Social media is social. Social media is about community! Without a community, you’re probably wasting your time on social media marketing. It doesn’t matter if you have 100,000 followers or even 1 million if they do not engage with, share, and act on your content. It is more important to have 1,000 active and engaged followers than to have 100,000 followers that don’t engage. Why? Let me count the ways:
1. You (and the world) know the audience is real.
Anyone can buy followers to boost their numbers. These days, you can even pay for likes, but they usually won’t comment or keep liking your posts for longs. But, if you have real engagement from real followers, people know you have a real audience that actually loves your brand. Also, if you’re tempted to try buying followers and likes, be very careful as the platforms are really cracking down on this.
2. You earn trust.
Everyone thinks having a huge following looks good and means more opportunity. But if the engagement is low, or non-existent, anyone that knows anything about social media will assume that either you bought the followers/likes or that your content stinks. High engagement, however, signals to new and potential followers that you provide value and have a community that likes you, which earns their trust.
3. You build relationships.
Engaging with your audience and having an engaged audience will ultimately build relationships. Building these relationships is the key to successful sales, long-term customers, and customers who will advocate for your brand.
4. You get the sales (or clicks or whatever).
You are running a business, right? You want your followers to act, and probably buy? A huge audience that isn’t engaged is probably not going to convert well for you. A smaller, but more engaged audience has a much higher chance of converting to paying customers. I’m not saying a big audience is bad, I just want to make sure you’re looking at the engagement too!
One of the most important ways to build your community and your influence online is by engaging with your followers. Are you like so many of the businesses out there that post something on social media and then leave the platform? Stop that! You cannot just throw your content out there and then leave. You need to engage with your followers. But how? Do just the following two things and you will be pleasantly surprised by how engaged your audience becomes:
1. Schedule at least two times a day to check into your platform(s) of choice and engage with followers so that you can respond to people in a timely manner.
2. Respond to each and every comment and/or message you receive! A shocking 89% of messages sent to brands on social media go UNANSWERED! Imagine how much you would stand out in your followers’ minds if you replied to their message.
How to get engagement is a big topic that will be covered in more detail in another article, but here are a few quick tips for engaging your audience:
When someone comments, comment back with a question.
Ask your audience questions, the more specific the better. Use polls, quizzes, etc. to get them to respond.
Teach your audience something. This type of content is more likely to get shared!
Okay, you’re convinced now but you’re thinking: “I don’t have time for this!” True. Taking time to engage each and every day can be time-consuming. But think of it like prospecting. You want to sell your product or service, right? Engaging with followers on social media is like prospecting online! Instead of making cold calls, sending emails, or even knocking on doors, you're talking to them on social media.
What is one action step you can take today to work towards better engagement with your followers?
Make and write down a goal of a minimum amount of posts you will comment on (not just like!) each day, or Instagram/FB/Snapchat stories you will reply to with a direct message.
I'dl love to help you with your follower engagement strategy. Join my FB Group - Simplified Marketing for Small Business Owners!