If social media engagement hasn’t been part of your social strategy – you
need to start making it a priority. In our previous post,
Understanding Social Media
Engagement, we delved into what Social Media Engagement is and why it’s
important.
But understanding it is one part of a two-part problem, so, lets look into some
practical ways in which you can improve your social media engagement with
a few simple steps.
1. Consider your offering
While this doesn’t seem like an important step to some, it’s by far one of the
most crucial steps. All your marketing efforts and the interaction your brand
will receive is centered around:
WHAT you’re offering – are you product or service focused? If you’re
offering multiple services or products, what’s your core business?
WHO you are targeting – are your products or services aimed at
professionals, youngsters, business owners, kids, different audiences?
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2. Understanding the platforms
In the world of social media, there’s no shortage of platforms where you can
market your product or service. But no two platforms are the same. Each one
caters to different audiences and won’t offer the exact same return on
investment.
When you have a clear understanding of what each platform offers, the type of
business / product it is intended for and the audiences that live on each
platform, you better your chances of creating the right content and targeting
people who should be interacting with your brand.
Facebook
Not only is Facebook the largest social networking platform, it is also the most
versatile. It works really well for both products and services, and allows you
to reach and target different groups of audiences, anywhere.
Example: A baker (product) can use Facebook to target his or her
audience by showcasing examples of their work, doing live tutorials or sharing
DIY recipes.
A personal trainer (service) can share at-home workouts, health tips
and suggestions and conduct Q&A sessions.
LinkedIn
Also known as the hub for professionals, LinkedIn tops the chart for connecting
professionals across a multitude of industries. Whether you’re job hunting or
recruiting, LinkedIn is a great B2B marketing platform and an ideal source for
seeking out opportunities, talent and skill.
Twitter
For all things news, trending and buzzworthy, you can count on Twitter to be the
most effective platform in bringing you news on the go or the daily scoop. It
has been successful in connecting people and allowing them to share their
thoughts with a large audience.
Instagram and Pinterest
Instagram focuses more on sharing your own images, while Pinterest is about
curated content. Despite this difference, they’ve both gained popularity for
being a source of inspiration for ideas.
YouTube and TikTok
Video content and the use of platforms like YouTube and TikTok has seen
exponential growth over the last 5-10 years. Next to images, video content is
easier to digest and allows you to communicate better and faster with your
intended target audience.
With the above in mind, here’s what you should and shouldn’t do to improve your
social media engagement:
DO
- Make your content relevant and interesting
- Be human
- Be consistent
- Engage with your audience by responding to comments and answering
questions - Invest in Facebook and Instagram live chats
- Make it less about you and more about your audience
- Keep up with what’s trending
- Adapt
- Use video and images
DON’T
- Opt for text-heavy posts
- Oversell
- Avoid generic and impersonal communication
- Take too long to respond to comments and messages
- SPAM
Social media engagement is all about interaction. The output (engagement)
strongly depends on the input (effort invested). Just as a plant will grow if it
receives the right amount of water and sunlight, so will your brand.
But beware, that growth (engagement) won’t happen overnight. Your plant
(business) won’t be watered at the same time or receive the same amount of
sunlight every day. It will adapt to its environment and with time, you can reap
the rewards (customer loyalty and trust) from the fruit it bears.