Engaging Social Media followers can be a very overwhelming task to many businesses owners these days. With hundreds of different social media platforms, most opt to stick to the top 5 main social sites: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Youtube.
Even being a seasoned Social Media marketer, engaging your customers and followers is never a simple, quick task. Each Social Media platform has it’s own unique ways to build engagement to create a community within each platform you decide to advertise on. Below are our top rules and insights.
Why do Businesses use Social Media?
There are 200 million people on the U.S. ‘Do Not Call’ list.
44% of direct marketing is never opened.
Over 86% of TV viewers admit to skipping commercials.
Roughly 99% of online banners are never clicked.
Over 50% of people on Social Media
(1.5 billion & counting)
and FOLLOW their favorite brands
- Get to know your followers & friends
- There isn’t anything more powerful in the Social Media world then knowing what your followers like and engage with. Testing the waters with different types of posts/tweets/photos etc should be documented for a solid Social Media plan.
- DO NOT always sell, sell, sell
- No one enjoys being bombarded with a sales pitch. Create a story, use a review, share a news story, or ask a question and simply use or 30/70 rule. Promote your services or products 3 out of every 10 posts.
- Use a photo or video
- It’s true that a photo is worth a thousand words. When you post or tweet – include a photo! Photos on social media platforms such as Twitter & Facebook are proven to increase your engagement!
- Keep Customer Service a priority
- Creating a voice behind each social media account and being a ‘person’ rather then a business will lead to much stronger engagements. Use your social media accounts as the ultimate customer service desk. Try to set a goal to respond within 12-24hrs of any question or concern.
- Cross promote with others in your industry
- Social Media is all about creating connections and what better way then to engage and connect with other professionals in your business? A tweet for a tweet, share for a share can go a long ways! Think of each account as your Chamber mixers.
- KEEP YOUR COOL
- It is very easy for a customer to bash your business on Social Media profiles. Keep your cool, take the high road, and try to remedy the situation if possible to show you are customer oriented and willing to go the extra mile.
- Last but not least… Keep the “Social” within Social Media
- Social Media is where your customers and clients allow you to advertise to them, usually for FREE! Use it wisely, professionally, and always keep it positive!