03 Jan Lagom: Why Less Can Be More in Social Media
Lagom. We take a look at how in adopting a “less” approach to marketing, your organisation can stand to gain a whole lot more.
It happens to us all. That moment when we utter a word or phrase and think to ourselves, “that’s it- I’ve turned into my mother”. For me, this moment of metamorphosis came with my mumbling of the words “enough is as good as a feast”. As a child, it simply made no sense. How can enough ever be, well, enough? How can enough be better than more? Surely, it’s always better to have more of something? These thoughts would circumnavigate my mind as my mother promptly uttered the words, usually in relation to why I shouldn’t really polish off the entire bag of Percy Pigs. Of course, once I went to University I soon realised that just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Turns out staying up all night or eating an entire tub of Ben and Jerry’s for dinner may not always be the best idea…funnily enough.
I’ve been thinking about this phrase a lot recently, especially in relation to branding and marketing. Whilst the nation is in the midst of Scandimania (see: hugge, crime dramas and knitwear) one word is yet to make its mark on the cultural sphere: lagom. Roughly translated, lagom means enough, sufficient, just the right amount. How, in a digital world of endless social media platforms, 24/7 information access and a constant drive for more, can lagom hold its own? How can a whole philosophy based on enough be beneficial to businesses conditioned to constantly drive for more.
Social Media Presence
As any social media manager will tell you, writing content designed to appeal across the plethora of social media platforms can result in a multi media migraine. You spend time crafting witty one liners for Twitter, channel your inner David Bailey for Instagram and update Facebook with prose that would make Shakespeare himself weep only to find that, when it comes to those dreaded analytics, it’s failing to hit the mark. Often, it’s not the content that’s the problem. If you’re finding your social media campaigns are being met with a radio silence, it may be time to hit that “suspend account” button on certain platforms. Much has been written about the need to do a social media audit. Start by examining both your social media channels as well as those of your competitors. If you find that they’re not using certain platforms, there’s often a good reason why. When it comes to cultivating your organisations online presence, knowing who and where your audience are and what they’re engaging with is essential. Defining your target audience is an vital step. Think about who you want to target, their age, demographics, geographical location etc. Once you know who you’re looking for it’ll be easier to know where you’ll find them. There are plenty of infographics online that will let you know the ages, genders, nationalities etc of people engaging with the major social media platforms. Utilise them. If it turns out that certain platforms are just not attracting your audiences, don’t be afraid to take a step back from them and focus your attentions on those that are. Remember, it’s better to have a high quality presence and visibility on more profitable platforms rather than be thinly spread out across them all.
Oversharing
Just like taking a “lagom” approach to your online presence can be beneficial to your business, knowing when to employ the less is more approach is equally important with regards to what you share. We’ve all got that friend who likes to share every minute detail of their day. If Cath from college’s evening meals for the period 2010-2017 was a MasterMind topic, you’d be champion. Whilst the bonds of friendship may be enough to stop you brutally culling her from your friends list, audiences and consumers may not be so forgiving. For businesses and organisations there are a few simple rules to follow when it comes to sharing content.
- Thirds principle: Basically, your social media should look a little something like this- 1/3 Social content to promote your business/ generate profit, 1/3 share ideas/ stories/ content relevant to your business field and 1/3 personal interactions with customers.
- Share Smart- Each social media platform comes with it’s own etiquette regarding how many times a day you should be posting content. Use the following Infograph as a guide as to what often you should post and the best times of day to generate optimum user engagement. But remember- these are guides! It’s much better to post high quality content less frequently than unrelated ramblings that risk driving your audience away. Remember, lagom: just the right amount.
So, as we can see, sometimes mum’s really do know best!
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