Many businesses are now using social media as one of their primary marketing tools, and as a great way of interacting with their customers and keeping them happy and excited about the brand. Not to mention, that it’s free advertising (always great for your ROI and bottom line).
The big question is, how do you keep your audience engaged once you have them? We have compiled several great ideas to help you do just that.
Remember that the Customer comes first!
One major mistake businesses make is using their social media platform to sell, sell, sell! The thing is, most customers who visit your social media are not coming there to have more advertising pushed at them; they are coming to interact with you. So, interact with them. Address their concerns, respond to their Tweets and posts, and listen to what they have to say. Social media is just as much their platform as it is yours.
Make your audience feel that they have influence
Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something. You can effectively accomplish this by soliciting your audiences input. Make them feel like their opinion matters. One good example would be to run a poll on what your next product flavor should be, and then create it (often this is called a “fan vote”).
Invite their opinion
Don’t just limit yourself to responding to their complaints. Go the extra mile to ask for their opinion. Not only will it make them feel like they have a voice and that their opinion matters, it might even give you good insight into the directions your business needs to take. People that feel like they have a voice with a company are more likely to stick with that company to see their ideas implemented. This is a great way to increase customer retention and brand loyalty.
Don’t cater to bullies
Inevitably, you will get people who are only there to spew bile and negativity. Don’t put up with this! It does a disservice to other visitors and tarnishes your image. If a user continues this behavior, then block them! Other visitors are not coming to your social media to read a bunch of hateful rhetoric. Then, let everyone know exactly why you took the post down and be clear that such behavior will not be tolerated.
Develop a Plan
It is surprising how many businesses extensively plan their advertising campaigns, yet use their social media platforms on the fly. Remember that social media is not only advertising, it is unique in that it is interactive advertising. So, give it the same attention to detail that you would with any of your other advertising endeavors. Don’t forget to collect appropriate data and use it to modify your plan as appropriate. Social media is a valuable marketing tool, but you get out of it exactly what you put into it.
