Doing social media for your business is on on-going task, but do you find it difficult to translate all your hard work into real engagement from your audience? Time to bring social media to the next level! Here are a few great tips for increasing social media engagement.
Follow the 80/20 Rule
You may already know how social media is a great tool to promote special deals and offers. But business-heavy content shouldn’t dominate your business’s posts. Social media users still primarily want to engage with and share content that is fun and useful. You need to strike a balance between business and pleasure.
The best rule for your business is to make 80% of what you post fun and relevant. Get your audience to know and like you by sharing funny, useful, and other interesting photos or content. The remaining 20% should be offers or other content directly related to your business. Do this and your followers will be more likely to respond and/or buy from you.
Personalize for Each Social Network
Once you’re in the swing of things using social media for your business, it’s easy to post the same content to each of your networks. But that doesn’t give potential customers very much incentive to follow you everywhere from Facebook to LinkedIn. Each social network has its own unique features. Some of your content should be customized for the various platforms.
Take your social media presence a step further. For example, start a hashtag on Twitter to get your followers involved in a topic or event. On Facebook, combine photos and text for super-shareable content. Start up a group board on Pinterest so others can share relevant images on a topic, or contribute to a fun project. Going that extra mile with content for each social network can mean all the difference in engagement.
Go Beyond “Follow” Buttons in Emails
Integrating your social media presence into email campaigns is a must. Chances are you already have buttons in your emails that allow subscribers to follow you on various social media. But it’s important to also highlight what’s going on and give your subscribers a reason to click through.
Include some specific detail within your emails for a more direct call to action. Tell your subscribers what’s going on over on Facebook, Twitter, etc., and why they might be interested. Having unique content and projects for each social network gives readers a reason to go check it out and keep following you. Then point out where to go. Try something like “This month on Facebook we’re posting a photo with a helpful tip every day. Click to see the photo album.” Giving your readers this specific instruction will make them much more likely to engage with what you’re sharing.
Engagement is the main point of social media. Refine your social media techniques over time to build those relationships.
