Social Media Marketing: On Chicken Sandwiches and Why Your Friends Don't Owe You a Retweet

Let me open right out the gate with the strong sentiment that, I Love Black Twitter! I can’t overstate that. We are funny as fu*k. Jesus.

Now that I’ve said that, I’m taking a break from our regular blog programming to discuss something that I’ve alluded to for awhile, but has resurfaced as a result of this week’s events. I don’t think we need to go into great detail on why this week has been a particularly interesting one in the War on Chicken Sandwiches. Did I participate in the foolery? Yes. Did I stand in line for thirty minutes for a Popeye’s Spicy Chicken sandwich after being told the drive thru was broken and that they were out of all soft drinks (aside from gingerale) AND being side eyed when I asked for Mardi Gras Mustard and Honey? Also Yes. Would I do it again? You’re gat damn right I will. When my children ask me, “where were you during the Great Chicken Debate of 2019”, I can confidently say that I was on the front lines.

But chicken isn’t the topic at hand today. Aside from being a resident foodie, I am also an entrepreneur and coincidentally in the marketing and content creation industry. I am obsessed with organic social media marketing and it is one of the primary drivers for my business. So when I see something take off on social the way this topic did, it’s really fun to watch and assess. I’m seeing numbers float around that the marketing exposure that Popeye’s gained is valued at the $23 million dollar mark as a result of this “campaign”. Which wasn’t really a campaign from my perspective. At least, not an intentional one. This was pure hypebeast activity. Popeye’s did do a fantastic job of riding the wave though, and inserting some pretty fun tweets into the conversation. Kudos to their social media managers for jumping in there and taking advantage of the viral nature of this event.

So, all of this great exposure is going on and things got pretty exciting and then, it happened. I started seeing lots of conversations about “supporting your friends business the same way you support Popeye’s”…Party. Poopers. I get it. I understand where the feeling comes from. As a business owner, we want nothing more than the support of our peers. We work so hard on our things. We launch our babies. We post online. We build sparkly new websites. We put ourselves out there, and sometimes you get crickets. Doubly painful when you’re not getting all of the love you expected from your friends and family. Like, “didn’t they see my amazing blog post?!”. But here’s the thing - your friends and family are not your marketing department and they are not obligated to promote you. I know that stings, but it’s the truth.

Your Friends Job is to Be Your Friend and Your Job is to Run Your Business

I had to learn this lesson the hard way, but once I really thought about it from a broader perspective it made sense. Let me say this first - I appreciate any support that I receive from my peers on the internets and it is incredible to see your community rally around you. That shit’s dope, and if you have a tribe of people that are lifting you up, make sure you show your appreciation of that. What I want to convey though, is that it’s much more important that your peers provide you with friendship, camaraderie and the kind of support that comes naturally to them. As a business owner, it is really easy for us to hyperfixate on all of our activities and expect that our people are just as passionate about it as you. But really, your Cousin Tommy has other priorities in his life. He has meetings scheduled all day at work. He has kids to pick up after school. Frankly, he’s got other shit to do. So he may not be paying much attention when you post your SoundCloud link. Not to mention, when’s the last time you created an IG post about your friend’s new promotion? Oh, and that client that paid you $2000 for wedding photos…do they really have to tag you in every bridal photo for the rest of their lives? I mean, yes “photo cred” is cool but I promise you it’s not going to make or break your business. Please stop yelling at your future customers and friends about how they aren’t showing you love and support.

Instead, focus on creating a product and service that is worth sharing with the world. Focus on a dynamic marketing strategy that you can take control of. Here’s a few tips that you can start using to create the social media presence you want, without putting so much pressure on your peeps.

1. Create Relatable Content

One of the biggest concepts I try to convey to my business clients is that your social media content needs to resonate with people. Often times, that means that we can’t solely focus on sales or “pitchy” content. There is a time and place for that, but you should be aiming for a healthy balance of content that strikes emotion and content that is aimed to directly sell your service. What does that mean? Relatable content can look vastly different depending on your business or industry, but it first and foremost should connect with your audience. This may mean visuals that feel real and natural, as opposed to staged or commercial. Your audience can see right through a sales pitch. Its not always a good fit on social, where people are looking to have real conversations with real people. Not necessarily businesses. So try to keep it in check, especially if you are developing a personal brand.

2. Add Some Variety

Our social media world has an extremely fast paced turn over rate. We take in so much information day to day, that you really have to stand out to compete with the millions of other pieces of content and advertising that’s being published. That makes it super important to keep things lively and unique. When you are planning your content (and you should have a plan…if you don’t, let’s chat) make sure that you switch things up. For example, if you are a clothing boutique owner and you typically post flat lays of your apparel, try different photo angles, use different types of models or change your environment. Posting the same pic over and over gets boring fast, and your peeps are less likely to engage.

3. Get in the Engagement Game

Speaking of engagement, you gotta give a little to get a little. I know this may seem obvious, but social media is meant to be social. As business owners, it’s really easy to post our content and go. You will get so much more value out of the experience when you show love to your fellow social media friends, without any expectations. Here’s a tip: for the next seven days, spend just 30 minutes a day scrolling through your feeds and genuinely commenting on your friends posts. Show some real feedback and sincere interest in what they are sharing. Start a conversation. Slide in some DMs (not like that!). It will feel great to build those connections and there’s a good chance you’ll strike up some interesting conversation. You may even generate some business connects. But you have to get in the game, and show some love yourself.

Let me know what you think! Do you think entrepreneurs deserve more support from their peers online? How are you approaching your social media strategy to gain attraction for your business? If you need help, Drea & Co. offers services that can help your business step up their social media game. Send us a note to get started.

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