This is a guest post written by Khushboo Aulakh. If you’d like to write a guest post please contact me.
Customer engagement is a dominating factor for brands to use social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. By interacting with their customers through social media, not only can brands increase customer satisfaction rates, but also attract new customers.
For the most part, social media is a free channel that takes advertising to a whole different level by bringing brands closer to their target audience, and by personalizing their experience online.
Frequent user centric updates and user interaction are the key to increasing customer engagement, but here are five other ways brands can increase social engagement on Facebook and other platforms.
Make interaction easy
With Facebook rolling out Timeline for business pages, some users may find it difficult to interact with your page. Include simple call to action phrases to increase participation and allow users to share information. Remember that your customers are visiting your Facebook page for a reason – they want to know more about your brand, are interested in your products or services, or want to share feedback.
Include links to important tabs below the cover image. Tabs like reviews/recommendations, contact us, e-store, and blog are ideal for an e-commerce website.
When making a status update about a new product, ask for feedback rather than mentioning the product USP. When sharing a new blog post, ask what your users feel about the subject.
This opens the door for conversation, increasing social and online engagement. Posting updates with specific call to action phrases allows users to feel involved with your brand.
Understand what your users want
This is the fundamental premise for building engagement on any platform, social or otherwise. Any business must invest resources in finding their audience – the demographic, geographical location, income level, and so on. By doing this, you can understand what products and services will appeal to them.
Once you have this information, social media planning will be a breeze. Status updates that resonate with your audience build engagement and drive traffic to your website, thus increasing conversions and generating a positive return on investment.
Share what is relevant
Your Facebook fan page is not your personal Facebook page. While it may be interesting to share what you had for breakfast or how the weekend went, refrain from doing so. Your updates should always promote your brand, directly or indirectly.
If your company had a BBQ on the weekend, share it because it personalizes your brand. Refrain from sharing anything that may have a negative impact on your brand.
By sharing content that is relevant and highly targeted to your users, you increase customer participation.
Use productivity tools
Productivity dashboards like HootSuite, TweetDeck, and Buffer are a must have for all social media strategists. They help you plan your strategy weeks in advance and save time by reducing the manual effort involved in updating multiple channels.
These tools also make it easier for users to participate on multiple social channels.
Measure customer engagement
A strategic step in increasing social engagement is to analyze your current customer engagement rates. This can be done through Facebook page insights, Google Analytics, and other web analytic tools.
Use these simple tips to build a strong relationship with your customers. Remember, these tips are not set in stone – feel free to adapt them according to your business goals.
