Building strong customer relationships is made easier with social media engagement.
Through social media, you’re able to engage with your customers and build relationships as they interact with your posts and messages. It is always helpful to provide excellent customer service by answering questions, responding in a playful manner, and going the extra mile.
Customer loyalty can also be built through social media engagement. As a business owner, you will be able to increase your customer loyalty if you are there for your clients when they need you, build a relationship with them, and give them a unique experience. As a result of answering your customers’ questions, in return, they will trust your brand. However, a great brand (and better ROI) isn’t just about appearing popular: they’re about building meaningful relationships with current and potential customers.
Engagement in social media refers to the number of comments, likes, and shares your content receives from users. A profile with a highly engaged audience is easily more valuable than one that has many followers.
What does this look like in practice? Below are some examples of what engagement looks like across different social networks:
- The number of likes on YouTube videos
- The different comments on Instagram
- How many times a post has been shared on Facebook
Below are 3 key tips on how you can boost engagement on social media
1. Communicate with your consumers/ followers
Engaging more on social media is the quickest way to boost engagement. Take advantage of it in more ways than just posting and running marketing campaigns. Respond to comments, reply to direct messages, find brands in your niche, and “like” relevant posts.
Using social media requires two-way communication. Consumers dislike it when they are ignored by their customers or use social media for one-way communication. Therefore, social media interaction is now expected from brand accounts on various platforms. Interestingly, you can turn customers into promoters for your brand by engaging with them on social media. Whether it’s a funny interaction with a customer or a helpful response to an issue, every little interaction counts-no matter how innocent it may seem on the surface.
2. Run giveaways and contests
Getting your audience to participate in giveaways and different contests is a sure effective way to create engagement and brand awareness. In most cases, you’ll ask your followers to participate in an activity when you run a giveaway on social media platforms. Following your page, liking your post, or tagging a friend is an example of this. This is because participants of the giveaway are likely to tag as many of their friends in the comments for a chance to win the giveaway. The more these participants comment and tag their friends, the more likely they are to increase your audience reach and your follower count. This then leads to brand awareness and growth. This is an easy way for you to increase social media engagement in this way which is both natural and somewhat cheeky.
3. Voice your brand authentically
You need to cultivate a brand tone of voice that seems authentic, genuine, and engaging. By appearing warm and friendly online, you are likely to create conversations by allowing customers to feel comfortable enough to approach you. But the rewards are worth it. Besides humanizing your brand, it’s also a key element in building meaningful relationships with your customers.
A few reminders:
- Have a simple vocabulary to be easily understood
- Aim tone that is both conversational and friendly
- Use trending emojis and GIFS to add personality
Ultimately, your business can grow explosively by improving its social media engagement. It’s an important part of your brand’s identity, even if you don’t intend to build a large following. By doing so, you can engage with your company’s customer base in a valuable way.
Consistency is always key. There is no need to be intimidated by this process. Your social media presence should reflect your brand accurately by posting relevant content consistently, interacting with your customers, and building an effective community. Taking this approach will move you in the right direction, and then all you need to do is keep going. Don’t forget to set measurable goals and follow through with them. Although it is a long process, the right tools and systems will make the process easier and better.
