Social media enables people to self-identify others who share their values and beliefs. Engage on a personal level.
Special to Hudson Valley Public Relations from Emma Rose Melamed, Syracuse University Intern
“Culture is constantly in flux- as conditions change, cultural groups adapt in dynamic and sometimes unpredictable ways,” writes Michelle LeBaron. The Internet is changing our world, and it is bringing us together. It’s not just for friends sharing news of engagements, or pictures of babies for you to scroll through on Facebook. The Internet also allows us to find a group where we belong, with people we might never have met, it is a place filled with people who share our interests, no matter how obscure. “There is no substitute for building relationships and sharing experiences, coming to know others more deeply over time,” Michelle LeBaron. That’s exactly what the members of groups are doing and your company should be out there building relationships with potential customers as well.
Television and radio were, and still are, great means of communication. Traditional media is ideal for targeting a broad demographic base like the entire state of New York. But it’s simply not practical nor affordable to target a niche audience. There are print publications that reach a select niche audiences, but social media is truly a game changer. For the first time it’s a conversation, and with robust analytics we know who we are talking to.
Social engages people and enables people to self-identify others who share their values and beliefs. Social is far from perfect, but social offers the opportunity and access that was just not possible before. Social is hyper personal, and can target and engage with niche audiences.
We are social, we gravitate toward like-minded people who share are values and beliefs. “The Internet brings people together, adding more communication modality to the mix,” says John M. Grohol, Psy.D. This ability to connect with those who share your niche interests brings us together. No matter how obscure or esoteric your niche market is, you can engage, connect and collaborate with your group on through social media on a personal level. Social channels like Spotify help you discover bands and artists whose music “moves” you. Social media is affordable, channels such as Facebook have reasonably price ad rates and can target hyper local niche groups like no other medium. As a marketer, the possibilities and opportunities to engage with your stakeholders are truly limitless.
According to the Pew Research Center, 62% of U.S. adults are garnering their news from social media sites such as Reddit, Facebook and Twitter. Americans are spending more and more time online and spend considerable time on social channels. Online news and information is considered trust worthy, if it comes from credible news agencies and is highly desirable. We crave news that is timely and relevant.
Now we can join and engage with niche groups such as the “Knitting and Crochet Group” or “Hudson Valley Moms”. As a marketer we can nurture and cultivate relationships with niche groups as long as we offer important and relevant information that these groups find of value.
Listen, learn about your core stakeholders, discover where they spend their time, what is important to them. Identify what their shared values are and then carefully interact and engage with your stakeholders. Connect with your audience in a personal way. Social media is about relationships (Mark Zuckerberg didn’t choose “friends” by accident). Savvy marketers get social, those who don’t invest in social today will be missing a big opportunity to truly connect with your customers. Social give your business that competitive edge that is necessary to win over your consumers.
To learn more about social media or to discuss your marketing plans give us a call, 845.202.7087 or visit our website at http://hudsonvalleymedia.com.
Sources
Gottfried, J., & Shearer, E. (2016, May 26). News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2016. Retrieved August 08, 2016, from http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/
Grohol, J. (2016). The Internet Brings People Together, Does Not Isolate. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 7, 2016, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/01/30/the-internet-brings-people-together-does-not-isolate/
LeBaron, Michelle. “Culture and Conflict.” Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: July 2003 <http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/culture-conflict>.
