Not one to be late to the marketing party, you have implemented a business Facebook page, a Twitter account, a couple Pinterest boards and you maintain a website that hosts a blog.
Great.
You attract followers, get them to subscribe or LIKE or share. But what comes after that? Well, that’s the thing. There’s something about staring at an empty status update box that immediately drives every creative thought from your mind.
Contrary to common marketing myths, social media is not all about push, push, pushing product sales. It’s all about connecting and engaging with followers. This is what keeps them coming back to your pages, accounts, and sites time and time again. It’s not about the product promos. It’s about the ongoing dialogue and making connections.
Here are 5 tips for striking up a conversation and keeping it going.
1.Connections require time.
Plan to be active on each of your social media platforms. Acknowledge LIKES and follows, respond to comments, show interest in the people posting. In other words, be present. Don’t post, and then take a break until next week. Check in regularly and engage with people.
2.Ask creative questions OR ask questions in a creative way.
You know not to ask YES / NO questions. Now take the generic up a notch with some “hmm, let me think about that a second” inquiries. Rather than the plain (okay, boring…) “what’s your favorite…?”, pose questions with multiple-choice answers. Graphics add to the experience and humor is always good.
3.Mix it up between fun, fluff and informative.
Users like to chat it up and have fun. A cute photo or inspiring quote makes people smile and creates warm fuzzies. Informative posts, like industry statistics or expert quotes demonstrate your credibility within your field. Whether it’s “for fun” or shares useful info, a video can spice things up. Links to trending articles will garner attention.
It shouldn’t be fun and games all the time. Nor should it be hard-hitting, industry specific facts with every post. Strike a balance.
4.Schedule a Q and A session.
Via a Twitter chat, Google hangout or Facebook page “party”, host a pre-arranged time for your audience to—
1). Ask whatever they’d like to know about your company and/or products
2). Ask specific or general questions about the industry. Involve as many company personnel as possible to create big picture of who you are for the participants.
3). Host or interview an industry expert. Your audience will appreciate the easy access to a source of reliable information they would not be able access on their own.
5.Connect with a social cause.
People like to align themselves with a company who thinks beyond their own needs and chooses to involve themselves with a worthwhile cause or charity. Whether it be a nationally known organization or a local entity, your company’s association will open doors and garner interest from people with similar interests.
Commit to an engaging, interactive social media presence and keep the conversations about your company flowing.
At ASJ Partners, we recognize and understand the power of an active social media presence. Allow us to strategize, design, create, and implement, a consistent branding theme throughout all your social media platforms.
