They loved my content and never came back
Social media marketing is real, very real. Many people have been doing it wrong, including myself to an extent. We create good content, we get likes and followers, and then we share with those folks as much as we can. Some treat it as a one way relationship and pound their audience with ads. Others engage and converse. The common thread is that both are marketing to their fans and followers and that's the easy part. What's not easy, is reaching new people that don't know who you are or don't care who you are. You exist but you don't matter. You may be an authority but your potential customer already follows three other authorities, so why would they need to follow another one? Aren't they all pretty much saying the same thing? Perhaps they are, but even if they're aren't, how do you reach the people that like your product but don't care about your brand? 

Social media

It's often said that if you create amazing content, people will share it. It happens and when it does, there is no guarantee that you'll actually get a new follower out of it. How often do you hear someone say "Oh, I read this really good article on the Internet the other day that you would've really liked. I'll try and find the link." They don't know who the wrote the article or how to find it again. That's the problem. There are millions of good articles on the Internet. Just because we enjoyed something, doesn't mean we bond with the author and follow them. Just because we visited a website today doesn't mean we'll be back tomorrow. Odds are we won't even remember the website. So how do you change that?

Social media

The moments after your content starts getting shared are critical. You can sit back and watch the traffic roll into your website and be disappointed when traffic returns back to the same low levels a few days later, or you can do something to sustain your burst of popularity. Much like a writer might do with a new book, you need to go on tour. That means seeking out who is sharing your content and discovering where they're sharing it. You then go out, chat them up, shake their hands, and move on to the next group. If they enjoyed your content, they'll remember that you took the time to speak with them about it afterwards. It will resonate. The comment section of your own website is a start but there's a better place to do it.

Social media

My wife's parents never used to vote. That is until Joe Biden, seeking re-election as a Senator, went door to door in their local Delaware neighborhood to speak with potential voters. He came into their house, had a cup of coffee, talked about whatever her parents wanted to talk about and moved on. He probably had 1,000 cups of coffee that day and it was worth it. Her parents never forgot that moment. They had previously knew of him and understood that he had similar views, but they weren't compelled to do anything. They didn't care. He was another politician in a country filled with a million politicians. But that changed when he engaged them. To this day, they gleefully tell people that back in the late 1980s Vice President Joe Biden was sitting in their living room drinking a cup of their homemade  coffee. They say he was a delightful fellow and they voted for him every time since. It was a grassroots campaign move, something that is very similar to today's modern day marketing through

Social media

I have what I consider to be a popular website in my field. A lot of people know it and visit it quite often. Lately I have met several people in my industry that have never heard of it or think they might have read an article on my site once. Once... I don't like Once. Once means I have a lot of work to do. Once says that getting content shared just because it's amazing isn't good enough. Once means they connected with the content and not the brand that created it. The content was good, but on the Internet a lot of content is good. Once means I have left a lot of money on the table. Once means I created a lead but I didn't close the deal. If you have a strong base of followers already, you might think that perhaps there really aren't that many more people left to reach, but you're wrong. Even if you think you've reached everyone, you haven't. Have you ever noticed that the biggest challenge political candidates face is getting people to actually vote? It's not enough that people agreed with your views or enjoyed something you said. You must go out, you must engage, you must go on tour. Believe me, it's easier to create one amazing piece of content and drink 1,000 cups of coffee discussing it with your potential fan base than to come up with 1,000 pieces of amazing content. Today's living room is

Social media

This weekend I'm taking the time to think about the potential audience that has never visited my website or has visited it once. If my fans have told me that my content is already enjoyable, then creating more enjoyable content isn't going to be a strong enough catalyst to gain new fans in that of itself. The content is there and people are sharing it. They like what I have to say but they're not showing up on election day. Sometimes you have to start knocking on doors and say "Hi, I'm Joe Biden" or "I'm Sean Murray" and sit down and have a cup of coffee. They'll remember it and most importantly they'll remember you. The content will have a face, it will be human. You don't want people to remember your article but forget the website they found it on. That's how sharing dies. That's where the chain ends. That would be why a site had a burst of new visitors today that didn't return later on. This can be changed. Those folks can be reached. So when the time is right and when your content is fresh, engage them, delight them and make them a follower. The opportunity is there on

