Creating Meaningful Communities

One of the best parts about living in a city like Richmond, Virginia is the vast number of local businesses, organizations, and restaurants to support. In the past few years, in addition to their presence in local newspapers, magazines, and bulletin boards, I’ve watched as these local businesses begin to embrace the social media revolution one-by-one.

For many, this adoption allows for a degree of customer interaction not typically possible by traditional means. Deep Groove Records, for example, my favorite local music store, posts their recently acquired records almost every day to their Facebook page. For music nerds like me, who are constantly searching for that “impossible-to-find” 10-inch single, these updates allow me to know EXACTLY when to rush off to the store.

At other local stops, however, the proudly displayed “Follow us on Twitter” sign next to the register is merely an invitation to view a dormant, un-updated page only followed by the person that created it, and filled with automatic posts from their Facebook page.  Experiences like this demonstrate a clear illustration of the fundamental differences between simply being “on” Twitter and actually “using” Twitter.  For newbies to social media, here are some tips to creating a meaningful community:

Visualize

Your social media presence is not necessarily about supporting your core mission — or the purpose of your business or organization. It may more likely be about supporting the vision of your business or organization — what you are reaching for –  your inspiration, hopes and dreams for your business. It’s not about what you do, but about where you want to be.

For our client Arlington County Commuter Services, we didn’t create a Facebook fan page with the organization’s name on it.

We created a page that supports its vision of a car-free community. “Arlington’s Car-Free Diet” is the easy, fun way to live a car-free lifestyle in Arlington County, Virginia. So its Facebook community is all about helping residents, employees, and visitors easily ride transit, bike, walk or telework.

The most successful social media campaigns are clearly thought out from day one. A social media plan should include a regular calendar of updates for 3-5 postings/tweets/uploads a week, as well as specific phased out approaches and enhancements for each social media outlet. Remember that you must use each platform (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) to the best of its strengths and don’t cross-connect your accounts. Keep them separate, but equal.

Actualize

The difference between an active social media strategy and a mere social media presence rests in how much you are truly reaching outside the walls of your business. Odds are, your organization already has a website. Therefore, your social media outlets shouldn’t merely be another platform to post that same information. As obvious as it seems to point out, social media is about being social. As you start to gain friends, followers, and “likes” give them a reason to return to your page. One way is to ask them to enter a contest or a sweepstakes.

Another way is to offer value-added content like applications integrated into a Facebook Tab. The Car-Free Diet Calculator app enables you to see how much money you’ll save, CO2 you’ll reduce, and calories you’ll burn by going on Arlington’s Car-Free Diet — and to share those results with friends on your wall.

Ask and respond to questions, share the success of others, and encourage dialogue like we did with former Car-Free Diet Skeptics — and current Car-Free Diet believers — Ross and Todd.

All strategizing aside, it’s important to remember that crafting your business’s social media presence should first and foremost be fun! Your customers are looking toward these outlets not as a dry source for information, but rather as an exciting and dynamic extension of your brand personality. Whether they are on your street or online, welcoming personalities are at the heart of good communities. Be a part of yours!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to the record store before someone else gets there first.