What Manure Reminded Me About Posting on Facebook
When the dump truck backed into my driveway and unloaded five yards of ever-so-sweet-smelling, manure-infused mulch onto my driveway, the first thing I said to myself was, “Holy sh*t. I have two days to get this little project done before the rain hits.”
I snapped this photo with my phone and sent it to my wife so she would have something to look forward to that night when she got home.
Then the light bulb went on. I had been struggling to maintain any real momentum on my Facebook business page lately, so I decided to exploit my freshly delivered pile of stink.
I shared this photo on my Facebook page with a caption that read:
As a copywriter, I’ve been told I shovel sh*t all day. Behold, my driveway. I’m already deep in it, and this weekend, I’ll be shoveling it for real. Perhaps they were right.
The photo got a bunch of “likes” from people who typically don’t engage with my posts. I got a couple of snarky emails that decorum does not permit me to share here.
Needless to say, the photo and caption were a hit.
Why? It was real. It was directly related to what I do. It was self-deprecating.
While it wasn’t a post that would make people roll in the aisles, it was probably enough to make people smile and nod. That means they got it, and I’m good with that.
This post reminded me why people go on Facebook in the first place. Just because someone is a fan of my page, that doesn’t mean they’re craving nuggets of copywriting and marketing goodness from Scott McKelvey Copywriting & Marketing every time they use Facebook.
They use it to see interesting photos and laugh at funny observations and comments. And yes, they want to share cat photos and the evening’s dinner menu.
Using social media to be social. Imagine that.
I’ve been mostly sharing my blog posts and links to articles that I think people might find helpful. I sprinkle in the occasional photo with a sarcastic comment.
Realistically, a smart posting strategy is built around how real people use Facebook, not how we wish they would use it. A more even mix of wit and wisdom would probably be best.
This post also reminded me that we all need to lighten up a bit with our Facebook pages and recognize its true value – making our businesses more likable. Not “like” as in clicking the “thumbs up” button. I’m talking about developing a genuinely good feeling about a business, which leads to loyalty, referrals and revenue.
Sharing valuable, helpful, relevant content is a big part of that. Showing a company’s human side is bigger – at least it is on Facebook. To show that human side, we need to have fun with it and not take ourselves too seriously.
Instead of wondering why we’re not getting more likes, why don’t we just focus on making our businesses more likable?
By the way, I got that sh*t shoveled. In two days. Deal with it.
