Engagement…Everyone Is Doing It

Are you engaged? No, I don’t mean, in the words of Beyoncé “you put a ring on it.” I am talking social media engagement. Are you engaged with your followers?

Social media is a dialogue, not a monologue! Making and responding to comments on all of your social media platforms is your perfect opportunity to interact with your customers and followers, be transparent and build trust. Being engaged with your followers is your chance to tell them why they need your products and services.

Engagement is more than just commenting

Being engaged means that readers are seeing you as a person instead of a logo. You should be sparking conversation with your fans on a regular basis. Better yet, you should be telling your brand’s story and proactively engaging with anyone who mentions your brand or products.

Engagement involves more than just commenting and responding to consumers. It is a change to learn about your customers and what they want, a chance to see industry trends and be involved in conversations.

To be fully engaged, brands need to be transparent and seek out feedback. Brands should also reach out to influencers and share their content, but at the same time, share your own story and content. You need to respond to all feedback, both negative and positive. Look for ways to improve customers shopping and social media experiences. Brands should also show their personality and use a voice that shows who they are. Don’t forget though, that to be engaged, you actually have to share content frequently. Finally, be proactive and lead conversations, keep it short, follow others back who follow you, be innovative, and monitor what others are saying about you.

Do I stay or do I go

While the overarching theme of social media is to connect with one another and share information, it is also key for branding your business, increasing customer spending and building trust. But this increase in spending and trust doesn’t come without work.

Users want to know that they are making the right choice to shop with your company. If they don’t feel that trust, they will take their business elsewhere. Making comments and responding to reviews or even negative criticism on your social platforms, will allow users to see that you care about them just as much as your business.

Your aim should be to help, rather than to sell on social media. Even better, encourage users to leave a comment or review on your site. Keep them coming back by providing them with killer service and responses in a timely manner. Yes, it can be repetitive, but do respond to all questions on comments. All of these things will increase the likelihood of your consumers buying your products or services and recommending your brand to others.

When the good goes bad

Let’s face it, people can be ruthless, especially on social media. So, if a disgruntled customer makes a negative comment on your page, it is a good idea to have a plan of action in place and use it.

The main goal is to address the problem that caused the complaint to be written. Secondly, be patient, don’t take it personally and don’t lose your cool when you respond. The best thing to do is apologize for the inconvenience and then offer a solution (even it is user error). But, if your conversation takes a turn for the worst, don’t hesitate to send them a personal message instead of letting it be drug out in the public eye. Sometimes it is just best to handle a problem privately.

Engagement is more than just making or responding to comments on your social media platforms. Being engaged helps you to establish a good connection and reputation with your readers. If you put in the effort and show appreciation for the feedback-negative or positive-you will see a great impact on your business and brand.

Sources
Digital Information World. (2014, June 16). 20 Ways to Succeed at Social Media Engagement . Retrieved from Digital Information World: http://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2014/06/succeed-at-social-media-engagement-infographic.html

Furubayashi, J. (2014, June 16). A Quick Guide to Handling Negative Feedback on Social Media. Retrieved from Simply Measured: http://simplymeasured.com/blog/2014/06/16/a-quick-guide-to-handling-negative-feedback-on-social-media/?utm_source=twt&utm_medium=soc&utm_campaign=blg

LePage, E. (2014, May 1). Social Media Engagement: Are You Doing It Right? Retrieved from Hootsuite: http://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-engagement-are-you-doing-it-right/