Build your Target Audience
Engagement won’t work unless you’re talking to the right people. Build your social media channels with the people you want to identify with for business in mind, and define your audience and who you’d like to be talking to each day. To do this, make sure you know where your target audience spends most of their time. For younger audiences, you should consider Twitter and Instagram, as well as Facebook. Also, make sure your profile’s picture and cover photo are branded as well as appealing to your demographic.
Listen
Many businesses believe social media is a place for them to post, forgetting it is also a place to listen. There are tools to help you monitor when your brand is being talked about, and mentions of your company. Jump in the conversation if it makes sense and let them know you’re there and ready to discuss their questions or concerns. This is also great for monitoring complaints.
Ask & Answer Questions
Be proactive and use a call to action in your posts. Ask your audience to answer a question or participate in a survey. You also want to make sure you’re answering their questions and not disappearing when they have a concern. Get online and let them know you’re there to help them solve their issue. It’s a great customer service tool that’s not taken advantage of enough.
Showcase Fans & Employees
Highlight your customers, fans and employees on social media. Congratulate or recognise them for a job well done; make sure you tell your fans why you love them and how much you appreciate their business. People love to be in the spotlight, so don’t hesitate to showcase different groups of people. It’s possible they’ll share the post with their network and extend the reach.
User Generated Content (UGC)User-Generated Content, or UGC for short, is content that is created by members of a website's community.
Increase engagement on social media by asking your audience to write their own content. User generated content is great for running a contest or highlighting their work on your channels. People love to show others how they’re using your product or why they love your company, especially if it means getting a mention on Twitter or Facebook.
Create Better Images
You need to use better images on social media if you expect people to engage with them on their feeds. The images need to be clear and impressive enough to catch a user’s eye. Otherwise, they’ll have the reverse effect on the user, and they’ll scroll past. Ask for photo caption contests with an engaging image and watch the responses pour in. This works even better if you have a prize up for grabs.
Use Video
Video is a great way to engage users and keep their attention. It’s your chance to bring humour to the table or share an important message you want them to see. Videos are more likely to be clicked, and if the content is engaging, then they’ll be watched and shared. There is also the potential to become viral.
It’s not easy to keep a user’s attention these days. Social media is busy, and there’s lots of content floating around the different channels. However, it is possible to build a following and obtain loyal customers who will engage with your posts and help your business’ online visibility.
