Lights, Camera, Action - How to Act out your Social Media Strategy

I’m guessing you’re thinking this article is yet another one about the importance of video content. And yes, if you’re serious about building awareness, educating and engaging audiences, I most certainly highly recommend video content, but - that’s not the focus of this short article.

In a world full of acronyms, some easy to remember, some easy to forget – and at a time where ‘engagement’ is driving algorithms, I thought I’d share with you my very simple, and timeless approach to marketing strategy – whether social media marketing strategy or any other.

Lights, Camera, Action…

Lights

Turning on the lights and getting you, your brand and your products into the spotlight. Effectively, the focus should first be on building awareness and interest. Drawing your audiences to you, to want to learn more.

Camera

The camera is rolling and the story telling commences. Now you have an audience on board, this is effectively, sharing with them the theatre of you, your product or service and brand. It’s your all-important content marketing strategy. Keeping your audiences captivated and engaged.

Action

What is it that you want your audiences to do. You’ve caught their attention, you’ve kept them captivated and engaged – but to what end? This aspect is your ultimate ‘action step’ - what’s the desired action you want your audiences to do.

Of course, the above model is akin to the tried and tested, AIDA. (And no, not the Verdi opera). It’s the mighty acronym; Action, Interest, Desire, Action.

What’s interesting is that look closer and you’ll see this model everywhere. Facebook’s own advertising experts will advise you that your advertising strategy shouldn’t just be about going in for direct sales, but the winning strategy is to first build Awareness, then Engage your audience and get to know what they like and give them more so they get to know you and then ultimately journey into Conversion.

Keep looking and you’ll see the best strategies advise to first get to know your audience, then nurture them by learning what they like and giving them more of what they want and the opportunity to find out more about you too, and then ultimately converting.

And of course, let’s not forget that once we have gained those customers, we need to retain them and keep them coming back for more and importantly, sharing the good word to others to assist us with our marketing endeavours. One could argue that you simply consider the awareness, engage, action model – but at a more personalised level. It does work at a retention strategy level too.

However, you spin it, awareness, engage, action is timeless and relates to all channels.  It started life way before digital or social media existed. It’s just evidence that good old-fashioned marketing strategy is at the root of channel success. Regardless of the channel.

Michelle Carvill