You’ve created your blog. You post regularly to social media. But after a while, your posts start to plateau. Don’t worry – we’ve all been there. It happens to the best of us! But now what? After all, your online reputation can make or break your brand. Here are five effective social media strategies to boost user engagement:
- Quality > Quantity
Be active! There’s no way you’ll gain followers if you don’t post regularly, so chat it up! Have a real conversation and reach out to people. You need to genuinely connect with your followers and discuss things that matter; inspire your loyal customers. But remember: avoid spamming people. Users want to see an active account, but not an overload. Quality > Quantity. It’s okay if you don’t have a breaking story everyday – good content gets good engagement.
Keep in mind that statistics, hashtags, and questions are great ways to get high user engagement. Seriously, do not blast people with promotions. It’s also important you don’t post the same thing to each page because each site serves different demographics. Repurpose your content to make it suitable for each specific site. And as always, it’s a good idea to republish and rehash your most popular content. You can use the same idea and amazing content to reach different audiences across various mediums.
- Use Your Tools Wisely
Don’t overwork yourself! There are plenty of online tools that can help you get the most out of your social media posts by providing resources for real-time tracking, organization, and engagement. By using these sites, you don’t have to constantly update each site individually – otherwise that would take up your entire day!
Automated posts can work in your favor. But be careful! The autopost can be both helpful and hurtful. It’s important that every post is thoroughly looked over to make sure it’s thoughtful, good content. There are plenty of tools to keep you updated on everything, like signing up for Google Alerts and using news apps such as SkyGrid.
Scheduling Social Media Posts
Social Media Listening
- It’s All About the Aesthetic
If you read our blog regularly, then you know that digital marketing is on the rise. Everything is visual. If you’re not including videos, info graphics, and pictures on your blog, then you’re missing out. Social media and visual content go hand-in-hand. In fact, using graphics and images boosts interactions by 85% on Facebook. Be sure to include the following:
- Bullet Points (See what we did there?)
- Storyboards
- Diagrams
- Info graphics
- Memes
- Instagram posts
There are plenty of websites you can use to make graphics. Create stunning collages and info graphics using sites such as Fotor, Photovisi, Picasa, BeFunky, Ribbet, or my personal favorite, Canva.
Still not sure how to include visuals? Here are a few ideas:
- A behind the scenes shot of a new product
- Highlighting team members
- Old photos of team members – everyone loves a good #TBT!
- Asking followers to add a caption to an image
- Asking followers to share your image in action
- Holding a photo contest
- Sharing images from an industry event
- Provide Incentives
Still not getting enough interaction? Start including fun giveaways, contests, or games for your followers to participate in. These will get your audience to be more active. Make it fun and utilize classic and easy-to-play games like Mad Libs or Hangman.
Never underestimate the power of suggestion – always include a great call-to-action. What exactly is it that you want your audience to do? If you ask a question or include a fill-in-the-blank, your followers will be more inclined to respond.
- Keep It Real
Everyone likes to have a little fun, so be sure to show your personality. Take the time to share personal information of the company or interview employees so they can share their favorite hobbies or books. What’s life like in a typical day at your office? When you show your brand’s personal side, you’re more likely to connect with your followers.
Let’s face it: nobody likes to listen to the guy who is constantly talking about himself. The same goes for social media. Keep the talking about your brand to a minimum, and instead opt to interact with your followers so you can make a personal connection. Here are a few ways to keep it real:
- Share behind the scenes content – take a picture of your workspace, introduce newest employees
- Answer a question
- Include testimonials
- TBTs
- Don’t focus on business only
- Share something funny
- Share other people’s content
- Engage in trending topics and hashtags
So go on. Every brand needs its own style. Have fun, be creative, and get personal. And remember to always check out Viddyad‘s blog for all things video ad related (and sometimes a bit more)!