Everybody wants to believe that they are special — a VIP, in-the-know, inner circle, close. We want to feel like we’re part of the “in” crowd — we want to be an “insider.”

Insiders are closer to an individual or a group than the average Joe (or Jane). Insiders are privy to information before the media blasts it out to the entire world. Insiders know more and, therefore seem to, care more than the average person.

So, how do we make our best customers and prospects into “insiders?”

Social Media Enables Insiders

Social media has really changed the amount of time and energy it takes to communicate directly, instantly to a specified audience. Where once it was a tedious effort that we packed far too much into one communique, now it’s literally a few minutes and you’ve touched a very important target public. Many personalities and companies have resorted to social media to make their fans and followers feel special, feel like insiders.

But social media has one really big drawback, timing. If you pop out your great little message and nobody notices, you really haven’t accomplished much. A second problem is most trained communicators speak in complete thoughts and sentences. They like something with lots of meat in it, several clauses, dependent and independent, and several prepositions to give that feeling of action. Social media, on the other hand, depends on fragments. Quick thoughts that the read completes. Glimpses of what we’re thinking and doing, not complete descriptions.

Social media, while written and read, is conversational. It should be staccato, not legato.

Blending Channels

To overcome the timing issue with social media, we recommend repurposing messages and sending them through several channels. This technique is widely used by some of the groups who do an excellent job of making certain audiences feel like insiders. Email, tweet and update all at the general same time. And all paths generally lead back to a web site, hidden sitelet or ordering site.

The rock band “The Who” nurtures a worldwide group that calls themselves “The Wholigans.” Once a member of The Who’s inner circle Wholigans receive advanced notice about tours, music offerings, online and offline events, sneak peeks of unpublished music, interviews and other specials (we all got Super Bowl t-shirts before the world was told The Who was performing at halftime). All this is delivered mostly from a web site, with many features hidden to all but insiders, but email plays a big role in alerting us of what’s new and what’s coming.

Many groups and celebrities follow this tactic, with differences relative to the personality of the group or individual. Canadian rock band “Rush” does something very similar to the Wholigans but reveals many more of the details about the personal lives of the three band members. Oddly, most of their communications is short emails driving us to the web site. Very little social media is used.

Taylor Swift, one of my all time favorite social media users, has grown from frequent, personal tweets to an entire machine encompassing a large web presence, email, effective use of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, and now a full-featured iPhone app. The faithful are rewarded with previews of appearances, tidbits about music and awards and lots of personal insights. But it’s still the quick little personal tweets, like a recent dressing room hair brush incident (maybe it’s a girl thing, dunno) that creates the feeling of close access.

Personalities and Brands

The list of personalities that routinely treats their followers like insiders is long and growing. TV, movie, music and other entertainers learned how to build a faithful following quickly while expending very little effort to keep them involved and interested. Brands, on the other hand, have to work a bit harder. Most brands don’t have the luxury of a human persona that fits perfectly into the personal conversation nature of today’s social media. One brand that does have the character and does an excellent job of melding social media into the mix is Jack in the box.

Jack Box, the cool, ball-headed, business-suited character used by the company has grown from a figure in a TV commercial to the actual spokesperson for the brand. Jack is featured in all advertising, writes in emails, regularly tweets and updates and is the central figure on the company’s main web site. The messages used in the company’s advertising are traditional and straightforward. Same ‘ole, same ‘ole. Digital communications, however, gets more interesting.

Emails range a bit wider, with Jack delivering the primary message about a menu item, a special or offering a coupon, but he also takes the time to do more, like inviting readers to visit his office (web site) and “touch his things.” Twitter and Facebook are used to throw out little tidbits — some relate to food or deals, but oft times what he says has nothing to do with the brand or company. These tidbits serve to reveal the playful nature of the character and to spur some interesting thoughts. But they are just interesting, not serious or deep thinking or presented for any high purpose. Just fun, interesting and somewhat personally revealing, like the Jack character himself.

Secret Society of Cool People

It’s easy for brands to offer email subscriptions to their following, but with just a bit more thought you can turn that experience from a relatively sterile transaction to something fun. Jack in the box doesn’t invite you merely to subscribe but to join and be a part of the “Secret Society of Cool People.” From the very first email you receive you know this will be a little different. It says “You are now part of my inner circle and will be privy to highly sensitive material like special coupons, new product information, and my favorite color. It’s Kelly green.”

Sure, it’s marketing hype couched in a personal correspondence with a mythical character. But it’s fun, it’s different and it’s personal. From Jack to you. Not unlike Shorty Price (my invention), the Lone Star Beer truck driver so many years ago that had to explain the 12-ton giant armadillo that sucked all the Lone Star Beer out of his truck. If Shorty were around today he would have a field day in emails and social media.

Being more interesting in your communications isn’t that much harder. It just takes a little extra effort.

Making insiders of your most ardent and faithful followers is likewise. It’s just takes some creativity, and a bit more work.

With today’s powerful interactive tools and channels, the extra effort will pay off many, many times over.

Until next time, may all the good news you hear be true.

Cheers,
steve

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