Despite what we think, have heard or perhaps read …. Social Media is still very much in it’s infancy in South Africa. Having had a lot of experience on various social media platforms, including but not limited to .. Facebook.. Twitter …YouTube …Linked In & numerous others …. what I have noted is that :
- There are very few “social media marketing gurus” in South Africa who actively understand the potential and use of platforms like FACEBOOK. This becomes obvious by the fact that many South African artists have numerous personal profiles and some of them have pages but don’t readily use them, for what they were designed for. The concern with this is that it contravenes FACEBOOK’s policies (Facebook Community Standards) you may not have multiple personal profiles. So all the hard work they have put into obtaining all these “friends“, can be taken away …literally overnight. And if you try dispute it …. ?? To be honest don’t they are not interested and their policies are clearly stated.
So what now ? Well the best way is to create an exchanging Facebook Page that is representative of YOU as an (entertainer,artist,writer) and not just a “profile pic” ? This creates an awful lot of confusion
A slight but subtle change from what looks like a profile to what is known as a page … And people can clearly see the difference. The benefit is that they are more likely to click on a page than your profile & become a fan because they are
perhaps interested in your music or art or writing … even though they do not know you personally.
However it doesn’t stop there … When a user comes to your page the default setting is your “wall” … the foreseeable concern with this is :
People may have to initially read through reams of wall “news feed” to found out what you are about, who you are, what do you have to offer ?
People spend on average 25min on a platform like facebook & if the don’t initially have something that grabs their attention, the likelihood is that they will move on. 10 top small business designs
No “call to action” or “welcome“. People like to feel special, so why should it be any different when they come to you page … make them feel special …make them WANT to be your FAN …. & this can be achieved in some many ways from the basics to a little innovation :
- Basic :In essence its an indication to your “FAN” …. hey …this is my page ? What do you think of it ? Would love if you “LIKED” my page & became a FAN …. This can easily be accomplished either by having a static picture with an arrow or whatever you have chosen as an overall …. & perhaps a little “slogan” ?
- Innovation: With a little innovation & tabs/apps found within facebook you can have a iframe where you can embed a video or a flash format or combinations of these …. where you could personally say “hi” to you potential fans. So they can hear how you sound ? … see what you look like ? Goes a long way to building an trusting, meaningful engagement.
- Opt-in: Generally used by small to medium business’s, but nothing stops you from capturing a person’s email address’s. And if you really innovative why not do something like … Hey give me your email address’s & download a free song or let me mail you when my next event is happening with directions ?
The options are literally endless. Engage and build up a relationship …
What next ?
Well if you are a singer why not have a tab where people can listen to your music or samples ? Or if you want buy & download ? Or you could have a You Tube Video link showing a couple examples of songs you have done or albums you have launched ? If you are a writer … somebody could download excerpts of what you have written … and if they like it the could download your whole book …. or you could have a carousel of artwork you have created on display in a flash carousel type format ….
Make it interesting … may it fresh …make it innovative ….
Sensible Designs 