5 WAYS EVERY BRAND SHOULD ENGAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Think about your favorite professor in college. Was it the one who talked at you? Or was it the one who talked with you? Did you enjoy lectures that droned on and on, and asking questions that never got answered? Or did you prefer classes that were a give and take, conversational, a place where questions were freely asked and answers explored?
Now let’s apply this to social media.
Social media is meant to be social.
What does that mean? It means that your social media efforts will be most successful if you are an active participant, if you’re having conversations with your followers. People don’t want to be talked at. They get enough lectures from their employers, teachers, parents, partners, doctors, and other brands.
What people want is connection. They want to form a true connection with businesses, brands, creators, and nonprofits through conversation, the exchange of ideas, and the exploration of tough topics. They want to feel heard. When people feel heard, they, in turn, can hear you.
To thrive on social media, you have to engage with your audience. Here are five ways every brand should engage:
Respond to comments. Whether it’s good, bad, or weird, respond to comments on your social media platforms. Not every comment requires a deep response. If someone drops an emoji, drop one back! If there’s a deeper question or comment in there, make your response a little longer. Try to respond within 12 - 24 hours.
Reply to DMs. Direct messages are where you can form a deeper relationship with your followers. That’s often where they are trying to get information about prices, availability, volunteer opportunities, event times, or where they are looking for validation of a negative experience they had. Sending you a DM takes more effort than making a comment on a random post, so make sure to respond in kind.
Answer questions. Give them the most accurate information you can. Now, social media managers - the answer may be “I don’t know!” And that’s totally ok. If you don’t know, respond and tell them you’re looking into it. Make sure they know the message has been seen and that you’re on the case. And some questions don’t really have answers. But your response will tell the person that you care enough to at least ask the right people in your organization for guidance.
Thank people for their positive reviews. Word-of-mouth is the most effective social media platform in history. If people are posting photos of your product, writing good reviews, and telling their audience how awesome you are, thank them!
Respond to negative reviews. Again, word-of-mouth is very effective, and you want to mitigate issues if someone has posted something negative about your business. Click here for our guide on how to respond to negative reviews!
All of this also helps boost your reach and engagement rates on social media, further helping to share your story with your online community.
Sometimes your most effective social media engagement strategy is not saying anything at all.
Wait, what?
Yep! This comes into play when someone leaves hateful comments. Nip hate in the bud. Not to over generalize, but a lot of people who leave hateful comments on your social media aren’t going to be fixed by one or two well-thought out comments from you. How you respond, or how you don’t respond, has more of an effect on the rest of your followers.
You could choose to just hide all hateful comments. This technique creates a safe online community and prevents the spread of hate speech. You could choose to reply in an informative way that promotes dialogue and educates. Lastly, you might choose to reply to hateful comments, but then hide them after. Whatever you choose, be sure your followers are clear on your stance that anyone who is disrespectful will be blocked!
Does this sound like a lot? It is! Truly engaging on social media takes time - time most small business owners don’t have. That’s one of the reasons hiring a team to manage your social media is so beneficial. Want to learn more? Get in touch HERE.
