …. No more Friday nights in for you.

Start from a position of confidence and we’re pretty sure you’re off to a good start – remember you have something to offer … both the brand and you.

How to connect?

A fundamental cornerstone of connecting is more about you (and your brand) than it is about the person you want to connect with. Once you understand who you are and what you offer, you would be better positioned to sell you yourself right? RIGHT!

A strong brand identity can really help you build up a good relationship with your customers. If they feel that they share the same values as you, they will be attracted to your business and will feel comfortable purchasing from you over your competitors. And if your romantic interest feels like they share the same values and interests as you, you’re on your way to building a connection and should be able to slide into their DMs to set up that first date!

So now you’ve made the date … and set up your social media channels … what next?

What to wear?

Casual, smart casual, formal, semi-formal, closed shoes or flip flops? (ditch the flip flops …. No one wants to see your feet on a first date).

The reality of life in the 21st century is that people make snap judgments. It takes only 1/10th of a second to form a first impression about a person. Online content is no different. It takes about 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about your online content - that determines whether they'll stay or leave. This is where brand guidelines come into play. Your brand should have a look and feel that talks to your business, it talks to the style of imagery, the persona and tone of the brand and culture of your business. This is equally true when preparing for your date – clothing and accessories can be iconography of personal style and expression of the self, but make sure that personal style is infact that … personal (just in case you missed that, WHAT YOU ACTUALLY LIKE)

What to say? What to reveal and what not?

We’ve all done it right … we talk about the best of us and then add a little bit here, sprinkle some embellishments there but as most of us will already have experienced, embellishments become difficult to maintain once the relationship builds.

Post things that are real! Showcase your wins, be proud of your brand without being boastful and listen. Listening is 55% of communication. Communication leads to building trust and building that oh-so-desirable lifelong relationship.

Where and what time to go?

Imagine asking someone out on a date to a fish market at 4am … that could possibly only work if you were Adam Garcia and you were in the movie Coyote Ugly. Take the time to understand the person you are asking out - what do they enjoy doing, what are their hobbies, are they a morning or an evening person and come up with a date that works for them. (cue social media stalking)

Equally, for yours social media channels, understand who your desired audience is – what their interests are and also pay close attention to when they spend most time online.

And finally when you show up for your date – make sure that the person showing up is the person that has been communicating before … no one likes a catfish and we are here to tell you that your customers dislikes them even more.

When your audience engages with you online, make sure the person/s they engage with face to face is the same … consistency builds trust and trust is the cornerstone of every relationship.

Happy Dating ..... and Socialing :)