Can Birthdays increase your Social Media ROI?
Written by Wayne R Karlins President of Reed Social Media Group
In past blogs I have mentioned the importance of follow up when someone has wished "Happy Birthday" or "Congratulations to You" or responded back to you wishing them Happy birthday or Congratulations. If you have not read that blog yet, please click here to be directed to that blog. The thing is, even some of the people who have read my blog post, I realize are still not doing this. I find this way of communicating so important in meeting both new and current people. So I am taking the time to write this blog, so I can really drive this point home.
Facebook and LinkedIn both encourage you to say something on those special occasions. You can either use the preset message given to you, or even better, you can personalize it. As long as your connections have filled in all of the details on their page, you will get a notice for all birthdays, new jobs and work anniversaries. So, what are you waiting for? Start sending them! It is human nature, to like receiving recognition… so many people enjoy receiving these messages, especially if they are personalized, and often these people will respond back, which is what you are hoping for.
Okay, so let’s say you have listened to me, and now you are sending out happy birthday posts, anniversary posts, and job recognition posts. Great! Let’s take a look at who has responded back to your recognition of their big day. Of those who have responded back, take some time to evaluate the value of their connection and how long it has been since you have interacted with them in person or over social media. Let's say this connection is important to you, and it has been 4 months or longer since your last interaction with them. This is a great opportunity to continue the conversation, since you have their attention. Use it to your advantage. I often will respond back to them, inviting them for coffee or lunch or even just a quick scheduled phone call. If you cannot think of a good reason for coffee or lunch, it is always valuable to discuss client referrals not only for you, but also to understand who you can refer to them. The more value you can show to them, the more likely they are to say yes to a meeting.
I have been doing this for years, and on average I meet with people for coffee 4 - 10 times a month, purely from these invites. Do all of them turn into clients? No, but many of them become stronger power partners ready to refer my business. Yes some even do became clients of mine. Overall, I have not had a bad experience. You are keeping yourself updated with others businesses, learning from each other and growing together.
So you ask, Wayne, how do I raise my ROI on social media? Well, here is one large way. Try this out for a couple months, and evaluated the increase in ROI it has provided you. Keep in mind, you don’t need to do this every day, focus on this once or twice a week for 10 - 20 minutes.
The whole idea of social media is to engage with people so start by simply sending these greetings and see where it will take you. Thank for reading.
Feel free to email me at info@reedsocialmedia.com for questions or advice on social media.
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