How to Engage with your Audience on Social

It is a privilege to get likes, comments, thumbs up, retweets or any form of engagement on social. Just because you post, doesn’t mean you deserve a retweet.

With the social landscape being so noisy, for someone within your target audience to stop mid-scroll and engage or comment is revolutionary. And an opportunity you should capitalize on with a return engagement.

To elicit that initial response, however, requires different actions on each different social channel. Our community and media manager, who’s entire job it is to interact with brand’s target audience on social, shares tips to not only getting a response, but also knowing what to do post-engagement.

All Social Channels

Before I get to personal into social channels, individually, a quick note. Before you start any strategy on any social channel, it is important to know your audience – where they are in the digital world and when they are there.

Additionally, all social media mangers have heard humor is the way to everyone’s heart. Unfortunately, there are too many types of humor and this adage is simply not true. But don’t worry: If humor doesn’t resonate to your brand, at least be more interesting than your competition.

Twitter

Strategizing on Twitter requires three main objects: post, listen and respond. And when you’re composing tweets, it’s fine to tag yourself, but only 30 percent of tweets about your brand should include your Twitter handle. For more fun, more engagement and to quickly increase followers, create a contest. And a simple Twitter algorithm hack: Use OK images for OK engagement, good images for good engagement or great images for great engagement.

Facebook

Facebook is both fun and overwhelming because there are so many options for engagement. And it’s up to you to decipher each “like” or “<3.” Ask people to use the Facebook emotion to rate how they feel. Ask for your audience’s opinion! Facebook is the best social tool to start and continue a conversation. Additionally, be on the lookout for keywords about your brand. Finding those keywords in conversation allows for a great opportunity for you to introduce your brand or product to a new customer.

Instagram

At its surface, Instagram should be used for image content. And brands should definitely capitalize on that opportunity. The social channel, however, is also great for collaborating with other brands, utilizing the #ad hashtag or sponsored post in the geolocation. Go live with video, because your followers get a notification you’re producing new content in real time. Be warned: Live content of your day-to-day operations is not ideal.

If your product or service is more of a practice than a product, Instagram is not out of the question. Utilize the video as well as the multiple images feature.

In recent years, LinkedIn has become more of an influencer hub than a social networking site. To keep up on this medium, have a strong opinion on industry news and write it well, in short, easy-to-digest sentences. Make yourself an expert in your field or industry and place yourself in front of others that are also experts and those looking for an expert in your field.