Social media is used for different purposes. News outlets tweet out breaking news, fashion trends are posted on Instagram, and political ads are promoted through Facebook. Social media platforms are also used by companies, who use them to advertise services and products, build up brand identity, and to engage with potential clients.
It can be pretty disheartening when you pour so much effort into developing a social account, but no one is following or engaging with your brand. You can post pictures, write captions, use hashtags, however, if you don’t have a strategy in place and don’t understand who your audience is, then those leads could dwindle.
But, have no fear! Although social media marketing can be time-consuming, frustrating, and a series of trials and errors, here’s a list of our top 5 ways to boost engagement among your social media platforms.
If you comment, they will come
Your customers want to be heard. Instead of trying to shove promotions down their throat, drum up conversations that show them you care. Social media is the perfect place to engage with your audience. Why? Well, for one, the word “social” is part of the name. It’s meant for conversations, asking questions, and getting to know others.
When a customer comments on your Instagram post, do you answer back? How about reaching out to a follower regarding a caption they’ve typed up? The worst thing you can do is post something and assume people will engage. You must roll up your sleeve and do the work. Reach out to people, comment, and ask questions. That way, your brand will look relatable, approachable, and less like a constant sales pitch.
Use attractive visuals
A picture is worth a thousand words, so why not post more of them? When promoting your brand in the digital realm, vibrant images, captivating video content, GIFs, or Boomerangs are the way to go. While words can add descriptive messaging, our short attention spans simply don’t allow us to retain much information. However, videos and images are memorable. By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic. (Cisco)
When posting an image, make sure it’s “on brand.” What does that mean? It means staying true to what your brand stands for, including its appearance. Use your brand’s color palette. Hire a graphic designer to create polished, interesting visuals. Record behind-the-scenes videos. This is what your followers want to see!
Know who you’re talking to
Not understanding who your audience is, is like talking to a brick wall. One of the most valuable things you can do is research your followers. At the end of the day, the content you post on your social platforms is meant to drive sales, generate leads, build brand identity, or all of the above. What are their likes and dislikes, what other brands do they follow, what is the demographic? By digging deeper and really paying attention, you’ll begin to understand how to craft an engaging post that people will respond to.
Coming to you live
Live videos have increasingly become popular since social media platforms released the feature a couple of years ago. In fact, 80% of people would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog. (Livestream.com)
Whether you want to show a sneak peek on a project your team is working on or just share an inspirational message with your followers Monday morning, live videos enable you to create real-time content that engages with potential clients. If you aren’t the most comfortable with “public speaking”, practice beforehand and have an outline of talking points in front of you before you press the live button.
Establish a consistent schedule
If you take one thing away from this blog post, this point is it. Creating a consistent post schedule will keep you accountable in making social media a priority within your marketing strategy. If you don’t have a set schedule, your social media platforms can easily fall to the wayside and be forgotten about. So, what can you do to ensure this never happens? On Fridays, take the time to sit down and plan out the following week’s posts. There are many tools out there that can help you achieve consistency including Planoly or Later, two websites that offer social media planning.
Social media is a valuable way to reach new customers by posting engaging, relatable content. Customers crave a relationship with the brands they choose to work with, and by upping your social media game and making it a priority each week, your number of followers will escalate.
