Social Media Training Tip #15
A More Engaging Social Media Presence
Needless to say, your small business's social media marketing strategy's main goal should be to attract new customers to your business and to retain old ones. This is what this Social Media Training article is all about. But the mistake that some small businesses make is to post nothing but links and deals to their website. There is a place for these things, but used in combination with more engaging social media posting, they will be more effective.
Consider what it means when a customer or prospect follows you on Twitter, likes your page on Facebook, or engages with you on any of their favorite social media sites; this person is welcoming you into their social media circle. They will be seeing your updates along with the updates of their friends, families, and other companies and products that interest them.
If your updates are simply uninteresting, unimaginative, unfocused links to your website over and over again, you risk losing the interest of the person engaged with you; or worse, having them unfollow you or unsubscribe.
On the other hand, if your posts are engaging and interesting to your brand's target market niche, not only will the people following you get more out of them (and think of you and your company in a more favorable light), but they may also like, re-tweet, and share your updates with other just like them, potentially bringing you more followers, prospects and gaining your company more exposure.
So how can you be more engaging and on target? For starters, show your human side! A robot can post links all day, but only you can be you. You don't have to share what you had for breakfast or if you are standing in line at the store, but maybe you had an inspiration that helped you or had a positive encounter with another customer that you could share? And share your own personal triumphs and struggles. Sharing stories like this will give people an idea of who you are behind your small business's curtain and be relevant at the same time.
This human element can also be obtained by sharing observations relative to your business or market. Everyone in extremely hot or cold areas can relate to bad weather, everyone in big cities can relate to bad traffic, everyone interested in fitness can relate to how good it feels after a good workout. Share everyday observations that your customers can relate to!
Also, don't shy away from engaging in conversations with people that respond to your updates. This adds yet another level of positive communication. Have fun with it! Ask questions, answer questions...add value as only you the individual can. When you do post links to your website, make them interesting! Include coupons, contests, or blog posts as some added incentive to click. Using some of the tips you have read here in this article, you should be well on your way to a more engaging and productive social media experience!
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