V7.31: Building Up Social Media Engagement

Okay, so recently we talked about measuring social media ROI, but what do you do when your engagement starts to dip? Every company goes through lulls, particularly when it comes to social media since it’s so fast paced.

Keeping that in mind, there are ALWAYS things we can do on our end to foster quality engagement through social and help pick things back up when a dip occurs.

Social Media Today wrote a great article on “ten tips to spark new ideas and help break you out of your slump” that’s we’d like to dive into now.

1. “Be active and consistent in responding to messages and comments” Social is all about connecting to your audiences. It’s meant to be a place where you can easily interact and start a conversation with your target market, existing customers, and any potentials as well. But it’s not enough just to start that conversation, you have to actively engage with it! Going ‘viral’ is just too abstract and doesn’t actually provide genuine response. Make sure to comment and actively dialogue with your audience. That’s why they commented in the first place: to get an answer! Today’s society wants to see that you and your company genuinely care about their needs. They want integrity, not false promises. 
2. “Have a personality” The best way to boost your engagement is to have a distinct personality. Your online social persona can drastically help keep people engaged with your content and brand. Taco Bell, for example, does a great job at interacting with their audience in some witty banter and clever social campaigns– including starting the petition for the taco emoji. Love or hate Taco Bell, but you their brand messaging is on point and fun for everyone paying attention. 
3. “Incorporate the right images into your posts” Quality content matters. A great statistic will help prove your point, but the right image draws the reader in– and that’s ultimately the first step. The image is the first thing people notice when scrolling through their social media news feeds. Adding images into your posts can drastically increase your engagements. If your company doesn’t have the bandwidth to generate new and interesting images, there are great FREE tools like Upsplash to find high quality stock photos. 
4. “Ask for feedback and reviews” Your audience just wants to feel heard. If you never take the time to interact with them, you’re not going to understand their needs and wants. Use your social posts to ask for their honest opinions on your brand, products, services, etc. It will go along way to help boost your presence as a company that genuinely CARES about their customers. 
5. “Post current and relevant content” This almost goes without saying… but of course we will say it anyway. Talking about relevant current events will spark your audience to interact. They tend to have more to say about what’s going on because it might directly impact them. Make sure to stay up to date on the current trends and events happening in your vertical and around the world. You don’t even have to stick to serious events! You can post on National Waffle Day (or any other random day of the year) to spark up some fun with your audience. 
6. “Have a clear message and call to action” If the reader doesn’t know what they will be getting out of your post, they are less likely to click through or to engage. Make sure all the text conveys your brand promise, message, or call to action very clearly. It will help keep things simple, while still providing a value proposition to the individual. 
7. “Recognize your fans and post user-generated content” Recognizing your fans by posting their relevant content can go a long way. You’d be surprised how much a person loves seeing their favorite brands repost their thoughts. Bring them into the story will keep them interested and engaged with you. Make sure you have a recognizable hashtag to help keep the user-generated posts organized. 
8. “Plan a content calendar” We’d be surprised if you didn’t already have this done. Create a content calendar to keep all of your posts organized and timely. This helps with the consistency aspect and makes sure you’re spreading your content out appropriately. Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to just YOUR voice. You can still curate others’ posts and share out other relevant opinions you stand behind. 
9. “Switch things up” Don’t be afraid to move outside of your comfort zone. Your formatting can be fluid and ever changing. Once again, don’t limit yourself to just one thing. A great content social strategy involves multiple formats across a plethora of platforms. 
10. “Remember that it’s not just about what you want” You’re ultimate goals are not the only thing important here. You don’t get to choose what your audience resonates with, right? That’s why we do so many A/B tests! To figure out exactly what your target market wants to engage with and then cater to that facet. Social listening tools can play a great role here in helping you understand your audience’s’ interests.

So, hopefully by now, you understand that social media is a long term investment. It’s a series of small changes to help better understand and engage with your target demographic. Listen to what it is that they want and then execute tests to find the best way to reach them. Getting your audience to engage with your content can seem daunting, but with a little effort (and these tips above), you’ll be on your way in no time!