Social media
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I run a blog for people involved in alternative business lending:
http://www.merchantprocessingresource.com

Maybe that's your field or maybe it isn't. Let's get coffee sometime :-)
#socialmediamarketing   #socialmedia   #marketing  
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52 comments
 
nice blurb.  It has an appeal to ethos and logos. try to work on pathos 
 
Love this +Sean Murray! Brilliant thoughts and very insightful.

I've been thinking a lot lately about this same idea. I try connecting with people on Twitter who tweet links to my site (even if they don't mention me). Most of the time I don't get a response, but I do it anyways.

How exactly do you plan to go about this?
 
I love the last bit right before the hashtags +Sean Murray as well as the thousand cups of coffee!
 
+Dustin W. Stout, I'm going to broaden my horizons. I have my regular set of forums and social groups that I check into regularly. I figured that everyone in my field hung out in the same places, but it turns out they don't. I'm going to be joining a few more forums, LinkedIn groups, engaging on the facebook posts of people I would like to create a follower out of instead of just engaging with the people that comment on my own facebooks posts. Obviously, I can do a lot more. I'm even thinking about sending out some emails to people that also write in my industry to engage them on a personal level.

I'm guilty on networks like twitter of just posting a link to a new article I wrote and hoping people just find it and respond to it. Doesn't work very well.
 
Outstanding +Sean Murray thank you for writing this, I'm in the same boat. My "aha moment" has been managing G+ pages and seeing how many different sites and amazing people there are. 
 
+Stephan Hovnanian, you introduced me to content curation. I''m sure a lot of other people do it and talk about it, but you're the guy I follow on that stuff. I think that is also something I need to incorporate in my changing strategy for sure.

and glad you liked my post.
 
+Sean Murray outstanding and thought provoking piece of content. My problem is how do I connect with the gazillion connections that I have out there. You have set me up on a thought provoking trip. 
 
I don't have all the answers +Vinit Bolinjkar, but I think a good starting point is identifying where they are first. 
 
I invite anyone who has an example of what they did to build relationships and gain a follower to share here.
 
I think +Krithika Rangarajan might have one :)

I monitor my blog shares especially on Twitter and try to thank people whenever I can, especially if they took the time to customize the tweet and not just use the title of the article. That usually leads to follow up conversation and I check out their profile, blog, etc.
 
Wonderful +Sean Murray. I particularly love the campaigning analogy. I hope you don't mind if I use that myself someday!

In terms of other ideas, one that I've noted recently is +Dustin W. Stout's and others who create a series of circles for people they engage with on G+. Giving them opportunities to take some of those relationships further. 
 
This was brilliant! Thanks for writing this.
 
ah ha! circle sharing as a thank you
 
+Sean Murray  How wonderfully insightful!  Yes, I totally understand the value of forging 'long-term relationships' instead of being content with 'short term traffic'.  Personally, when a particular writer makes an impression in one article, I try to follow that person as much as possible.  

Case in Point:  +Stephan Hovnanian I call myself his unofficial stalker ! hahahhaha His articles have introduced me not only to wonderful features on G+, but to other wonderful authors and PROs whose works are also very inspiring.  Like you said, he is a content curation hero ;)

 If I am not able to read his articles immediately, I always bookmark them for later read.  Like I was immersed in the world of HOAs the whole of last week, which prevented me from reading couple of his posts.  SO I bookmarked them for the future!  

I enjoy knowing more about the writers who impress me. In fact, I have been known not to move on to another 'fiction' author without reading every book in his or her series lol

Rule of G+: The more you are interested in others, the more the others will be interested in you.  

