Stop selling tickets to someone else’s amusement park.

While it may be an unpopular opinion, it’s time to rethink social media as a tactic. 

Are you as troubled as I am by the now very public reckoning we’re having about the merits of social media and the damage it encourages thanks to Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, and the reports from the Wall Street Journal and 60 Minutes? It’s caused me to rethink my relationship with social media, not just personally but for my company and clients as well. The relationship between our values and social media is an important conversation to have. But today, we wanted to touch upon social media as a marketing tool...it’s an easier place to start. 

So often, we see small businesses and startups rely, almost exclusively, on social media to build a relationship with their audience. And, while there is valid brand awareness that can happen on social media platforms, they are not the be-all and end-all that we often expect them to be. 

Build your own amusement park

Rather than trying to control your entire brand presence and sales pipeline on social media, consider social media as the ticket booth of your company's amusement park. It’s the first spot people will rush to and the front-line impression you give your audience. But the relationship is just starting and from there, you need to keep them engaged, having a great time, and spending money as they spend more time with you. When we rely on social media, exclusively or too much, we’re selling tickets to someone else’s amusement park instead of our own. Other flashy rides are catching our audience’s attention and time and algorithms become the hours of operation that we have no control over. 

We’ve picked a few ideas that we think are the starting blocks to building your own amusement park. Let us know what you are building in your park!

Get them on your rides

How are you capturing customer data (like email addresses)? Use social media to capture customer data by driving them to your website, blog, shop, etc. and once you have a way to speak to them directly you can take them on a pretty awesome ride! With regular and even customized communications over email, in blogs, through webinars, and in other ways that generate leads, you control the message and have your audience's undivided attention. Plus, the reporting we can get from these tactics can be insightful and actionable in a way that social media just often can’t deliver. 

Build the gift shop of their dreams

Whatever your unique product or service is, you can design an online shopping experience that is geared to your core audience. A lot of e-commerce platforms provide templates based on data and expertise, providing a great foundation. From there, you can build an experience for your audience that is a perfect fit for your brand and customer. 

Deliver guest services they want to talk about

How and when your customers communicate with you and the attention and service you offer them is a human-centred experience that social media will never be able to replace. Customer service is your brand mission and values in action and we know that when done well, it can spark referrals, inspire loyalty (and increase the lifetime value of your customers), provide actionable insights, and can also increase the morale and good vibes of your team. 

If you’re rethinking how your brand uses social media and how it can complement other tactics, you’re not alone. Social media is a great way to support other tactics - it’s your ticket booth! But, as a standalone tactic, it leaves a lot to be desired and often shouldn't be relied on as a sales driver if other forms of marketing aren't continuing your customer’s journey through the sales funnel.  

And, If you need yet one more reason not to have your brand dependent on social media...yesterday, Facebook and Instagram had a major outage. If this is your brand's only exposure point, an issue like this can really hurt and be frightening for businesses that are sending all their guests to someone else’s amusement park. 

Say, hey! We’d love to talk about building your own amusement park and what role social media can play in your plan to reach your customers.