For the last couple years people have realized that consumers follow brands on social sharing sites for one reason: discounts.
Companies have been using social sharing sites like Facebook and Twitter because there are millions of consumers using those services. The social sharing sites have been effective in their ability to offer a free utility in return for all the content the users share on the sites.
One thing that has been difficult up to this point was monetizing the huge audiences on the sites. Businesses have been trying to figure out the value of social media and there is still some skepticism about how much effort should be invested.
One thing that has been clear in recent months or even years is that people will follow your brand on a social sharing site if you offer discounts and especially if you offer exclusive discounts to followers on a certain sharing site.
But what’s the point of that?
There has to be more to this social media thing that giving discounts to users.
A new report shared on eMarketers seems to have insight into something else people are looking for from brands. It’s something that might surprise you a little and it’s also something you can take advantage of as a publisher of content.
From Deals and Discounts Dethroned as Reasons to Follow Brands:
When it comes to the type of content users respond to on social channels, the entertainment trend continues. Photos and videos were popular, as 44% of US social network users said they were likely to engage with brand posts that contained pictures. However, traditional status update posts were also popular with 40% of respondents. After that, 37% said they were likely to engage with video posts, and 36% highlighted posts with jokes, cartoons or memes.
The entertainment aspect goes beyond typical entertainment companies. People are looking for entertainment content from all sources. Even traditional brands have become entertainment brands.
Every company is in the entertainment business today.
If you’re not creating interesting content that entertains your target customer then you might as well avoid social media. If you’re not entertaining then people don’t want to pay attention to you. That’s fine. Not every business can do every form of marketing and the traditional methods still work well in some regard.
But if you’re interested in social media it’s time to start thinking about creating content that is entertaining because you’re in the entertainment business now.
This doesn’t mean that you need to start chasing the celebrity gossip. That is not what all people are looking for even if it might seem like it at times. People are entertained by a variety of content and that is where the opportunity is for you and your company.
Think of your company website and your company blog in terms of popular reality TV shows.
I’m thinking of shows like Pawn Stars or American Restoration or even the popular Storage Wars. These shows have both an educational aspect and an entertainment aspect. People that watch learn about relics and antiques that are found in the stores or in the storage units. There is some interesting items out there and those with the knowledge share it for our entertainment purposes.
But these shows are also about entertainment. The people in the show are interesting. They are just people like us, but with the help of the show producers they come off as interesting and entertaining. People like Chumlee on Pawn Stars because he’s funny and kind of simple. I’m sure he’s not really that simple in real life, but it’s interesting.
When blogging you can create content that is interesting and useful while also adding personality to the posts. People want to be entertained and these two elements combined makes for interesting content. People will respond. People will comment and subscribe to your content. Most importantly people will purchase from your brand because you are entertaining.
Every company is an entertainment company today.
What are you doing to keep up?