Come to the Dark Side: We Have Data
The holidays are steadily approaching and while lights are a glow in the shadows, we still find “Dark Social” lurking in the corners. What is Dark Social you ask? Dark Social refers to the social sharing of content (pertaining to a business) that occurs outside of what can be measured through analytic programs. Dark Social has become exponentially more popular as the years of the social media boom progresses.
According to Radiumone’s PO.ST 69% of all sharing activity takes place via Dark Social, which is bad news for companies because stats are no longer able to be tracked efficiently. For example, if a family is looking to have portraits taken for Christmas they may shoot an inquiry over to their friend who recently posted a holiday promotion for their photography business. This correspondence is not taking place via the companies Facebook page, but rather through a private messenger, therefore Facebook does not calculate this as a stat for the company because the source did not communicate on the photography business page. This can then lead some business owners to believe that their Facebook page is not having a successful and direct impact on their new clients. Though this interaction is not being recorded through statistical data, it still is active engagement for the business. Social media measurement is at a point where you either do really well, or fall by the waste side, based off where the customers are communicating and engaging.
“Do or Do Not… There is No Try” as Yoda likes to say. Consumers like to see an active brand. Allow customers to feel welcome enough to open up and talk about your brand on your companies public pages. No one likes to be the first one to like or comment on something, so be sure to respond to every comment, creating a comfortable voice and environment. Be engaging! People feel special when the page itself replies to them or likes a picture they tagged your business in. Give them an experience they can remember so that next time they don’t forget to share your page to their friends.
Luckily for us, there is so much data collected (via insights) for business owners to help them properly advertise to a listening audience. With that being said, focus on outlets that match your target demographic. It is better to be awesome on one or two platforms, than to spread yourself too thin over six, or seven platforms. If by the end of this blog you are still uncertain you can master the proper plan of interaction and engagement, luckily for you that’s what Social Advisors is great at! You are busy running a business so let us take over the data, analytics, and constant communication with your clients.
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