Relationships of all types take work. Imagine striking up a new friendship, only to ignore all of that person’s texts and phone calls, and then to feel angry when they no longer want to be your friend.
That’s how your potential customers feel when you neglect to communicate with them through meaningful engagement. Posting regularly about your business, and about yourself, on social media and interacting with your audience will enable you to create the traffic you need for your business to thrive.
Increasing social media engagement and building a community online is a free way to build trust with your audience, and if people trust you, they are more motivated to buy from you. Know your audience, find out where they spend their time, and nurture that relationship.
1. Promote Blog Posts on Social Media
By referencing those blogs you worked so hard to create through social media posts, you are driving your customers to your site to read them. This, in turn, boosts your SEO and further establishes you as an authority in your space, in the eyes of both your customers and search engines. In addition, by giving your audience a “sneak peek” of the blog’s content, you add some free value. This helps prove to your audience you are a trustworthy and knowledgeable source of information, and motivates them to go onto your website if they like what they see.
2. Use Your Brand Voice To Talk To Your Followers
Sharing your specific voice with your audience allows them to see your business’ personality and get a glimpse of what it might be like to work with you. Your brand’s voice immediately differentiates you from your competitors, and, if used correctly, shows that you care about your followers.
Through posts that aim to relate to your audience and conversations in the comments, you are able to make meaningful connections. Those connections turn into brand loyalty which turns into more profits for your business.
When posting to engage, don’t hesitate to promote “tagging” with your followers. Tagging your loyal customers, your biggest fans, and other small businesses can broaden the organic reach of your business to new people. It enables you to grow your following and bring more potential clients into the know. Encourage your followers to tag your social media handle too in order to organically reach more viewers.
3. Run Polls and Request Feedback
Polls are a quick and simple way to interact with consumers and increase social media engagement. At this point, just about every social media app has a polling feature, which in itself shows how important and popular this tactic is. Here are some key reasons you should be polling your followers, if you aren’t already:
- Polls are a convenient way to get your audience hooked instantly. For instance, if you are a CPA, your poll could be “do you use an accountant or a website to do your taxes?” Then, following the poll, you could offer that already engaged viewer some content on why seeking an accountant is preferable.
- Polls help your business move in the direction of the marketplace by asking your audience to choose between two potential new products you may offer in the future.
- Polls are an efficient way to ask for customer feedback. By doing this, the audience sees that your business cares about their input and your brand becomes more trustworthy in their minds.
4. Include Short-Form Informational Posts
Referencing relevant outside articles and content, and sharing a short excerpt or your own take, along with the link, can be a quick way to get your audience involved. The idea at first probably seems foolish, as you are intentionally sending your audience to an outside website. However, by sharing thought-provoking content as short, easy to digest posts, you are showing yourself to be an authority in your space. And, just think of the conversations that might take place in the comments, or the shares your page might get!
Social media gives your audience a window into your business, and you get a look into your customers in return. Anyone in customer service will tell you that the more you know about your customers, the better experience it is for all parties. The next time you post, make it with the intention to engage your audience, provide them with value, and get them coming back for more.
Looking for more ways to improve your social media engagement? Reach out for help anytime!
