Social Conversations - How to be Engaging on Social Media
Social media should be just that - SOCIAL. However, when it comes to authentic engagement and creating engaging content for social, many brands and businesses fall flat. Don't worry; we're here to help!
A couple of the most asked questions we hear about social media is 'how can we increase our engagement statistics?' and 'how can we be authentic and engaging on social media?' These, of course, go hand-in-hand. While there isn't one answer that fits all accounts, we will break down some strategies that will help get you on the right track with social media. You'll be engaging authentically and creating the types of content that your followers want to engage with - plus, we'll let you in on some sweet secrets about conversational marketing on social media!
How to be Engaging on Social Media
One of the biggest mistakes that brands and businesses make when it comes to social media is treating it like a one-way street and expecting traffic to flow both ways. If you're posting infrequently or inconsistently or posting too much of the same type of content, too many sales-focused captions, lame images, or content that doesn't resonate with your audience, you won't receive the engagement you want.
We recommend mixing it up and testing different post types to learn what kind of content performs best with your audience. Try organic photos, videos, graphics, staged/professional photos, occasional CTA captions, long-form story captions, and anything else you can think of! Testing different types of content might seem like a lot of work in the beginning (which it will be). Still, in the long run, it will ultimately help identify and drive the types of engagement that will help your business be successful on social media.
Once you find a content type that works, don't wear your followers out by only posting that one type of content. Once you have their attention, you can try introducing other types of content that you think they might like, making sure to keep content fresh. Say something new with each post, so your audience doesn't get bored.
Starting conversations on social is one of the best ways to increase engagement. Ask questions, ask for opinions, ask for participation. Don't expect your followers to suddenly start posting thoughtful comments and engaging with your brand if you're not doing anything different. At Serendipit, we make sure our content is continually resonating with our audiences. How? With a little help from various analytics tools and by simply monitoring each post.
Conversational Marketing on Social Media
Just like in real life, to be a part of conversations on social media, you'll need to start some! Like we said earlier, you can't expect people to post meaningful (or even any) comments on your posts if you're not engaging them. We like to test out different questions, seeing what gets the most engagement. We then base future question-based posts off of those that are proven successful. It's also essential to provide some context before asking questions - just a few sentences before the question can help your followers connect more to what you're saying and asking.
A great way to practice conversational marketing on social media and bring more eyes to your page is to engage in conversations on other accounts. Not only does this give you practice learning how to be engaging on social media, but it also exposes you to everyone who is actively involved in the post, thus increasing your social visibility and reach.
Conversational marketing on social media is a great way to connect with followers and increase your brand engagement on social media. It's also a great way to generate and nurture leads, establish trust between your brand and followers, and position your brand as reliable and trustworthy!
How to Increase Brand Engagement on Social Media
Overall, increasing brand awareness and brand engagement on social media go hand-in-hand. Social media can be an excellent tool for building your brand, generating and nurturing leads, and communicating with clients. However, if your engagement is struggling on social media, then it's going to be harder to do these things effectively. Some of our favorite ways to increase brand engagement on social media for struggling accounts is to:
- Work with influencers and other local businesses
- Host a giveaway
- Cross-feature other accounts or companies that align with your niche and values
- Create a dialed-in hashtag strategy
Want help with your social media? Give us a call, tag us or send us a message on social media. Trust us - you’ll be glad you did.