Forget about Grabbing Attention, Earn it

Remember the first time you heard the phrase “Attention Deficit Disorder”? Did you think “no way” or were you like most people and thought “yeah, I have a bit of that”?

(note this post assumes you’re setup on Social Media…if not, be sure to check out this post: Social Media Mastery for FECs.)

Fast forward to about nine years ago when the phrase “social media” started showing up everywhere. If you were in business, you were told it was a great way to market your product or service. And while this is still true today, EVERYBODY is doing it. The more people doing it, the more noise there is. The more noise there is, the harder it is for you to be sure that your message reaches your audience.  

You can’t let the noise stop you. You have to come up with content and posts that cut right through it and that your audience enjoys. With that in mind, I offer you the following ways of BEing that will help you start conversations  and continually earn the attention of your tribe.

The Be Attitudes of Social Media

Be funny- The world loves a clown. If you hear a good joke, “borrow” it. Make humorous observations about everyday life. I heard this guy named Jerry Sign something or other…turns out he made a mint doing that.

Be quotable- Can’t think of anything original? Use someone else’s quotes. We have a whole history full of them.  Can’t think of any quotes? Don’t worry, you can go over to Quote Land, they’ve got you covered for years.

Be relateable- The fastest way to build relationships is to create common ground. Talk about shared experiences. Everyone eats, listens to music and for this point looks at Facebook. Talk about local bands, bars/restaurants, and other local experiences to your center. Be sure to tag the places you’re discussing so they will talk about you too!

Be interesting- Share relevant information that is topical to the day. DO NOT POST ABOUT POLITICS. This is a sure-fire way to alienate 37% of your audience and irritate 60% of them. Feel free to post about other relevant topics though.

Be interested- Ask about them. “ME” is everyone’s favorite topic. Ask about people’s thoughts. What experience do they like best? What about their kids? When was the last time they did x, y or z? What are their plans for the upcoming weekend, summer or holiday. Engage people by letting them talk!

Be thought-provoking- Say something that gives folks pause and makes them go hmmm. People like people (and companies) who think. Show off that brain power.

Be helpful- Offer tips that will improve others experience. Think about the most frequently asked questions you get. Make a list of 10 of them. Answer each one. Now you have 10 separate posts that will help people better understand your business.

Be bold- Chris Matthews on Hardball doesn’t get the big bucks because he’s namby pamby…he dots you between the eyes with his opinions. I’ll admit this becomes a bit of an acquired taste and not a great starting point. But once you have YOUR tribe, you can absolutely do this!

Be yourself- This last one is THEE most important. No sense in trying to be someone else because you’ll “attract” the wrong type of people.

What thoughts would you add to this conversation? See what I did there?

The absolute best practice I can share with you is to create a content frequency matrix where you schedule out your posts in advance. Make a folder on your computer (or phone) and save different types of content you see that fits these ideas. Know what kind of content you’re going to share on each day and share it. Make it a habit. It becomes so much easier to share content regularly if you already have it.