How Are You Engaging
by Heather L. Galaska
Engagement is Queen
It's been said that when it comes to social media marketing that content is king, and engagement is queen. There is a lot of truth in that statement. Gone are the days that a sales post on social media would draw an online consumer to your website or reach out to your brand. Today, online marketing consists of one main thing – how your audience engages with you. I'm sorry to report it does not matter how many thousands of followers you have on your accounts, if they aren't saying anything, the high number is irrelevant. To get your audience to engage with you, you must provide information they are interested in and evoke emotion. Here are a few tips to help you engage with your audience and manage your social media marketing.
Build a Relationship
The statement people buy from people they know, like, and trust also applies to online marketing. Your social media is just like building relationships in your community. As a business owner, you attend mixers, community events, volunteer for organizations, and get involved. You MUST get involved in your marketing. If you can't get involved, then hire someone who can. You wouldn't walk into a mixer and expect every person in the room to purchase from you and you can't expect that from your social media either.
Think about the brands you follow and why you follow them. Are they witty? Do they provide information that is useful? Are they unique? Collect the answers to these questions on how you use social media and implement them into your marketing.
Listen
Many brands aren't aware of what consumers are saying outside of tagging the business on social media. If you want to know what your customers really think, you need to be listening socially and searching your brand. Many times, a user will not tag the business in their post and you can miss vital information and feedback from not realizing what is being said. Be sure to answer questions, offer to fix a mistake, and say thank you. Your consumer will be impressed to know you hear them.
Keep an Eye on Important Keywords
Do you know the keywords your customer uses to find your brand? Do you know how your consumer feels about your industry? Do you know what discussions are being had about those topics? In addition to listening to your consumer, you want to be socially listening to important phrases and keywords as well. Once you have an idea of your audience's knowledge, you can tailor content specifically to them.
Provide Content Your Audience Wants to Read, When They Want to Read It
Are you watching the analytics on your website and your social media? Do you know what type of posts is most popular with your audience? What time of day do you reach the most people on social media? When is your audience on each social network? Are you looking for this information and adjusting your posts and timing? It is important to understand your target audience and their behavior. You will get more engagement if you post when your followers are online. If you are marketing to a new mom with an infant, you want to be sure you are posting when she is on social media. That midnight feeding could become beneficial to your business.
Timely Responses
How often are you on your social media accounts to check to see if you have any comments or direct messages you need to respond to? How long does your social follower have to wait to get an answer to their correspondence? Many people use social media in place of picking up a phone and making a call. You wouldn't wait long before you return a voicemail and you need to implement that same rule on your social media. Technology has put the world at our fingertips and as consumers, we demand instant attention. Keep this in mind as you allocate your day.
Market Where Your Customers Hangout
Do you know what social media outlets your ideal client spends the most time? Are you marketing on that platform? Are you spending time on the network and engaging with them? Are you congratulating them on milestones in their life? Do they know you?
It's not just having online conversations with your audience, but it's also spending your marketing budget (both time and money) only where your audience is. If you are targeting a 55-year-old male for your product or service, you are probably not going to find them on Pinterest. Do your research and optimize your resources.
Having a successful online marketing strategy requires time and dedication. It's all in the relationship with your follower. Now get out there and be social!
The article was written for Colorado Serenity Magazine, February 2018 Edition. www.coloradoserenity.com