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The Competitive Edge In Social Media Marketing

by George Konetes | Dec 13, 2011 | Digital

Knowing Your Audience Better Than Anyone Else

You know social media and you know your audience.  But do you know your audience inside of social media?  The often overlooked key to succeeding in social media marketing is to know more about your audience than your competition does.  And I mean really get down in the trenches and find out how they think, feel, and react.  Whoever understands the most about their audience inside of social media is going to have the edge.

Audience Motivations

Knowing the reason your specific audience uses social media is key to reaching them.  And I’m not just talking about general demographics, but getting in deep to understand their motivations and tendencies.  For example, I recently conducted a research study examining why college students use social media.

The main point being investigated was whether college students are using social networking to build social capital or to connect with people who have similar interests.  In other words, are they out to add value and depth to their network, or are they looking for relationships that mirror the ones they already have?

What Moves Them

The results of the study showed directionality but not statistical significance, which in laymen’s terms means there were clear trends but they weren’t strong enough to be decisive. The trend was that undergraduates used social media to connect with people who mirrored their interests and graduate students used social media to add value and depth to their networks.  And while by no means conclusive, it definitely impacts the way either audience should be approached.

Take it to the Next Step

From a social media marketing standpoint, if you’re targeting an audience that’s attracted to common interests, then you need to look, talk, and act like the audience.  But if you’re going after an audience that is looking to add value to their network, then you should appear unique and resourceful.

It becomes a matter of fitting in vs. having something new to offer.

The Take Away

Above is one limited example, but the idea is the same in virtually all applications.  Find out the nitty-gritty details of who your audience is and why they are using social media.

Back to the illustration: If you find information on college students in general, that information is only useful for marketing in general.  But when it comes to social media marketing, you need to understand your audience inside of social media.

The ineffective or inappropriate use of social media is something we refer to as being socially awkward.  Infinity Concepts have the social media expertise to help your organization stay out of the socially awkward category. Contact us today!

George Konetes
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