Stand on your Soapbox... and Tweet.

....Umm... hello out there?

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" Back in the days when newspapers were the only source of mainstream news, a platform and a booming voice were all anyone needed to gather a crowd for a big announcement. But now days, calling attention to your company is not so simple. Big brands and small companies alike are screaming about their products and services from every rooftop, platform, stage and soap box they can clamor to the top of- and customers are sick of hearing it. Instead of gathering around these screaming corporate giants, people are essentially hiding from them; opting out of emails, “un-friending” on Facebook, or un-following on Twitter. What is the trick to gathering a crowd that is not only listening to what you have to say, but actually engaged, excited, and ready act on your announcement?

With more than 16 million facebook
fans, Skittles gets social media.
Their quirky funny status keep fans
chuckling and always ready for more.

To really keep virtual friends and fans engaged in your online brand you need to speak to them about something of interest to them specifically. Don't be afraid to give back to the community.



As soon as fans realize that you have compelling content available consistently, they will start to trust that the videos, pictures, and links you post are worthwhile to click on, read, and even pass along to their friends. So that when you do have an important announcement that you want to use to drive customers (like a sale or special event) your online community will receive it as a welcome invitation from a well meaning friend, rather than another corporate giant trying to separate them from the contents of their wallet.
By creating an approachable, user focused online image, customers stop looking at your brand as yet another company utilizing social media to peddle its products. As a marketer, you  need to use social media to create a band of loyal followers and re-tweeters. Once you have set a standard of contributing funny, relevant, and entertaining content back to your online community, the users in your social media universe will be happy to click, read, and share any message or status designed to sell, or drive traffic.
By utilizing social media platforms well, companies can are building themselves a modern version of a soapbox to stand on- and when they have something important to say, there is actually someone listening.