The number 1 rule when creating any sort of content is to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. That’s why it’s important to understand that when you are using a social media platform, you’re not marketing to an audience… you’re marketing to a PARADE!
So what do we mean by that?
In the digital world, people have an infinite number of choices of where they can put their attention. That’s why the phrase “browsing the internet” it’s so telling! People are just browsing. Not intending to BUY anything at the moment, but they’re open to seeing if something interests them.
It’s like the world’s biggest garage sale, happening around the world’s biggest carnival. Lots of fun and exciting stuff happening and you’re working your table or booth. The only thing for you to focus on, is the parade of people right in front of you. They’re passing by… on their way to the next ride or the next show… but if they’re interested in what they see, they might pause to see if what you’re offering or talking about is of benefit to them.
See how this is a very different audience? If you’re teaching a class or giving a workshop, you have set start time and an expectation that people are there because they’re interested in what you have to share. Where on social media, your audience is largely just people “browsing by” and pausing to check out what you’re sharing.
That’s a very, very specific type of audience. Not unique, as we’ll show you… but something you need to be aware of.
That’s why we call this training, ‘Your Audience Is A Parade” – where we’ll share about how delivering content or marketing on social media is very different than with more traditional media.
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TAKING IT ALL IN…
It’s a new way of thinking and it can take a minute to wrap your brain around it. But we’ve broken it down into 4 things you can do when you’re aim is to attract (and keep) the attention of a passerby, rather than a member of a captive audience:
#1 – The RESET
Being aware that your audience is a parade of passers-by changes how you talk. It’s not a dialog (although it has the dynamic ‘feel’ of a dialog) and it’s not a presentation to a captive audience. There are constantly new people entering while you’re sharing.
You see this on TV talk shows, or hear it on talk radio. They know they have people ‘just tuning in’ so every few minutes, they’re doing the RESET where they catch people up with what they might have missed and engage them with what’s coming up.
“We’re just back from break and if you’re just joining us, we’re talking with John Doe about… ” That’s a pretty typical RESET. TV and radio have it a little easier in that they have defined commercial breaks that gives them a REASON for the RESET.
But think about how it happens in your daily life. You’re talking with one friend about something you’re both interested in, and then another friend walks up. You don’t jump to a new topic because you don’t want to lose the interest of your first friend. But you don’t want your second friend to feel like they’re intruded or not welcome, so you do a quick catch up and invite them into the conversation.
That’s exactly what it’s like when you’re talking to a parade. Only new friends are popping up all the time. Obviously you can’t be constantly resetting. But by being aware that new people are showing up, you’ll find yourself more aware of when it seems natural to do that.
#2 – The ReTOPIC (where you restate what you’re talking about)
As we’ve discussed in other trainings, you know how important it is to tell people why they would want to listen to you. What’s in it for them? How is it relevant to them?
Well, when you’re talking to a parade, they might not have been around for that part. And you don’t want to repeat it verbatim, because that’s boring for those that have already heard it.
So, the trick is, to re-present the topic you’re talking about… reminding people what they’re listening for and what they’ll get out of it. Or talking about what’s coming up and why that’s important.
It helps remind people why they’re listening and re-orients them back to what you’re sharing if they’ve started to drift off and think about all the funny cat videos they could be watching 🙂 But it also invites a new listener/watcher into the conversation in an engaging way that lets them know they’re not only welcome, but they they can get a lot out of being there.
#3 – The RECAP
Along those same lines, doing a quick recap lets people know what you’ve shared about. Not long… really quick. Just enough to give them a bullet point if they’ve missed it. Enough to let them know they might want to go back and watch from the beginning.
In fact, that’s one technique to the RECAP. The re-engagement factor. Where you talk about something you might have done in a past training that would help with understanding THIS topic of conversation. Where you invite everyone (new to the conversation or not) to a previous training you did.
Some of this happens naturally. Like if you’re giving (4 top tips), then each time you have a new tip, you can remind people what the previous ones were.
We go over some real-life examples and some tips about how to do that in a smooth way in the video, but the gist of it is that you can use the RECAP to orient new listeners, as well as to re-engage listeners to help with THEIR learning and remembering.
#4 – The RESELL
Don’t forget to give your audience a Call To Action! Whether it’s as simple as to Like, Follow, Subscribe or download a “thingy”, you always want to do something that engages them. Something that makes them feel more a part of being there with you.
That’s the ‘sell’ on social. If it’s a parade of people walking by, you probably don’t have a relationship with them yet so you’re really usually looking for a closer relationship in what you’re sharing. So the ‘sell’ is usually to let them know where they can find you later, or how to interact with you in a deeper way. Remember, they’re usually on their way to the next ride – the next fun thing. If you have a way to follow-up with them when they’re not distracted, THEN you have a better chance for a better dialog with them.
That’s four simple things that can really make a difference when ‘Your Audience Is A Parade.” In the digital world, it can really be the difference in the success or struggle of your business when you know who you’re talking to. By knowing that your audience on social media is a parade, it’s important to also know how that changes the way you share. And you can use these four simple tips to help navigate that.
BTW, if you’re on Facebook and you’d like to join the conversation from this episode, you can find that Show post here. We’d love to know if you heard something you liked or if you were inspired and got an idea of something you’re going to implement! Come say hi and feel free to share your thoughts with everyone in the chat!
