Seven Steps to More Engaging Social Media

If social media is part of your marketing mix, here are seven steps to higher engagement.

1. Choose Wisely.

LinkedIn and Twitter work well for B2B companies, while Facebook and Instagram lead for consumers (with Snapchat a close third). There are plenty of other options for both, of course, but just make sure that each platform you choose makes sense for both your audience and your product or service.

2. Be Shareable

The biggest advantage of social media is that your followers can share your content – which is also the fastest way to grab new likes and more followers. So as you create each post, ask yourself if you would share this content if it showed up in your feed. If not, keep working.

3. Leave ‘em Laughing

Humor gets shared – and remembered. So consider how to build humor into your content. And that doesn’t mean simply posting jokes or funny memes. You can talk about serious things, but in a fun or lighthearted way. Humor makes your business more relatable, and your content more shareable.

4. Get the Picture.

Social media is visual, and the images that accompany posts are often what grab someone’s attention. So use photos and videos. And avoid the same tired visual clichés everyone uses. Find or create an image or video that reinforces your point in a different way – especially one that’s amusing (see #3 above).

5. Stop Selling.

Nobody needs another sales pitch. So don’t use social media as a blunt instrument to push products or services. Instead, using all of the aforementioned techniques, find a fun way to show benefits. As the old saying goes, no one wants a 1/4” drill bit; they just want a 1/4” hole. Make the benefit the star. Sales will follow.

6. Hire Well.

Don’t just hand social media off to someone in your office who already has a lot on their plate. If it’s going to be a big part of your marketing push, hire someone for this role. But ask a lot of questions before you do. Just because someone is active on their own social media does not automatically mean they can do social media well for your company. Can they create content? Are they funny? Do they think visually? Can they write well? Are they quick? If not, outsource social to a person or company that is all those things.

7. Track It. If you’re going to use social media, measure it. Look at likes and shares to see which content gets the highest engagement. Create posts that link to your website, and measure that traffic. Notice which time of day gets the most attention for your posts, and post then. Most of all, work to connect sales directly to social media.