Sometimes a Post is Just a Cigar
Trying to tell the difference between all the different social networks reminds me of the time I wanted to buy a cigar. My friend just had his first child and I wanted to share with him the old tradition of smoking a cigar to celebrate. Since I didn’t want to spend the time trying to read about all the different kinds of cigars – I asked an expert. The owner of the shop had been selling and smoking cigars for years. He had already done all the research for me. He asked me what my friend and I enjoyed in a good cigar. After discussing our options for a short time, he was then able to advise me on a couple of options that would best fit our interests. Like Social Media, there were a lot of options when it comes to communicating with clients and talking with experts can create an effective marketing strategy to grow your business.
An expert marketing firm is much like that cigar shop owner. They can help you look at the social media habits of your audience and look at what options would best serve you in reaching your target audience. They are also willing to help you learn how to navigate different social avenues so you can more effectively reach your clientele. But with the way people interact and communicate having changed so much since I was a kid, how do companies connect with their costumers in these new formats?
Growing up in an era of Atari 2600 and rotary phones, looking at the way we communicate now seems more like science fiction than reality. We used to dial up a friend and see if anyone was home or pedal our bikes across town and knock on their door. I told my daughter to do that when she was complaining about being board and she looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. She then proceeded to inform me that “No one does that.” Today’s kids text, use Snapchat, or update their every move on Social Media.
You can spend hours reading all the different tweets or scrolling through all the posts on Facebook chronicling every second of a person’s life – by the way, I’m not interested that you just chugged a MeggaGulp at the 7/11 (Anyone remember 7/11?).
So how do we go about navigating this modern social communication and do it in the best way to reach our customers. Many individuals want to learn how to work Social Media properly but are too busy running their business. That is the nice thing about working with a company who has taken the time to understand how Social Media works and how to utilize every tool. An expert marketing firm will not only be willing to help you learn the process, but also help you connect with customers.
Like a good cigar shop helps you learn to choose the best cigar; they will also teach you how to care for your cigars (Yes, care for your cigars). Cigars need a constant humidity and temperature to maintain freshness and flavor. As with cigars, Social Media is something that needs to be cared for. How do you respond to a not so favorable review? How often should you post? What should you post? If you don’t maintain a consistent presence or your message has no relevance to your customers your social feed can become stale and dried out.
I can tell the difference in flavor from a dark wrapper to a light wrapper, or how the environment of a region can infuse flavor into the leaves. I know which cigars to pair with different drinks. I’m not an expert in cigars by any means, but I know a lot more now than when I first started thanks to the guidance of my local cigar shop proprietor. Your agency can provide you with the same guidance when developing a Social Media strategy.
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