One of the most asked questions from clients in regard to social media is, “How do we get people to engage?” The answer can be both simple and complicated, but I’m here to break it down for you!
First things first – set a social media strategy. Implementing a social media strategy will improve your business in more ways than one, including creating a face for your company online, increasing knowledge about product/service offerings and proving ROI in relation to marketing goals. If you’ve already got a strong social strategy in place – GREAT! – if not, let us help you create an individualized plan for your brand.
In order to be effective in achieving your marketing goals through social media, brands need to cut through the B.S. and act authentic online. The more relatable your brand is, the more likely people are going to engage honestly.
How can you be more authentic? Here’s three ways to get started:
Be transparent.
In today’s social economy, it’s actually very difficult to lie online, but people and brands alike still try it. Between the fake news epidemic and clickbait articles, it’s hard to know if what you’re seeing online is true or not and no one wants to buy from a brand who lies to them.
If you’re trying to connect with users on Facebook, be direct with them. Tell them exactly what materials your product is made from, give a behind-the-scenes look at your company and humanize your brand, and if your deliveries are delayed, let people know! There are plenty of ways to relate to your followers, just don’t be fake about it (cough, Kylie and her “first” experience with cereal with milk, cough).
Own your mistakes.
With the delete button handy, it seems like it would be easier to just erase the mistake and start over, right? WRONG! Going back to my first point about being transparent, if you make a mistake, own up to it! This will help to humanize your brand because, as Hannah Montana says, everyone makes mistakes.
Posts with factual or grammatical inaccuracies shouldn’t be deleted, instead, respond to your original post amending the error. Depending on your brand personality, you can turn the mistake into a joke, like McDonald’s did last year on Black Friday.
Engage on their level.
The last, and sometimes most difficult, way to be authentic is to participate in two-way conversations with users online. Of course, you should be responding to inquiries from followers, but that’s becoming more of an expectation than an option for brands. For additional tips on responding to customer feedback on social media, check out this blog post!
Take the two-way communication a step further by going after the audiences you want to reach and initiating engagement. Follow trending hashtags that are applicable to your brand, share content that applies to your industry, collaborate with other like-minded brands, and find ways to insert yourself into the conversation. Strike up meaningful conversations with users and leave the calls to action at home. I’ll be honest, this takes time and effort, but it’s more than worth it once engagements start pouring in.
Think your brand could benefit from assistance with social media management? Get in touch and learn more about our services.
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