Put yourself in a customer’s shoes. Between two online stores that offer the same product, which are you likely to patronize: the one whose social media page is teeming with likes, love reactions, and happy comments, or the one with barely any social engagement? Chances are, you’d go with the store that has a high social engagement. After all, if it’s lauded by satisfied customers, it’s likely that you’ll be a happy customer, too. Moreover, if their posts are shared by many people, you’ll see the brand more often on your feed.
These are the reasons your social media engagement efforts are important. Robust engagement offers social proof — a high number of positive reactions bears testimony to the quality of your services. And if these customers share your posts, your reach expands, attracting more customers in Denver and other areas. Your SEO company would love this too, because social media presence can improve chances of ranking.
Constantly engaging users on social media is crucial in attracting, maintaining, and delighting your audience. We’ve compiled three actionable insights to increase your social media engagement and be the talk of the digital space.
Ask Your Audience
People love to talk about themselves, which is why asking your audience about themselves will surely get lots of attention.
Don’t ask bland questions like “how are you?” and “how’s your day?” though — those are unlikely to be noticed and responded to. Your audience wants to tell the world what they think. They love to share their opinions.
So, publish content that asks their thoughts on certain matters. Here are three ways to go about it:
Post a Poll
The great thing about polls is that they’re very easy to answer; all it takes is one click, and your target user would have cast his or her opinion. Some users even elaborate their answers through comments or tweet replies, ultimately increasing engagement.
Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have polling options which are easy to use. You can check how to post polls on each platform here. Then, follow these guidelines on creating polls:
Ask On-Brand Questions.
It’s tempting to discuss hot topics, but all your polls should revolve around your brand. If you’re a bakery, for instance, refrain from polling about the latest meme about cars; instead, ask them which is their favorite car snack (“croissant or cinnamon bun?”).
Keep Polls Short and Sweet.
Lengthy polls discourage users. So, be straight to the point without being boring. One-sentence posts are the best (what would you rather eat while you’re stuck in traffic? Croissant or cinnamon bun?)
Avoid Cross-Posting.
Cross-posting clogs your follower’s feeds, so keep one poll to one platform.
Pop Some Quizzes
Nothing tickles the fancy of users than quizzes that test their knowledge or explore their identities. Take BuzzFeed, for instance. They’ve built a reputation for holding quizzes that pique the attention of almost every type of digital user.
Brands who follow suit gain a huge amount of engagement because — and this ties up nicely with our point earlier — people love to share details about themselves. Plus, once they share the content, they start a conversation with their followers and friends.
If you’re hosting a quiz, it should be:
- Short –No need for something that resembles a final exam. Else, the quiz taker will be bored and leave the test. Social media quizzes should be accomplished under two minutes, and that’s five to ten questions.
- Simple – People are on social media for leisure, so quizzes should be light-hearted and fun. Steer clear of open-ended questions; always provide choices (“stilettos or kitten heels”; “carpool or hike”, etc.)
- Not Salesy – It’s alright to use your products as part of the questions and answers, but don’t go for a hard sell. It’s enough to subtly highlight your offer on every item (“What would you wear with our beige trench coat?”).
Ask for Feedback and Reviews
It never hurts to ask, so if you have the chance to solicit feedback, do so. Simple posts like “What do you think about our new colorway?” or “How’s your organic toothbrush holding up?” can prompt discussions about your brand.
You can also promote positive reviews you’ve gained. This technique hits two birds with one stone: one, you get to present social proof to your audience and two, you encourage them to leave reviews, too.
Another effective way to get feedback is to offer incentives for every review they leave. In fact, this move works well not only when soliciting testimonials, but also when you’re increasing shares and expanding your brand’s reach.
Give Users Incentives
People will be motivated to react to your posts if they get something in return, which is why incentives and giveaways are effective methods of increasing social media engagement. Here’s a rough guide on holding giveaways:
Be Familiar with the Platform’s Rules –
Once you’ve chosen a social media platform for your giveaway, check its promotional rules. For instance, Facebook and Instagram insist that brands declare that the promotion isn’t sponsored, endorsed, administered, or associated with them. Meanwhile, Twitter asks brands to include a rule that disqualifies participants with multiple accounts.
