Reading the timelines and news feeds on social media can be taxing. First, there are all the celebrities you’ve never heard of with a troll of news that you could care less about, or acknowledge. The truth is most of us just scroll past those posts and have no interest, but they continue to show up in our feed. You can thank Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for many of these irrelevant posts. The truth is the average American doesn’t care.
From the irrelevant opinions and scrapes in reality TV to celebrities we’ve never heard of that are promoted on red carpet trips to others who’ve been accused of unmentionable allegations. Think Kardashians, Kanye, Alec Baldwin, The Dugger’s, Urban Meyer, Ben Affleck, politicians, Elon Musk, and so many more.
Media in all forms pushes an agenda they think we want to hear and see. However, the average American is not interested in their lives, views, and opinions. They are more concerned about Covid, healthcare, childcare, taxes, and their quality of life than they are about celebrity or politician opinions. Many are simply just trying to survive day to day. Middle America is about quality of life issues, schools, roads, taxes, state rights, and paying the bills.
Why does this matter in your digital marketing messaging? If you embrace and bite the bullet on every feed you will lose traction in your brand. Endorsing political or celebrity messaging comes with a price. At some point, you will alienate a certain segment of your targeted audience. Focus on your assets and the value you provide as a company. Leave personal opinions to your private/personal social media spaces, not your company.
Your company’s digital focus should be squarely centered on the services and value you provide. Don’t engage the digital timeline. Resist the temptation to weigh in on insignificant matters or opinions. Instead, focus on your brand, products, services, local community impact, and customer service. Avoid politics and social media trends. Stay with your brand and communicate the value proposition you offer as opposed to the competition.
There is nothing wrong with taking a stand on social, political, or moral issues, but weigh the cost when it comes to your brand strategy. For example, you and your company may be pro-second Amendment and that’s fine and good. However, as you market your product or services is that going to cost you in the long run? There’s nothing wrong with supporting a Constitutional Amendment, but do you want to risk losing customers or clients over your personal opinion? Sometimes the smart play is saying less in your digital messaging while affirming it within your business. These are chaotic days in regard to digital marketing and marketing in general. Don’t lose sight of the big picture and the larger funnel of sales.
Don’t sacrifice your company values and mission, but be aware of your messaging. There is a way to serve the general public without alienating larger market segments of opportunity. Wise owners, leaders, and companies work hard to figure out the delicate balance between listening and alienating targeted customer demographics.
Clients or customers want to know the assurance of your brand, product, or services. They don’t care about your personal views as much as they care about your ability to provide value and performance in relation to what they do, provide, or produce. You be you and focus on the delivery of goods, products, and services for your customers first and foremost!
Charlie Carter, Partner WebSpeak Media
charlie@webspeakmedia.com
