Should You Be Facebook Friends With Your Competitors?
Should you be friends with your competitors on Facebook (and Instagram and LinkedIn and TikTok and YouTube and…well, you get the picture)? The answer is a resounding YES! But is it a matter of keep your friends closer and your enemies closer or is there some other, less sinister resasoning behind this sound piece of advice? We’ve spoken with our social media marketing experts and here’s what we’ve found:
Genuine Relationships are Great for Business
It is common knowledge that in business, it is often not what you know but who you know. In the social media world, this has never been so true. Relationships (connections) are the prized jewel in your SEO Crown, so it makes perfect sense to be connected to as many people in your industry as possible, even if they are your direct competition. Won’t that hinder your profitability, you ask? Absolutely not. Those online connections do a lot for your credibility, branding and online visibility. Whats more, staying “in the loop” with the movers and shakers of your industry will also help keep you motivated, creative and inspired to be the best you can be.
The best part? These social media relationships are a win-win situation because your competitor-turned-online friend also recieves the same benefits to their company as you do to yours! So go ahead and reach out to the content creators, influencers and businesses that you have a genuine admiration for and let them know it! If they are interested in fostering a digital relationship with other businesses (and really they should be!), they’ll respond favourably. Then all you need to do is cultivate your new online friendship as you would an in-person one: check in every now and again to keep up with what’s going on in their (business) life, be a (digital) cheerleader for their content that you genuinely like, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it! You’d be surprised how quickly you can be pulled into a strong, profitable relationship with a simple “hello”, online comment or authentic industry question. The golden rule of all friendships most definitely applies here too, though always remember: if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!
Industry Connections Provide Valuable Information and Insights
Tried to make friends but was merely met with silence? Don’t take it personally. Some would-be relationships are just not meant to be and there are plenty more fish in the sea! But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from it! Following industry leaders across social media platforms, even without that personalised connection you tried for, is still a great idea. You can gain plenty of valuable information about what your competitors are doing, what’s working (or not working) in the industry, be inspired for great content of your own, and understand your own target markets better by paying close attention to what others are doing. Word to the wise though: do not simply piggy-back off another’s success with duplicate content or try to poach clients from a competitor’s site. Not only does it hardly ever work, it will get noticed by others professionals in your industry as well as your own current and potential customers or clients, which will definitely jepardize all those relationships you’ve fought so hard for. Your reputation and thus your business will suffer from it. If you find yourself in this one-sided relationship, your role is merely to sit back and observe, nothing more.
All that being said, if you’re in the digital marketing, website design, social media marketing, SEO, advertising, branding, or other creative or marketing industries (or just a fan of them!) we’d LOVE to be your friend! Follow Peppermint on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and don’t forget to send us a message to say hi!