Most social media platforms were originally created to allow people to build and maintain relationships with others using the same platforms. Then businesses and organizations of all kinds took to social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, realizing it’s potential for promoting their brand. A short time after this realization, many brands’ Facebook and Twitter pages became very sales-oriented or otherwise spammy. Unfortunately, this is the exact opposite of what most audiences want to see in their news feeds, and it often leads to an unlike or unfollow.
If a large part of your audience unfollows or unlikes your brand, this could lead to a loss in sales, leads, and more depending upon your business’s industry. So we’ve compiled a list of rules to follow to keep your audience engaged on social media and to continue building long-lasting relationships for your brand.
Post original content.
The most important thing for your brand to do on any given social media platform is to post original content. Your social media page, whether Twitter, Facebook, or anything else, is nothing without an active audience, and your audience wants to read original content – it’s as simple as that.
Post original content REGULARLY.
While it may not be reasonable to expect 5 posts per day, make sure you’re posting regularly throughout the week. It’s recommended that you post at least three times each week. Posting often will help keep your brand in the news feeds of your audience and keep them engaged on your page.
Be responsive.
Depending on the number of likes or followers your brand has, it can be difficult to respond to everyone. Despite this, make sure you are responding to some comments, mentions, etc. A great rule of thumb is to respond to the really good comments and the really bad comments. For example – if someone is upset with your brand and ranting about it on your Facebook page, respond in an apologetic manner, and ask if they’d like to continue this conversation via private messages or even a phone call. This tells the individual that you’re accessible, and willing to address their issue, and it shows the rest of your audience that you’re willing to fix problems.
On the other hand, if an individual is talking about how much they loved your newest product, thank them in a sincere manner. A great way to thank a loyal customer for supporting your business is by offering a coupon. Other’s will be encouraged to share their positive experiences with your brand if they see it may be rewarded.
Share content relevant to your brand.
The keys to sharing relevant content are simple: know your brand and know your audience. First, make sure all content shared is either about your brand or relevant to your brand’s field. For example, if your brand is within the healthcare field, don’t share something about puppies (no matter how tempting and cute it is). Next, understand who your audience is on that individual platform. Let’s say the most active people on your Facebook are between the ages of 20 and 30, so you’d want to post/share things that are relevant to that age group.
Establish and maintain your brand’s voice.
This is very important for businesses that have more than one person posting on their social media platforms. To avoid confusion and provide consistency, set guidelines for your brand’s voice-based upon the audience you’re trying to appeal to, and be sure that all employees adhere to the guidelines. Knowing your audience will help you decide whether you want to appear more serious, silly, professional, or personal.
Following these simple social media rules will help keep your audience engaged, happy, and into your brand.
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