Each social media platform (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube) has its own way of measuring follower engagements. Facebook has likes and shares. Twitter has retweets, and YouTube has subscribers. There is a clear disconnect between companies and their social media platforms. You have to increase social media engagement to grow your customer base.
Engagement Equals Doing
If a prospective customer clicks a link in your post, likes a post, retweets a post, or subscribes to a channel that counts as engagement. As you get more engagements, you’ll have a better understanding of how to measure the effectiveness of your content. Hootsuite says that a lot of businesses get social media all wrong.
"Me, Me, Me" versus "You, You, You"
A business’ social media platform isn’t meant to be a platform for tooting your own horn. Of course, it’s fine to put the occasional “hey look what we did” type of post on your page or wall. The main goal of your social media presence should be all about your customers. What is the first thing you think of when someone is standing around talking about how great they are? Do you roll your eyes and walk away? Don’t give your customers reason to roll their eyes and walk away.
Promote, Engage, Inform
Your social media content should promote your product or service in a way that solves a problem for a client. That’s selling 101, right? It should engage them. Remember what we mean by engage? They should click, like, share, or subscribe. One of these events is an engagement. Your social platform should also inform. This means that you give freebie information…not enough that your customer won’t need you. It’s also a good idea to keep them updated on news from your industry. This will set you apart as an expert in your field.
Social Noise
It is so easy for social media to become too noisy for clients. It can be difficult to keep the prospect’s attention simply. The best way to keep your customers coming back is to engage WITH them. I see it every day. A customer posts a comment to a company’s post and there is zero feedback.
A Visual to Illustrate Engagement
There are 2 guys standing on the sidewalk at opposite ends of the block. They’re handing out flyers to prospects. Guy 1 throws his flyers into the air and walks away. “People will see them,” he thinks to himself. Guy 2 stands on the sidewalk all day long. He hands his flyers directly to people and even answers questions they have. Which guy’s flyer will turn around more customers. Are you Guy 1 or Guy 2?
