Despite Smaller Budgets, Regional Companies Can Get Big Social Media Attention

How mid-market companies can steal attention away in an overcrowded world from the national brands.

There are now more than 237 billion smartphone users in the US according to Statista and those numbers are set to continue rising for the unforeseeable future. And while smartphones and tablets are on the rise and PC use is declining the combined total of them all is well over 750,000,000 units. These consumers choose what they want to engage with and when. They make the decision to scroll right past a message on their phone, tablet or PC or stop and read it. Determining if they want to start a dialog with a brand or better yet, if they want to share it with their family and friends.

Through the rise of device usage and social media, advertisers have turned to these channels to promote themselves and the social media companies have realized just how much power they now have. With the help of their new algorithms, they are basically forcing businesses to pay if they want social users to “see their message.”

And even with an investment, you can’t guarantee the audience will even notice the message, let alone share it with others. So, what are some ways to get these “scrolling” users to stop and take notice? Here are a few tips that can help when developing your social media ad message:

1. Humor – People love to laugh! Social media can be very entertaining. Think of a way your brand can make someone smile.

2. Education, Shock or Surprise – Audiences not only like to find out something they didn’t know, but typically they enjoy sharing it with others. “OMG…did you see this?”

3. Emotion – A social media post can strike an emotional cord. It can make people feel inspired, happy or energized. Use this type of post to make the audience feel compelled to pick up your cause and forward it on.

4. Inspiration – Readers like to see and read things that inspire them. Most people want to be better and do better. Use your post to help them achieve more.

No matter what tactic you take, make sure you know your audience. It needs to make sense and speak to them even if it’s unorthodox. Find out what makes them passionate about your brand and use that as a driving force in any social media campaign.

Whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc., create a timely and fresh message then honestly ask yourself…” Would I stop scrolling and click on this?” If the answer is “yes”, you probably have a pretty good “thumb scrolling stopping” message that will gain you the attention you were looking for.

As more digital and social noise is generated the social companies will prosper but their clients may not. A regional size company, no matter its size needs to elevate its message if it’s going to overcome national competition that can typically outspend the regional companies and drowned them out.