The Social Media is fast becoming a home for every business. It remains one of the best things that has ever happened to business owners and entrepreneurs all over the world. As of 2017, Facebook alone has over 65 million business pages, other social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn also have a huge amount of business presence.
If done right, social media can level the playing field in business. It’s the equalizer between small and large businesses. Even solo entrepreneurial businesses can create a global presence by leveraging the power that social media brings.
When it comes to engaging customers, every business is quite unique in its own ways. The tips shared in this post will teach you some easy ways businesses can keep its customers engage using social media.
1. Focus more on providing value.
The single best use of your social media platforms is to provide value to people. You can do this by sharing tips, news, information, and via teaching. And when you do these things, not only are you establishing yourself or your brand as subject matter experts, you’re genuinely and selflessly trying to help people. Your message and expertise will gain visibility when people appreciate and share the advice you offer.
Also Read: 10 Free And Amazing Growth Hacking Tools For Small Business.
2. Stick to a publishing schedule.
Consistency is key when it comes to developing a successful social media strategy. Entrepreneurs are busy people. It can be easy to let days, or even weeks, fly by without publishing a new Facebook post or tweet. If your followers or target audience members can’t count on your business to deliver relevant content in a timely manner, you’ll find it difficult to keep them engaged. Luckily there are a few tools that can help you schedule your social media posts in a timely manner.
3. Always be real and authentic.
Behind every Facebook or Twitter profile is an actual human being. Use every interaction as an opportunity to show the authenticity of your brand. No one likes being sold to, and can detect a sales pitch a mile away. Social media became cool because it’s a platform to socialize and not sell. If you can’t talk the talk of social media users, then you will be ignored. Do it right, and you will increase your engagement.
4. Create compelling graphics.
Beautiful, easy-to-understand graphics are some of the most important tools in your social media arsenal. They stand out in a crowded news feed and provide a high-impact sharing option. Create graphics that tell a story with text and imagery. Increase relevance by linking the graphic to a related article on your website or blog. One graphic can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
5. Maintain a consistent voice.
For an effective social media strategy, timing is not the only area where consistency is important. Vital to your brand’s health is uniformity in voice and messaging across all your channels. The brand persona on your website, in emails and on social media needs to be kept consistent; otherwise, you risk confusing and alienating your audience.
Also Read: Whatsapp For Business – 5 Practical Ways to Sell on WhatsApp.
6. Make your profile interactive.
Make your social media activities more interactive by posting polls, votes, and contests, and be sure to respond to every comment you get even if it’s just a quick “thank you.” This will improve brand loyalty and reach because social media followers like to actually participate with brands, and they want to know that their voice is being heard.
7. Respond quickly to inquiries.
Encourage customers to engage with your brand on social media by providing fast, personal replies. Quick responses can start conversations and defuse negative situations. It can be difficult to interact with all of your social media followers, especially if you have thousands, but making a concerted effort to respond to all comments, questions, and queries in a timely manner can help increase engagement and brand loyalty.
8. Encourage user-generated content.
Rather than focusing on creating all-new content, let your followers contribute their own contents. Feel free to share other people’s content. Whether it’s a tweet, a blog post, or even something a competitor did, sharing stuff from other people is what creates a community. And, it makes members of that community far more likely to share your content, too.
9. Retarget website visitors on social media.
The best way to retarget your website visitors is by placing Facebook’s retargeting pixels all over your websites. What this does is that it helps to show your Facebook Ads to people who have visited your website but haven’t converted into customers or located you on any social media platform.
Also Read: Beginners Guide To Search Engine Optimization (SEO) For Small Businesses.
10. Always ask for customers input.
Want to increase customer engagement? Ask for it! For best results, keep posts short and easy to follow. Use instructional phrases such as “Follow us on Facebook” or “Tweet at us on Twitter” to tell customers how to respond. This method is easy, fast, and fun and you can use it on any social media platform.
Conclusion.
When it comes to engaging your customers on social media, small, regular efforts are more effective than a one-time blitz. The process doesn’t have to be expensive; if you don’t have room in the budget for a full-service marketing agency, consider hiring a freelance social media consultant for a few hours a week.
For your social media strategy to be successful, your audience members must feel they have an authentic connection to your brand. To achieve that kind of connection, there is simply no substitute for sharing high-quality, fresh and engaging content in a timely manner.
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