May 12, 2020
Everyone knows you need a social community around your brand. This is not a new concept and we’re not reinventing the wheel here. But….there’s a problem. Even though people understand this is an essential, many companies still aren’t doing it (or they don’t know how).
The truth is, there is no science to building an audience on social media. However, there are some absolutes that hold true. It should be just as natural a process as making friends.
Because otherwise, your page is boring. Why post at all? Not only do you need to create content and gather likes, you actually want people to engage. A large part of developing a meaningful and valuable experience for your audience is creating a community they can come to and feel comfortable.
The more people participate with your brand, the more they talk about it. Word of mouth marketing is free when it comes from a genuine community experience. It creates loyal advocates and builds brand trust.
Encouraging and cultivating interactions is vital to keeping people interested online. Posting cool content is half the battle. You have to care too.
You can’t be around 24/7 to monitor a social channel—forget it if you have five. You need to employ the right tools to ensure you always have your ears to the rails. That means social monitoring and social listening. Google Alerts is a free service through Google that can help you get started.
The idea is to automate the act of monitoring your social community. People can come and go at all times. When there is a mention of your brand, an alert will be sent so you can respond accordingly. The longer you wait, the less of an opportunity you have to build community.
Remember, other people are watching. If you leave a prospect hanging, you never know who will see that you dropped the ball. Social media moves quick. It’s easy to miss things.
People can be finicky online. It’s important that no matter what efforts you make to build a community, you measure the beginning and end metrics. If the numbers are going down, it’s indicative that people don’t like what you are doing.
In this case, you’re going to have a hard time building a community with content no one likes. We see this a lot when new brands continuously post sales content with no value. It gets skipped, and worse, people become annoyed and unfollow your business. Bad idea.
If your numbers are going up at the end of a campaign, keep going. A community takes time to build but if people are continuously liking the content, it shows you’re on the right track
Encourage team members to create their own separate profiles. This expands the brand’s social presence and creates more of a sense of community. Rather than one voice, you can have several chatting together. Even if it’s all people within your business, it creates attractive conversation that other people are curious to participate in.
When all else fails and you still lack engagement, consider posting content that asks for more interaction. Things like polls and open-ended questions. Some brands will spell it out “comment below” to direct people exactly what to do. The idea is that not only are you posting valuable content, but one that is forcing people to engage.
Don’t be that brand that has a large following with tumbleweeds on their page. That is a huge mistake. It also makes your page look like a virtual ghost town. You only get one chance to make a good first impression online. Make it a party and people won’t want to leave.
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