Don’t Let Your Social Media Jump the Shark
The following post was made on Facebook last week by a Myrtle Beach tourism page, and saw some fairly heavy activity:
Social Media Success?
Strictly looking at the statistics, this appears to be a successful post – over 100 comments, over 800 shares, and over 1,000 likes. It may look like this post did well and created buzz, but read the post about the 3,456 lb. shark only 1 mile off shore one more time. It says “The folks that do all the tagging and research say this is not unusual at all, so no need to worry.” In other words, gigantic great white sharks swim in our area all the time. Not what you want to communicate to bring people to your beaches!
One look at the comments shows what was actually communicated:
“Yikes!”
“That is why I only put my feet in the ocean”
“Stay off the Shore”
This is just a small sampling of the long list of comments that share similar sentiments. These comments don’t exactly instill excitement to visit Myrtle Beach. They cause more concern and apprehension about the safety of the waters off Myrtle Beach. Does this sound like a successful social media campaign to you?
It’s not enough to post something interesting or something that generates buzz. This post may have gotten a lot of attention, but is it going to encourage people to go to Myrtle Beach? Probably not. If anything, it will have the opposite effect, and we’re seeing that directly in the comments that users are leaving. The post may be interesting but was a poor choice for the campaign, leaving visitors fearful of the beaches.
What you need to remember when creating social media posts
Keep the end goal in mind. What do you want your audience to do as a result? Every post may not need a call to action, but they do need to work towards achieving an established goal. In the instance above, generating excitement about Myrtle Beach, informing of new attractions, getting people talking about Myrtle Beach, or simply creating a positive impression are all good steps towards increasing tourism. This post missed the mark. When you create Tweets or posts for your Facebook page, think about what you ultimately want your customer to do and what may help move them closer to that goal.
Social media is a powerful tool, but can backfire as well. There are many instances of companies and individuals using social media poorly. Don’t become a statistic. Bad news can travel just as quickly as good news. When in doubt, leave it out.
The social media marketing experts at Delia Associates are skilled in creating social media campaigns that focus on goals and drive results. Give us a call if you want to give your social media campaign a boost. We’d be happy to talk.
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