Back to basics: What’s the point of social media again?

We know it’s a good thing… but why?

Here’s my take. Social media becomes integral to your organization by serving three primary functions.

Metaphorically, it serves as a window display, a megaphone, and an open forum. Let’s unpack that…

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As a window display…

Most often, social media exists to serve the window shoppers.

Let’s use a personal anecdote. I’m preparing to move from Milwaukee to Cincinnati, so I’m busy finding new shops, restaurants, and coffee shops.

I’ve browsed dozens of accounts at this point and I have the same routine every time. I read their bio, scroll their feed, watch one or two Reels, and then make a decision whether or not to follow them.

(I’m using Instagram in this example, but interchange Facebook if that’s what you like.)

There is always something about the account that helps me form an opinion about the place without ever visiting.

🤔 Maybe they only have a hand full of posts that are over a year old – “Hmm… I wonder if they’re still in business.”

🤔 Maybe the inside of the shop looks outdated – “I don’t think I want to buy clothes from this place.”

🤔 Maybe the photos are low quality and make the food look unappetizing – “If I’m going to pay to eat out, it probably won’t be here.”

Or – maybe I’m immediately sold. 😍 Everything looks great and I give them a follow. Maybe I take it one step further and look the place up on Google Maps to see if it’s close to where I’ll be living.

In these instances, I’m using social media as a low-commitment way to get a flavor of what to expect… just like a window shopper might in a physical shopping mall.

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As a megaphone…

Sticking with coffee shops (shocker)…

There’s this one coffee shop in Omaha that does “free coffee Fridays.” It’s just what it sounds like.

How do I know about this? Well, I visited once (not on a Friday) and followed them on Instagram afterwards.

Since then, I’ve seen their Instagram stories every Friday – encouraging me to come get a free coffee. They always say something silly like, “The coffee’s free, but wouldn’t a scone pair well with that?” or “It’s great idea to balance your breakfast with a bagel sandwich.”

I can guarantee you – if I lived in Omaha – their marketing would have worked on me at least a few times in the past year.

They are using social media as a megaphone to amplify the reach of this promotion.

Could they have given free coffee Fridays a page on their website? A sign in the door? Yes and yes – and they do. But – social media is an attention hub. They are capitalizing on that attention.

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As an open forum:

Social media is not just a one-way form of communication. It works two ways.

People are free to comment or direct message you at any time.

Put yourself in these two headspaces:

The frustration you feel when you reach out to a company and never hear back…

vs.

The confidence you feel in a company when they reply right away and you can tell the reply is from a real person (not a bot).

Aim to make your social media feel like the second experience.

This boosts your KLT (Know, Like, Trust) Factor big time!

I’d venture to say that my favorite accounts are 80% window display… they do a great job reminding me WHY I followed them in the first place.

🔥 Hot take incoming… many churches and schools rely far too heavily on the megaphone. This comes across as spammy. It’s easy to tune out.

What would it look like to set your social media up more like a window display: showing the world exactly what makes you unique? This is the only way you will get engaged followers. This is how you earn the right to use the megaphone and open forum.

How would you rate your organization on its social media usage? Are you reaping all 3 benefits right now?