There’s an awful lot of talk within social media about engagement – the idea that companies can create vibrant and active relationships with consumers.
This happens by having conversations with existing and potential consumers, and providing them with relevant and interesting content that encourages interaction.
And while content, in many ways, is still king, one thing that I have learned over the past few months is the important role played by carrots in getting consumers excited or interested in what a company is doing with social media.
In an ideal world, we would be talking about carrots – the crunchy, nutritional kind loved by rabbits – but in this case, I’m referring to the different incentives that companies must use to convince consumers to participate and participate in an online community beyond simply appealing to their interest in a product or service.
This is why things such as contests have become such an integral part of social media marketing. Offering consumers a “carrot” such as the opportunity to win a prize (and it doesn’t necessarily have to be anything significant), significantly increases the chances of them engaging with your company and brand. If companies can insert some creativity into the mix such as what Dunkin’ Donuts did with its create-the-next-donut contest, so much the better.
The focus on the “carrot” is no different than the off-line world in which incentives have always played a role in getting the attention of consumers. But the carrot’s role within the social media ecosystem has not attracted a lot of attention amid all the focus on the tools and how consumers are embracing them.
At the end of the day, carrots will become a significant of the social media marketing landscape as more companies get into social media. At some point, standing out from the crowd will be increasingly difficult so companies will need an edge to appeal to consumers. It could be terrific content but it could also be carrots.
