Evan Carmichael breaks down why Sage Software's social media works: they post about customers, employees, and useful content instead of coupons and product launches. He argues gratitude and community-building beat constant promotion, then challenges you to spend five minutes thanking someone who helped you.
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Hey, it's Thankful Thursday, and I believe that it's important to thank the people and companies who have had an impact on your life, on your business, because you can't do this all alone. You need help, you need people to lift you up and support you. And so I make these videos once a week to thank the people in my life who are having an impact. I hope you'll reach out to your contacts and thank them, just give them some recognition. So today I want to thank Sage software. And Sage, they make accounting software. And you may think, Sage accounting software, why, why are you thanking them? They used to be a client, and I did some social media work with them, and I haven't talked to them for a while, and I recently touched base, and I've been so impressed with what they're doing on social media. Most companies, they blast out coupon codes and marketing, and we just launched our new product, everybody come and buy it. And as a result, you get zero engagement because nobody cares about that stuff. That's not what social media is all about. And Sage, these guys get it. You go to Sage's page, they're talking about— they recognize their customer who just got into Whole Foods and they're tweeting pictures about them. They're recognizing people on their team who had a birthday and they're showcasing what they did to their cubicle at the company. They're sharing inspirational quotes. They're sharing articles that have nothing to do with accounting, but will help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. They're trying to be a resource. This is what's important about social media. You're not out there just broadcasting and selling. The point of social media is to build relationships with customers, and these guys, they actually care about their customers. Imagine that! A big company that actually cares about their customers. Now I'm fortunate to work with a number of different big brands who have that same mindset and same philosophy, and I work with them on their campaigns. But most companies aren't like that, and it's so refreshing to see a company like Sage stepping up and doing it and bucking a trend. And I'm sure whoever's running those campaigns there are facing, you know, internal criticism or external criticism to say, "Hey, this isn't how you're supposed to do it." but they're getting results and building a strong community, and that's what social media is all about. So thank you, Sage, for your leadership and inspiration and for helping the entrepreneur community. And for all of you watching, take 5 minutes today to thank somebody who's had an impact on your business, on your life somehow. Send an email, write a note, take somebody out to coffee, make a video if you want to. It doesn't have to be complex, just say thank you. They'll feel better, you'll feel better, and you brighten everybody's day. Believe. You guys like this video? Thumbs up below. If you want to support me, click on the support link in the description and leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you. Thank you so much. See you soon.
