Using Social Media for User Acquisition

Yesterday’s Founders Drinks topic was focused on using social media for user acquisition. Typically start-up founders use make use of digital platforms like blogs, Facebook, and Twitter as tools use to engage with users.

But often, depending on the nature of your business, it can be tough to use these tools effectively to generate significant buzz or convert fans to users.

Of course, there’s no fool proof way to solve this problem, so e27 and Penn-Olson have lined up a star-studded list of panelists to provide the Founders Drinks audience with some advice. Special thanks to go out to Tania Chew, Vincent Lauria, and Pat Law, as well as to Amazon Web Services for supporting this community event.

Here are my notes summarizing the engaging panel session we had:

• The brand’s voice: Posting content relevant to your industry is good. But it is also advisable to create meaningful conversation with folks on digital platform. The web is full of examples, and Zappos is one that impresses Tania. Stay cool, be friendly, and be yourself.

• Curating is okay: Creating original content is time consuming for founders. And there’s no way to generate original content on a daily basis. The solution? Curate and put in your opinion. But remember to credit your source too!

• There’s no such thing as viral content: The panelists dismiss the term “viral content.” Why? Because it is impossible to define a viral content until it actually goes viral. “Charlie bit my finger” could go viral and costs practically no budget and perhaps even very little planning. On the other hand, a brand that spent thousands may not even get pass one thousand views on YouTube. The advice is to stick to the general rules — converse and keep content relevant. Creative ideas are of course worth trying.

• Buy fans: No Facebook fans, no problem. Spend some money to get your Facebook page going. And Vincent says if done right, you can spent as low as $0.10 for each real fan (some tips here). With a couple of hundred fans, you have a good start on spreading your message via the news feed.

• Social proof: Having lots of Facebook fans and Twitter followers provides a form of social proof that your business is somewhat reputable and trustable. But numbers aren’t everything as well. For example, if you are running a B2B business, you seriously should go out to talk to people more than just staying behind the screen.

• Consistency, hardwork: Social media isn’t a silver bullet. It can’t solve everything and it can’t give you instant results. It requires consistent hardwork to win mindshare. If someone visits your company’s blog or follow your tweets long enough, you will eventually win him or her over.

So that’s a wrap, folks. If you feel there are any important points that were missed, please feel free to add them via comments.

Photos