Since social media makes it so simple (quick and easy) to post your message (content) in numerous social networks, it can be tempting to spray your message around the cybersphere as far and wide as possible. However, that method keeps you at a surface level of connection… which gets you little more than a glance. To go deeper and have ongoing consumer relationships that result in sales, you need to be relevant and stay relevant to your audience.
This might sound like Marketing 101, but with the introduction of social media and the exponentially increased capacity for one-too-many messaging, it bears repeating: no matter how perfectly or brilliantly worded your message is, it will not make an impact if the content itself doesn’t matter to (isn’t relevant to) your audience.
When your content is relevant, however, you get a chance for ongoing engagement with your consumers, and the chance to create an entire experience around your brand. This is what prompts your consumers to become Brand Advocates and recommend your brand/product/service to their relevant networks.
“Relevance is so important because with it comes passion and that truth to self that makes readers want to come back for more because they can trust that you’re real,” said blogger and Social Fabric® member Mel Lockuff of mamabzz.com.
“Word of mouth can prompt a consumer to consider a brand or product in a way that incremental advertising spending simply cannot. It’s also not a one-hit wonder. The right messages resonate and expand within interested networks, affecting brand perceptions, purchase rates, and market share.” (source: “A new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2010)
There are also different levels of relevance. Your high-level brand message might be somewhat relevant to a broader audience, but the more precisely your message matches an audience interests/needs, the more value each consumer will perceive from your brand. For example, if your brand offers various products across several categories, don’t assume that anyone in your audience is equally interested in all of your offerings:
“A young mother could speak passionately about diapers, but have no interest in tires. A newly retired factory worker may find himself recommending home-brewed coffees, but bows out of conversations regarding credit cards.” (source: “The Influencer: A Consumer Voice with Legs,” ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting, March 2010)
Bottom line: the greater the relevance, the greater likelihood of a high ROR (Return on Relationship). Think through and assess how to be relevant for EACH product and EACH particular audience and then provide the content that creates that bond and interaction.
Relevance is the open door to your consumers. They should never have to turn the knob!
Ted Rubin