Imagine you’re hosting a conference. The meeting hall is full; it’s standing room only inside. You climb the steps to the podium, look out at all of your glorious numbers – then proceed to stare at them intently with no interaction whatsoever, until they all begin to back slowly out of the room, more than a little creeped out by the entire experience.
What went wrong? You failed to engage them.
In a social world, engagement marketing is a necessity. It’s not enough to pack the meeting hall with “numbers” – you have to see each Like or follower as a potential customer. Fans, friends and followers are great assets, but they’re not going to do you any good if you just sit and stare at them. Here’s how to up your small business’ social media engagement factor.
1. Talk to Them, Not at Them
You need to market your small business, and yes, that means talking about your products and services. But you should be trying to start a conversation, not delivering a monologue.
Ask questions. What’s your favorite product? What service would you like to see us add in the next quarter? How can we serve you better?
Giving people a chance to sound off about your business doesn’t just keep them engaged – it provides you with free publicity. Positive feedback from your current customers improves your word-of-mouth business and convinces others to take you for a test drive.
2. Have Some Fun
Social media posts shouldn’t be all sales, all the time. As long as it’s done properly, there’s nothing wrong with injecting a bit of levity into your social media marketing strategy.
Go ahead and post that funny (but inoffensive) meme. Tell a bad (but clean) joke. Be a little “punny.”
If you can manage to make people smile, they’ll have a reason to come back – and maybe for more than just a laugh.
3. Be a Resource
Be informative. Don’t just offer a product for sale on your small business’ website – post a video to show how it’s used. Write a blog post that helps solve a problem. Have a weekly Q&A live chat with your followers on topics related to your service.
When you identify yourself as a resource for your audience, they’ll look to you as a leading authority on whatever it is you sell. And you’ll be the first person they think of when it comes time to buy.
Engagement marketing is about interacting with your audience rather than staring at them. You’ve worked hard for your numbers – now it’s time to do something with them.
Not sure what that “something” should be? Drop Mischa Communications a line, and let us help you get the conversation started!