There exists a subset of people all too familiar with the ins and outs of Facebook and Twitter, but can they honestly say that they weren’t wide-eyed and confused when they first visited those vast, empty landscapes? It’s easy to forget that the origins of many social media outlets came with a slow roll, not a big bang. Even those giants continue to tweak and fix, looking to find some nuance to better find the right audience.
So it’s no surprise that a social media site has grown from the dissidents who like interactive engagement without the supposed data troll. Enter Ello, the hot new social media site whose manifesto seems to lay out an aversion to advertising and people as commodity. Hmm, clearly it means that your marketing content isn’t welcome…
…except that it is!
“We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity, and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership.”
It’s likely your company has yet to give notice to Ello and with good reason -- it’s new, and trends come and go quickly. Annual budgets and strategic meetings leave little flexibility and resources to experiment on a fledgling social media outlet. However, Ello is currently amassing upwards of 50,000 new users per hour. Though the focus of Ello is to circumvent traditional advertising pitfalls associated with social media channels, there exists an opportunity to establish content for the untamed wilderness of Ello that kowtows to its trepidations and its pioneer spirit. All the steps you need to know exist within the manifesto:
The only steadfast rule of Ello is the untethering of social data from advertisers and corporations that aim to exploit. So heed the warning and go bold!
Content doesn’t need to be complicated think pieces or cut from the style guide cloth to match the tone of your company brand. Ello offers a chance to find a new audience by delivering marketing content of any medium that may be too outlandish for Facebook or too lengthy for Twitter. Ello is no place for white papers and status reports. It speaks to the old Gen X skepticism of advertisers. You don’t have to sell anything, and just by being a part of Ello at the start and generating content, you position your company as forward-thinking and daring.
This is a no-brainer for content producers. The moment you begin to weigh content down in minutia is the moment you lose your audience. Ello isn’t looking for sales pitches or sponsors, so speak directly to the early adopting audience while discovering new ones. Showcase how your company mirrors Ello’s beliefs. Empower your audience to be active participants in your company and to help shape its content moving forward. Twitter isn’t the only place to be loose and interactive.
Ello freely admits to collecting data but explains how and why it is used and offers an easy way to opt-out. But beyond the obvious transparency of data usage, Ello presents your content with the opportunity to also be open and honest.
Companies often speak of their culture but it’s often presented in abstract terms and ideas. Ello provides a chance to experiment with your content to demonstrate just what that culture means to potential customers, interested parties, or curious readers. This goes beyond talking about your company’s softball team and annual picnics. You have the chance to showcase unique facets about your company on a platform that has yet to be cluttered with noise and updates.
Though it’s not prudent to begin a wholesale assessment of Ello, dipping your toes into the latest social media phenomenon could present a unique opportunity to get on in the ground floor of what could be the next long term social media trend. Better yet, it's a chance to test out new content and strategies that may align your company with the culture of Ello while delivering a new audience you never knew could be tapped.