Choose the Prize –
Make sure that the prize appeals to your target audience. The prize should come from your brand to give them a taste of your products or services. Here are some examples of prizes:
Items from your product line
Plan the Giveaway –
Rules must be crystal-clear to avoid mishaps and make the contest an enjoyable experience for your target participants.
Participation –
Indicate what users have to do to enter the contest. For instance, “you have to be following both our Facebook and Instagram accounts to enter the giveaway.” This is an effective way to increase your following.
Rules –
Clearly state the rules of the contest. If the user has to do several things, then a bulleted post will help them track their activities. For instance, “1) Like this post; 2) Tag two friends; 3) Repost this on your profile with the hashtag.”
Prizes –
This should be your hook; if possible, start the post about your prize (“Get a chance to win our limited-edition iPhone X case”). Accompany the post with a high-quality image of the prize.
Promote Your Plan –
To increase the number of participants, promote your giveaway on as many channels as possible. Even if you’re hosting the giveaway on Facebook, you can tweet about it and post it on your Instagram stories; just make sure you include a link to post. If you have an email list, send an email blast to notify your subscribers.
Choosing the Winner –
Be true to your word. Select the right number of winners as soon as the contest ends. Announce it when you promised to do so, and grant the prizes you’ve pledged.
After the contest, you’ll notice that your follower count has grown and, thanks to the engagement, your brand reach has expanded.
Use High-Quality Images
People are more drawn to images than text — that’s just how our brains are wired. Posts with graphics receive more engagement than those without. In fact, tweets with photos get a 35% boost in retweets.
Videos also bring in robust engagement (they offer a 28% retweet boost), but production is expensive and time-consuming for small e-commerce businesses, and they might not be worth the investment. So, for this article, we’ll focus on using images.
Match the Voice of Your Brand
Don’t fall into the trap of posting memes just to draw engagement. It’s tempting, but deviating from your brand image can do more harm than good. After all, your brand identity was crafted to appeal to your target audience.
If your brand personality allows for humor and casual interactions, then, congratulations, you have greater freedom to use trending material. If you have a more serious image, however, it’s best to stick to more formal photos to maintain consistency.
Check if your social media images match your brand’s:
- Voice (whimsical or professional)
- Style (minimalist or maximalist)
- Mood (light-hearted or serious)
Align with Your Campaign
Even if the image matches your brand, it won’t add much value to your marketing campaign if it doesn’t target campaign goals. For instance, photos of puppies and kittens will bring in engagement, but if your business isn’t related to animals, then the engagement won’t mean much. You’ve wasted time and energy on a post that didn’t attract potential buyers.
Stick with photos that tie in neatly with your ultimate marketing goal. If your marketing campaign focuses on the company’s annual sale, your images should feature the discounted products or services. If you’re promoting fresh blogs about travel destinations, the images must evoke the excitement of travelling.
Use People as Subjects
If customers can’t see themselves in your campaign, they are less likely to react to the post. So, publish photos that contain people who use your products or services.
Research by 500px, a community of photographers, found that the best-selling pictures often feature a single subject — one person who is doing one thing. Single-subject photos are popular because it’s easier for consumers to imagine themselves in the photo.
Moreover, candid shots do better than choreographed images, because they seem more authentic and approachable.
The right images will help your audience appreciate the story your brand is trying to tell. Even if the user scrolls past your text posts, they would find it hard to ignore a crisp, vibrant image.
Bottom Line
Standing out from the plethora of branded posts is a tall order. Social media is designed to keep users scrolling down. It would take a thought-provoking question, tempting giveaway, and breathtaking photo to stop them on their tracks and engage with your brand. But if you follow best practices and stay true to your brand, your social media engagement and following will expand in no time.
Author Bio:-
Dan Smink is the founder of C1 Partners, a leading digital marketing company in Denver that helped business owners, marketing executives, SMBs and more.
Featured Image source : Pixabay
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