Instead
of two pages of the life history of your product, have a template meant for
just introducing your self or your brand. Nobody wants another landing page
literature in their DM. Yes, I understand you want to say it all. But the DM is
not the place and time.
The
consumer decision goes through what we call the Consumer Journey. It is not
instant even if it happens in a split second. Yes! It starts with Awareness
of what you’re selling, then Interest in what you’re selling, Desire
in what you’re selling, and finally terminates in Action in what
you’re selling. There are other aspects
to this journey which we don’t need to cover here.
The
DM is the place to stimulate the consumer’s interest and get your first foot
inside the door of the relationship. Even if you were selling a rat killer or
latest wonder medicine for poverty, focus on starting a relationship. Don’t
assume the target NEEDS or WANTS your product or service, so you just fire your
sales message at will!
So
back to my Ebere examples:
Hi
@boyeadefila, we’ve not met, but I’d like to say I read some of your posts and
I find them interesting, especially your balanced views on students’ riots. But
that’s not why I am sending this DM (lol). I am a passionate cake maker and
would like you to tell your friends and family about my services. As a show of
goodwill, I am willing to offer you a special discount on any cake of your
choice on your first order. You could check my TL or request for sample
pictures here or via my whatsapp line 08165285675. Thank you for your time and keep
up the balanced tweets!
Now
compare the above with the example below:
Hi
@boyeadefila, Introducing the best cakes in Africa!!!! Call us for your
parties, birthdays, festivals, weddings, any occasion for that matter. We make
sponge cakes, fruit cakes, bridal ladder cakes, picture cakes, and we deliver
nationwide. Call us now and claim your 45% super crazy discount! Call
000111222333 or 000111222555 or 000111222666. Remember, we are just a DM away.
Our sister company Ebere candles also sells the best candles for all occasions,
prayer candles, celebrity candles, whatever candles. We are waiting. Why are
you still waiting? Call now or slide into our DM. Ebere cakes, cakes like no
other!
Clearly,
one is more personal than the other. One has done some homework about the
target customer and so doing, plugged into their soft spot or area of interest.
One is more sincere than the other. One is less invasive than the other. Not
everybody can afford cakes even if they needed cakes, so choose your DM targets
carefully. The customer’s DM was not reserved for advertising. It was reserved
for private messages initiated by the owner, for getting support from handles
they are already following like their GSM network, their school, NYSC or the
Police or Fire Service or their Senator; for reaching out to their private
network as an alternative conversation medium to phone calls, texting and face
to face meetings. Treat the DM space with respect. Don’t just dive in with
arrogance as if they had been waiting for you all their lives. Who are you
anyway? Ha ha, okay, you’re somebody, but thread softly. J
As
mentioned earlier, there are apps to help you chose your potential target customers
and such apps, and in some cases such apps can customise the first name of the
target into the message, like in my case that would be ‘Dear Boye…’. However,
if your business is small, invest time in growing your customer base one DM at
a time. Dedicate 30 minutes per day to growing potential customers not a large
followership or fan base.
A
large followership is fine for a comedian or an influencer, but your primary interest
is not followers or likes, it’s patronage. Anybody passing buy can click like on
your cute cake pictures or whatever you’re selling. It is EFFECTIVE DEMAND YOU
NEED not WINDOW SHOPPERS.
An
influencer sells their influence and so they need proof of a large and relevant
followership. So, there’s is a game of large numbers. Yours is a game of active
interest in your product or service.