We have yet another guest blogger here at NR Media. This week we bring you Zachary Jarvis from Magnate.

Zachary Jarvis is a Digital Marketer with one thing on his mind: Results. Uninspired by the never ending talk of ‘vanity metrics’ in the world of digital marketing, Magnate was founded - the ‘Social-First’ marketing agency.

On the very rare occasion he isn’t watching Step Brothers in his spare time - you’ll find Zachary in the thick of social platforms, learning what makes us tick. This is driven by a fascination (perhaps a slight obsession...) with market trends and consumer behaviors.

When you create content for social media, you must remember why people are on social media to begin with. Despite marketers wishes, people are not going on social media to be sold to. If they have a problem that needs to be solved, the chances are that they will look for an answer on a search engine.

When your audience is on social media, they are looking to be entertained, educated and engaged. They still have problems that need to be solved - and if you have created your audience correctly, your business should be able to solve that problem. If you push your sales message too far - you will get some results, but they are likely to be on a par with colds calling - and you can do better than 1%.

So what do you do as marketers when it comes to your social media marketing strategy? Follow these tips, The 4 E's, and get your message out there.

The First E: Content That Entertains

People either go to the Internet to solve a problem, or to be entertained. Your business will always be aiming to solve a problem, but when you can, you should do it in an entertaining way.

Entertaining doesn’t always mean that you have to tell a joke or be funny. That’s one part of entertainment - but people are also entertained by finding out something new, or by learning about something that really captures your imagination.

At the top of the sales funnel, you need to attract people’s attention and interest. The best way to do this is to be entertaining. On social media that often means a striking picture with an interesting caption or active question that piques people’s interest.

If you are an umbrella manufacturer, maybe you could fill an umbrella with water and have toy ducks swimming in it. Why? It’s a fun image that’s ripe for a witty caption - but it also shows off just how waterproof your umbrellas are, and shows the value of your product.

The image itself is not sales heavy or pushy. You are not trying to sell people your business at this point - you are just trying to get them interested. You still need to have your business in the photo, but think about things that are entertaining in their own right. A picture of a nice umbrella isn’t going to be as interesting as five people all crowded under the same umbrella when it’s raining - but both show off the product.

The Second E: Content That Educates

When you have people’s attention, you now have the opportunity to educate them. Let’s go back to our umbrella example. It could be that your umbrella is a very high quality, or it could be that you have an innovative design. It could even be that your umbrellas are just as good as those three times the price - this is where you find clever ways to show that off.

At this point, it is better if you still entertain while you educate. Consumers probably haven't made it out of the consideration phase, and are still weighing their options for purchase. You don't want to be off-putting by pushing your business on them. You want to nurture them and build trust with your brand by educating them with your content.

Although a video that lists the strong points of your product or service will still fulfill a role - it’s better if you do it while entertaining. Rather than just saying: ‘our umbrellas have Teflon coating’, why not add ‘but we don’t recommend frying an egg on them.’ By adding the joke, you’re providing just as much education, but you’re doing it in a more appealing way.

The Third E: Engaging Content

Once you have attracted the interest of your audience, and given them enough information to help them move into the decision phase, then you need to engage them. This is where a call to action comes in. It’s also where bringing in an emotional hook can have great success.

It could be as simple as ‘Getting into work dripping wet and having to dry your socks on the radiator is a terrible start to a day - have a great start to the day with an umbrella.’

You’re not just giving people a reason to buy (or commit to an action, if that’s not your sales funnel), you’re engaging their imagination. You’re creating a world for them where they can see the benefit of your company. You can still incorporate elements of entertainment and education at this step.

A picture of a windy day with an umbrella inside out next to the same windy day with a stable picture of your umbrella and the caption ‘Don’t let this be you.’ is a strong call to action because it gives the viewer a clear idea of the value of your product.

If you couple that with a ticking clock like a limited edition or time sensitive voucher, then you are more likely to engage people - especially if they have already been entertained and educated about the benefits of your business.

The Final E: Content That Is Empathetic

How can you create content with empathy? Well, you already know a lot about your audience. On most social media platforms, there are tools that let you create a custom audience. You can do this yourself by setting parameters, or you can input an existing audience from an email list, or from information gained by a Pixel embedded into the html of your landing sites.

Once you have your audience, you can segment it. Maybe you decide that you want to split it by gender - you can then send out a message for the same product or service that appeals more directly to different gender identities.

If you have an audience that it predominantly one gender, so you would avoid segmentation. However, that audience may be significantly split based on income, age or even marital status.

That’s not all. With a pixel, or tools that measure things like the percentage of a video viewed - you can retarget people based on how far along the sales journey they have gone. Maybe they’ve watched a video - or visited your website - they could have even abandoned a basket at checkout on an eCommerce store.

Each of these people needs a different message. If you send them a different message - then you are more likely to appeal to them, as you’re showing empathy for their position as well as who they are.

An Extra E: Essential Content

Where you present your message is less important than how you present your message. Social media is all about making genuine connections with people. It’s not about a singular message in the model of print or TV, it’s about starting a conversation with your brand.

You need an icebreaker and the ‘getting to know you’ level of conversation before you get serious - because people will get turned off if you come on too strong to start with. Building relationships and trust with your audience helps them see you as a resource and they are more likely to view your brand as a option when making decisions.

To get people’s attention - you have to have striking content that speaks to your audience. Based on your business, that could be in copy, in a picture - in a video... even a live stream or interactive carousel. Whatever way you present your message, it will be better if it entertains, educates, engages, and empathizes.