It’s safe to say that when Mark Zuckerburg created Facebook in 2004 he changed the world. Today connecting with each other is easier than ever, and in turn it is easier than ever to connect with your customers. However, the land of social media has expanded exponentially and it can be challenging to keep up with all of them, and in turn keep up with your audience. Interacting on social media is different for whatever platform you are using, and it is important to know how to use the platforms pertinent to your business.
The truth of the matter is that for a business to survive in today’s world it has to be engaging on social media. You have to know your audience, know the platforms they use, and share content that is creative and valuable to them. Gone are the days when the only way to engage with your customers was in a physical location, you can now connect to them wherever they are.
Say you are on social media but you still don’t have any engagement happening. There could be a few causes of this, one is that you are not posting enough content. The other is that you are not posting the right type of content. People use social media not only to connect with each other, but also be entertained. A good social media strategy includes content directly related to your brand and some content that is related, but isn’t necessarily trying to sell your topic. Stay up to date on different trends happening in the social network, and when appropriate incorporate them into your posts.
You also need to examine if and how you are boosting your posts. Are they targeted at your intended audience, are you too spread out and need to focus your efforts more. Are you too specific in your target and the demographic you are trying reach needs to be broadened. Having a good social media strategy and being able to adapt how you engage people is key and your marketing team or an outside marketing team can help.
Humans are inherently competitive in nature, so in turn they love winning. That is why giveaways are a great way to get your following excited and talking about your product. Engage your audience by having them like and/or comment and share to be entered to win a prize! Get creative with your prizes, the more unique it is the more attention it is going to grab. This strategy is most effective on Facebook and Instagram, where the algorithm rewards engagement.
Another way to connect with your audience deals with one of the oldest principles of the business world; customer service. Make sure you monitor how your brand is being talked about on the web, and if there are any reviews or comments make sure you respond to them. Twitter is a great platform for this kind of service. Tweets are automatically set to be seen by the public, and if a user wants to have a private account they have to manually change it. This means if a user tweets about a topic the entire world could see it. To see if your brand is being talked about all you have to search is your name or relevant keywords. You can reply to these tweets to show that you are recognizing the fact that you are being talked about, and in turn establish a stronger connection with that customer. This is a strategy best used on the Twitter platform, not Facebook or Instagram.
Engaging with your audience is the surest way they feel like they are a part of your brand’s story. When someone feels like they matter, they are more likely to have a positive association and in turn buy more products and make recommendations. Engagement can be different depending on your brand, and that’s ok! As long as you do your research and produce content to get your audience excited you will find yourself becoming a social media expert.
If you still feel like you need some help navigating the social network just give us a call, we’d be happy to help!