I keep a close eye on my social channels. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing my job well or right for that matter. As a social media marketer and blogger, I am always looking at ways people and businesses are using social media to get in front of their customers to deliver the right message, in the right format, at the right time.
An old friend of mine, Zach Slobin, who I haven’t seen in 20 years, recently began to pop up on my Facebook newsfeed. For me, he was definitely delivering the right message at the right time. I had the opportunity to catch up with him and learn about what he is doing to garner interest in his business. And let me tell you, he is right on the money.
Zach’s is in the direct sales industry and more specifically the health and fitness arena. His unique way of selling and promoting his product, while engaging his customers and future customers has helped him build a successful brand for himself as well as a very nice income for his family.
Here’s what I learned from my chat with Zach and how you can take these same principals and apply them to your business and personal brand presence on social media.
Social Media Interactions Vs Real Life Interactions
Part of Zach’s success relies on his belief that real world networking and social networking are exactly the same thing. He’s right. There really is no difference between social and real life interactions. Both are about building, maintaining, nurturing and leveraging relationships. He views social media as a way to let people into his world and get to know him and his business, which are closely tied to each other. By doing so, he virtually shakes your hand through social media.
To be successful on social media you have to be accessible. The more open you are to your customers and clients, the more trust you’ll build with them. With more trust comes more authority and with more authority comes more sales. This accessibility can be from a personal brand standpoint as well as a business brand standpoint and often times they are best used together. The key here is to be authentic and let your true self shine through.
Celebration Marketing
Celebration marketing is a term that Zach brought to my attention. In fact, it’s the celebration marketing that got me interested in his work in the first place.
So what is celebration marketing? Very simply, it’s about celebrating your customer and letting their success story with your product and service be your success. It’s what we believe here at ConvertWithContent too. Our service is only as good as the benefit and growth it brings to your business. We know that, and that’s why we are constantly striving to provide you with the best service possible. The better we serve you, the better you serve us. It’s a mutual relationship.
For Zach it’s about putting people on a pedestal. The benefit is two fold. On one side of things, it proves that the product he sells works. He has the pictures and stories to prove it. That message targets those on the fence who want to see the same results as the person’s whose story he just shared.
On the other side, it makes his clients feel like part of something bigger, part of a community where people support one another. When someone is recognized for their hard work, they are going to continue to support you and your business. Recognition in real life and in the social world is what people want. He says, “women cry for it, men die for it. We want to be recognized.”
This type of marketing taps right into the emotional side of people and it works. When you recognize people for what they do with your service and product, they will continue to support you and refer you. People don’t often remember what you say, but they sure as hell remember how you made them feel. Plus, they will want to share their story with their network. 15 minutes of fame on social media can turn into a lot of buzz for your business.
On Community Marketing
Community marketing has been a staple in his success as well. When you become a client of Zach and Eden (his wife who run the business together), you are coming into a community of people that will raise you up. He says he attracts people all the time who are ready to make a change. And what he really offers besides the product of course, is the membership into his exclusive community. That membership excites people.
By forming a community for your own business, you have a very targeted audience. A community shares the same beliefs and values as well as struggles and challenges. As people, we have a desire to be in community, because it connects us instantaneously. You start a movement. You start a tribe. A community propelling the buzz behind your business can reach more people than you could by yourself. I’m big on community marketing as a way to connect with people and create brand ambassadors. With a community effort behind you, your influencer marketing efforts can go a lot further.
For Zach and his wife Eden, their business is a “24/7 party and the doors are always open.” His customers know that and join in happily.
Do you have an interesting story to tell through Social Media? I’d love to interview for my success stories series. Leave a comment or email me at stephanie@convertwithcontent.com
