A brand’s social media conversation is of high importance, as this indicates social media presence. Hence, social media engagement needs extra attention. Social media engagement is a measure of the audience’s involvement in a brand’s social media, such as comments, likes, and shares. These not only boost popularity but can also serve as an indicator of a brand’s influence on the public.
Businesses should maintain strong social media engagement. If achieved, it shows a brand’s good relationship with its audience. This will in turn be an asset for business development. If you are looking to improve your business’s social media engagement, below are some things you can do.
Analysing current performance
As a start, you can analyze your social media engagement’s performance; how its presence and performance so far has been. Collect data on the number of uploads, comments, and followers. To do this more simply, utilize analytics services such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite Analytics, or UTM parameters. The initial analysis is needed to understand current conditions of a brand’s social media; which aspects need to be improved and which are performing strongly enough as it is. As such, the next steps will be more focused, based on your business’s goals and needs.
Formulating strategy
Next is to proceed in formulating your strategy. There is no absolute best strategy. What is important is to formulate a strategy most suitable for the business’s character, its social media’s goals, and its target audience. To determine a brand’s social media objective is essential, as this will determine the strategy implemented. As an example, if a brand aims to use its social media to educate consumers, the strategy will of course differ from the goal of gaining leads.
Knowing the audience
Familiarize yourself with your brand’s social media audience. Without knowing who they are and how their characters are, it will be more difficult to initiate and grow interactions on social media. Keep in mind that communication style and tone play a very big role, and this should be formulated through knowing your social media audience. The better understanding you have of your audience, the better you can create content that speaks to them on the most relevant platforms.
Creating and sharing meaningful content
Create contents that are meaningful to the audience. This can be determined based on various aspects and insights collected beforehand; such as audience type, objective of social media activity, or the strategy your business chooses to implement.
Valuable and meaningful contents are usually uploads that can help or provide solutions for the audience’s real-life problems. As such, only sharing product/service information may not trigger interaction as effectively. To improve social media engagement, contents need to spark conversation. Straightforward promotional information will not stimulate the expected involvement from your audience.
Riding the current
Try to stay relevant with actual conditions. Ride the most up-to-date and talked-about currents. Create contents that align with trending topics and involve your brand in a conversation that is widely being discussed. In turn, this will naturally trigger the audience’s involvement.
Maintaining conversation
After sparking conversation, a brand needs to maintain momentum and interaction with its audience. One of the ways is to position your brand reactively by responding to direct messages, mentions, or questions in the comment section. At the same time, it is essential to balance reactivity with being proactive. On occasions, trigger audience interaction by throwing contests, giving away prizes, or inviting the audience to share their own stories.
Cultivating human touch
Social media automation is possible, however cultivating and maintaining its human touch is no less important. Keep personal touches alive as the audience will always enjoy humane conversations. Take this basic human instinct as leverage to improve your brand’s social media engagement.
Giving quick and immediate responses
Make sure that your brand’s social media is ready for immediate responses towards audience interaction. There needs to be willingness to answer questions and reply to mentions. The quicker you give responses, the better it is for your social media’s image.
Scheduling uploads
Schedule and arrange your content uploads; ensure there is content to share every day and determine the most optimal hour to post it based on available collected data. Organized upload schedule makes for a well-ordered social media account. To do this, you can utilize applications that automate uploads.
Monitoring growth and development
Carefully monitor and evaluate your social media’s development and its conversation growth. From here, your business can collect data for further analysis in continuing your social media’s development. Direct messages and mentions on user’s stories should not be dismissed, as these interactions can be indicators of social media engagement and involvement.
Strong social media engagement will support business development. As such, businesses should give attention to maintaining and improving their levels.
