Most of us are accustomed to selecting the radio or TV station we prefer to receive our news or entertainment through while dabbling in or surfing others. Generally, we return most frequently to the channel that presents the information the way we like best to hear it.

But today a myriad of available channels makes selecting the right mix for an advertiser a complex art. While you might find yourself trying to redirect people to the channels where you play your message, the key to getting your message heard is being willing to play/place it where the ears and eyes of your customers migrate, even if you don’t like that channel, or understand why they go there.

For example, if your customers really like country music and listen to country music 24/7, but you play your message on a classical music channel, your customers will never hear your message. Even if it’s a really good message and they would love what you have to say, you’re not playing your message on the channel they regularly listen to. Empirically, one form of music is not superior or inferior; however, each of us has our preferences. When you seek to attract, grow, and retain clients and employees, you have to learn what channels they listen to and trust.

Social media is similar. People are finding their channel of comfort. For some it’s Facebook, with the chatting and informal nature, like having a conversation in your living room. Facebook dialogues can, and often do, slip into business, but most frequently, you are chatting (as you might over beverages) with friends about their lives, experiences, and dreams.

For others, it’s Twitter with the rapid short updates, bursts of information, and quick trends that reflect the hot topics of the moment. Topics swell and crest, then ebb away, but if you missed the wave, you can always search it out later with the right hashtag (#). YouTube is for the visually compelled. The number two search engine after Google, YouTube has found a home in the hearts of Millennials and others alike. Need to see a baby laugh, a dog skateboarding, or a kitten playing with a dolphin to brighten your day? It’s a mere click away. Want to find out some information on a random topic? YouTube’s got you covered.
Generationally Savvy Solutions to Reaching Customers via Social
Media:

1. No one channel is the only dominant or final word for all of your clients’ interests.

2. Think of social media like the sandwich boards businesses put out on high traffic roads to direct people to their business. Every real-estate broker knows the value of a compelling sign strategically located.

3.  As a business leader, investigate your ideal customers’ social media community preferences and patterns, and place your value-based message there.

With any luck, profits and customer satisfaction will soar as you communicate with your ideal customer on their preferred playing field of social media.

Tune in next week for 3 Simple Rules to Social Media.