6 Ways to Increase Social Media Marketing Engagement
Challenge stale social media strategies with something new, exciting, and effective. If you’re a small business looking for more real customer interaction and looking to inspire conversation online, these social media marketing engagement strategies will help. Through higher social media engagement, an account can win bigger on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and more.
#1 – Highlight the human side of employees
You don’t want your small business to be seen as just another company. Highlight the human beings who make it what it is.
A company is only as good as the people who are building it. Consider creating a photo album on Facebook as an example to pay tribute to employees. It does not necessarily even need to be an ‘employee of the month’ type format. It can be everything from a comparison of employees to their baby photos, or a comparison to their high school graduation photos, or a selection of what music employees are listening to, etc. Pursuing a strategy like this helps to create conversation and ultimately share your brand with others.
#2 – Make it personal
Personalized messaging to customers on social media has been shown to be highly effective at getting those valuable clicks. This does not necessarily mean to create campaigns of customized messaging but also to connect with followers on an individual basis. Consider thanking a follower for their comments, for a share, or for becoming a new follower. If someone has posted any questions to or about your company, answer those. The attempt here is to, again, make your brand feel a little more human and a little less ‘company-esque’.
#3 – Create valuable conversations
Creating conversation is a large part of social media marketing success. Share with followers ongoing debates relevant to your business. Consider joining communities and hangouts on different platforms to contribute to their conversation. By connecting with others in online communities, you may be able to find opportunities for more followers. Even consider setting up an online seminar or video chat with select customers as a means of opening up dialogue from management direct to consumer.
#4 – Use LinkedIn
It’s easy to forget about LinkedIn when there are a handful of more flashy social media platforms out there. That said, LinkedIn has always been a very solid choice when it comes to establishing and supporting a business. Consider communications with other companies, strategically connect with other managers and influencers in your local area, and participate in group discussions. All of this is likely to get more eyes on your company, while building interactions with influential people who may be able to help you expand.
#5 – Keep local engagement a priority
If you are at a loss for words in how to successfully increase social media engagement, favoring local or regional strategies might be the perfect way to do so. Create messaging around local facts, local events, or local issues. Even referencing a popular landmark can be enough to make your brand mean something to a new visitor. Create interesting communications to community discussions, when or if appropriate. By creating conversation that is local-inspired, that may help in getting shares and bringing more eyes to your message.
#6 – Hashtags
Increase engagement by using creative and popular hashtags to instantly tap into online discussions. Invent your own hashtags to entertain the audience or contribute something to ongoing hashtags. Create your own hashtags and ask followers to submit photos or to share their own experience in accordance with the hashtag. There are many ways to work hashtags. It doesn’t hurt to do some experimenting to see what works for you.
