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My guest today is Claire Diaz-Ortiz, digital strategist and author of the new book Social Media Success for Every Brand. Claire’s journey in social media expertise began as an early user of Twitter, and to put that in perspective, her Twitter handle is @claire. That’s it. No other words, numbers, or symbols. Just @claire.  After effectively using the platform to raise funds and promote awareness for her nonprofit organization, Twitter hired her to help others do the same and proactively make positive change in the world.

Claire took this experience and successfully pivoted into consulting with startups on their branding and marketing strategy. She would create detailed marketing plans, including a strategic social media presence, but she began to notice an unfortunate trend: many clients firmly believed that their best social media strategy was to have a post “go viral.”

“I think there is this crazy mistaken idea that social media is really only good for, quote on quote, going viral. And that, thus, that is your only strategy when it comes to being on social media….[a]nd it was only after kind of this experience and me thinking through it in my head that I really realized that a clear solution needed to be found.”

Her solution was to create the SHARE model, a social media strategy based on the principles of the StoryBrand marketing framework developed by Donald Miller. SHARE is an acronym for the components of the strategy, and you’ll want to have a pen and paper ready to take notes when Claire outlines it on the podcast today.

Claire was also kind enough to give us some live tips on how to improve the social media presence of WLJ Advisors, and we were so excited that many of them have already been implemented. I’m delighted to have Claire with us on the podcast, and I am confident that you will find much to spark your interest in the discussion today.

Join us as we discuss the follower engagement ladder, the importance of current followers over potential followers, and how social media is like one big cocktail party. If you like what you hear, please leave a review! We may even feature it on the podcast.

Listen to the episode in the player above, or download and enjoy it on iTunes. If you’re so inclined, please leave us a review!

Takeaways from this episode:

  • Claire knew from an early age that she wanted to be a writer (despite her journalist father’s discouragement). She has gone on to write 9 books and counting.
  • An early user of Twitter (so early that her handle is @claire), she was asked to join the Twitter team to help show others how to use the platform to proactively make positive social change.
  • Claire has used her expertise in social media and work with start-ups to create the SHARE model for success online.
    • S – Story. Come up with a clear and concise message for your brand that captures the essence of who you are, which connects you to customers and moves them up the engagement ladder.
    • H – Focus on the right platform to deliver your message. Claire includes an evaluation in her book to help identify what should be your priority platform.
    • A – Audience. Social media is about your audience, not you. They are the hero and your company is their guide. Talk about things they want to hear and solve their problems.
    • R – Reach. Increase your engagement with the followers you have now before you worry about procuring new followers. No matter what algorithms exist, they will always prioritize highly engaging content over everything else.
    • E – Excellence. Social media is about real-time authenticity and transparency. When something is working well, “double down on it” by creating high-quality content that is similar. Do not sacrifice quality for quantity—your audience will disengage if you are inauthentic.
  • Think of each social media platform as a cocktail party—your goal should be to stand out in a unique and positive way, make connections, and, if there is mutual interest, share contact information.
  • Four suggestions for Twitter:
    • Have public discussions with others in your field—your conversations can be helpful/educational for the audience that follows you and expose them to new individuals and thought leaders. Don’t just “mention” them. People are more likely to respond when they are being asked a direct question.
    • Ask questions of your audience.
    • Share articles from multiple third-party outlets. Don’t get too stuck on one or two sources.
    • Every so often it is important to have a “pattern disruption.” Examples would include sharing a photo of your family at Thanksgiving, or other personal material that is different from what you post on a daily/weekly basis.
  • Four tips for Linked In:
    • Similar to Twitter, take the time to occasionally have personal posts to disrupt your pattern.
    • Be sure to tag the people you are talking about in your posts. This is a bit harder to do in Linked In but is still worthwhile. If necessary, tag them in a comment.
    • Hashtags are also effective on Linked In. Currently, the suggested general hashtags work well for a lot of organizations.
    • If your audience is highly engaged in everything you are sharing, this may be an indicator that they can handle more content. Rather than develop it yourself, look to curate content. Share articles from third parties that is chosen specifically for your audience.
  • If something is working for you, double down on that. What’s working today may not work in a year, so learn how to pivot. If your audience responds best to video, prioritize working on that content over other types that have less engagement. Keep engagement high by focusing on quality over quantity.
  • When it comes to collaboration with others, such as writing a book, never put content before form. Look for a shared value match before you think of content ideas.
 

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