SOCIAL MEDIA: KEEP YOUR FOLLOWERS FOLLOWING
These days, a successful social media campaign doesn’t necessarily mean how many followers a company has, it’s all about how they keep the existing ones hooked. In May 2013, Pew Research Centre reported that 72{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} of online adults were using social networking sites. In addition, reports from MBA online suggest that 8 in 10 social media users would rather contact companies via social media, than big, corporate websites. Social media is fast becoming a very effective tool for all forms of business and has a proven record of being an effective source of leads. So once you’ve built up a strong base of followers, the conundrum is, how do you keep them? Companies are realising the benefits of a strong social media campaign and its potential importance in terms of an effective marketing standpoint. Quality of engagement is infinitely more important than the amount of followers, making real connections with them translates into potential clients and business. Mike Alton of Social Media Today writes, “Social media users thrive on meaningful online relationships. Make this the focus of your social media efforts.”To relate to followers, it is important to be yourself and relate on a one to one level, ideally your personality should translate online. A very common mistake amongst small businesses is not the failure to share content, but the failure to follow up on this content and to generate real engagement and conversation, according to social media expert Lori Gama. At a live networking event for example, the people who reach out to other people and have conversations usually win more clients than those who hand out business cards and talk all about themselves. On social media, it’s equally important to have those two-way conversations. Engagement online is as important as it is in face to face. The ultimate query is whether this increased activity will lead to an increase in a company’s social media investment, says Nichole Kelly, CEO of Social Media Explorer and President of SME Digital. “Ultimately, the size of a fan base and the engagement of those fans should lead to a higher return on social activities,” she says. To increase the value of the content, it is advised that company should operate on the ratio of 80:20, 20{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} of its output could focus on products and offers, the other 80{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} could perhaps include customer interests. It is however very important to know what these interests are, For example, a specialist sportswear company wouldn’t post about the latest goings on in the pine furniture world, but could garner some considerable attention posting about local sports events etc. Using tools such as Google Analytics can measure the return on investment gained from engaging followers, which could be invaluable to a successful campaign. Being consistent is also an important part of engagement on social media, the best days and times to post vary from business to business. Many weekend businesses, night clubs for example would perhaps post most frequently on a Wednesday or Thursday to get people excited and prepared for the weekend. It is important to space everything out though, bombarding people constantly would be in no way be beneficial. Planning what is going to be posted and when is a vital component. But where does the time come from? Social Media experts advise that small companies sit down for two-to-three hours to brainstorm social media content and topics for the next 60 days. Spending another few hours writing and constructing the content – enough for one or two Facebook posts and two or three tweets per day, is ideal. When your customers have something to say, it’s essential to respond, even a few minutes a day can really help towards a genuine relationship with the company and its followers. If these comments are of a negative persuasion, it’s important the company is aware of it and can respond accordingly. On the flip side if a company is receiving positive exposure, then it is good to respond as often as possible, a simple “thank you”, “appreciate” or a simple retweet can go a long way. When these followers come to buy a product, they will think of you because of your friendship. Read about more Social Media posts, here.