And, yes, I have (OBVIOUSLY) added you into my Circles now ;) Thanks again to +Stephan Hovnanian who mentioned me here and alerted me to your post ;)
 
I like the way you operate +Krithika Rangarajan. Love your rule of G+. That feeds on the idea that commenting on others people's posts is key to start building your own following. 
 
Nailed it +Sean Murray love the enthusiasm. Trying to help a post get rolling sure doesn't stop after hitting share. As you said, that immediacy and quick response after submit is hit is imperative.

Engaging with all the people who comment, as well as thank all the people who share, really makes a tremendous impression with those who took their time to do so.

I think that a long term approach to new people who might not yet be your readers/clients is a great way to play this. It won't happen overnight but when they arrive you know they will be there for all the right reasons. Great post. 
 
Well I was referring to the #googlepluschat Twitter chat invite off a tweet of one of my articles, which then led you to discover this treasure trove of people on G+...and how this relationship quickly showed me your passion for social media such that I'm making it a point to read all your posts in return...but I'll take unofficial stalking +Krithika Rangarajan :D
 
Awesome writing. You made me want to read it even I should be working instead haha I have to really go back to work now LOL Thanks for this wonderful information. I know it takes lots of virtual coffee conversations to ensure readership (including shares, plusses and all that), but I'm giving it one cup at a time, being busy with work and family. I also want to improve my content first. My blog entries are still being constantly revised because of new knowledge and skills I'm accumulating from my G+ communities. But it's true. Warm conversations make warm gatherings and warm gatherings make strong circles and followers. Online and offline. 
 
Thanks for sharing, really interesting.

Also I love that image - is it under Creative Commons?
 
Thank you +Krithika Rangarajan :) Truly, writing is a never-ending learning and improvement process. It's gruelling hard work, but I love it that way. If there will be 10000 comments here, that's 10000 virtual coffee cups for +Sean Murray ;) Wow, I wish I can have those many cups one day, and have the time to meaningfully converse with all. Goodness, here I go again, I should go back to work, barnacles me. 
 
+Krithika Rangarajan added something valuable to her share of this post (https://plus.google.com/u/0/105044492261941782965/posts/FNSVH8jfLpc). Basically she articulated the point at which we seem to not be able to build any more relationships as the saturation point.

Often times It can seem like we've already reached a ceiling, but is more likely that we've completed a step and need to change our strategy to take the next one. Doing the same thing over and over may have been effective for awhile, but you must prepare for the next phase. 
 
Aww...thanks for sharing, +Sean Murray . Success can be exhausting, right?!! ;). One has to constantly evolve and grow. Complacency has no place in success, which is a actually fantastic :D
 
This is great Sean. As often as I have heard the message sometimes I need to be beat over the head to do it right. My advice to me? Be a talker, not a stalker!
 
Breaking news: internet guy spreads the word about

Social media
 
Hi +Sean Murray I live this - and h/t to YOU because I came across this post from another post of yours! You are right - people forget quickly and you need to constantly be out there - creating great content and then "going on tour" to shake hands and meet people! 
 
I saw you out there in community sharing circles every day +Christine DeGraff. I was thinking of jumping on the circle share bandwagon but noticed you're dropping out of that game!
 
my circles are personally completely disorganized +Neil Ferree lol. They're in need of some fall cleaning.
 
LOL yes, dropping out of it - don't want to be a jerk and was starting to act like one!
 
You weren't looking too jerky from over here +Christine DeGraff  :-). You were building some real traction with those things.
 
Yes +Sean Murray but last night I was cracking the circle sharing whip too hard demanding more more more and I ended up realizing how darn selfish and not fun that was!!!
 
Very brilliant, thanks for sharing!
 
Thank you +Sean Murray for this new perspective, and the interesting conversation here. Some great ideas to keep in mind.

 +Dustin W. Stout, I subscribe to your newsletter and was very engaged by the email survey you recently sent with it. I thought that was brilliant, and it definitely makes me want to keep reading your content. 
 
I think we don't touch 100% our potential customer in social media. When they enter in a fan page, they actually promote something else. It's disappointed.
 
Love it look like so meanning lozz :)
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