Chris Ramey
Your Mom was right — you get what you pay for.
This column is about marketing, specifically social media. Facebook is hot, in large part, because it’s free. Except it’s not. Most companies are paying for “Likes.” It’s impressive. Except it’s not. Of course no one ever admits to paying to be liked. But, let’s get real.
Facebook is perfect for some companies. My expertise is marketing to high net worth individuals (HNW). If your friends are high net worth individuals then it may be effective for you. Until you try to sell them something. Then it’s not. The best example is your friend who sells insurance and your cousin who sells cars. Your friends will avoid you like the plague too.
No one wants to be sold; least of all HNW individuals.
If you’re a food truck and you need to tell people where you’ll be parked tomorrow, then Facebook is perfect for you. You have followers who theoretically want to buy your product and they’d like to know where to find you. Facebook works for food trucks.
On the other hand, not so much if you sell a product or service for the home(s) of high net worth individuals. Why? Because products and services for homes are not top of mind; they’re bottom of mind. HNW prospects don’t want to be bothered with something they don’t buy often. Whatever you sell may be important to you; but few high new worth clients care that often. Certainly not often enough to “like” you. and then annoyed by your posts.
Research says the affluent may be on Facebook. It’s how they know what their grandchildren are doing. It’s not how they buy products and services for their homes.
In fact, annoying any prospect is a bad strategy.
Even worse, some resources seemingly think they need to post about anything that comes to mind. Your daily chores aren’t important to most people. Never violate a person’s time. Never post so often that your friends think you’re a moron who needs to get a life.
My experience has been that companies are paying digital natives who have convinced their supervisors of the importance of nothing (remember, even “Seinfeld” was cancelled). And it’s this type of social media that is the most expensive; it’s how you lose clients and friends; being so narcissistic that you think what you do really matters.
There is a movement afoot by those who are least knowing that it’s not what you say, but that you say it often regardless of its importance.
Eyeballs and Likes don’t translate into dollars in the shelter category or if you target the affluent. The only impact is negative. No one wants to be annoyed.
This extends to companies that think emailing a couple times a week is a privilege of having your email address. It’s not. Meaningful brands are beckoned by the consumer or interior designer when the time is right. This is the fundamental difference between luxury and mass/design marketing: one creates desire and the other annoys.
If you have nothing to say, then it’s best not to say anything. Anything said that isn’t of interest to those who may have liked or followed you is an invitation to disconnect. And with Facebook, email and most other social media there is no second chance.