The Social Media Marketer

3 Simple Tips For Engaging Customers On Social Media

Tweet

 

Businesses that are new to social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, face a challenge – they need to build and establish a reputation and a loyal following one person at a time. Taking the time to make social media work for your business is a serious investment, but it does pay dividends if done well.

Here are three simple social media tips to help you engage customers on social media and build a loyal customer following online.

Quotes

The first of my social media tips is based on an amazing statistic: quotes generate 54 percent more retweets than other kinds of tweets. People like quotes because they are informative, factual, prove a point and they can inspire.

People also are more comfortable retweeting them because it is clear it is the opinion of someone else, people like aligning themselves with social figures and people love to look informed.

Be photogenic

Photos are an easy way to create a window into your business’s operations. They can show your business’s culture, introduce people to your staff and show people how you are involved in your community. Photos you place on your fan page generate 50 per cent more impressions than a normal post.

That is why the second of my social media tips is to be photogenic. If you own a bakery, show your cupcakes. If you own a salon, show people’s before and after shots. If you are an interior decorator, show pictures of you at work.

Being open and creative with your followers will show you deserve to be trusted.

Probe

The third tip is rather simple: ask questions to engage your followers. This simply means starting a discussion and leaving it open for other’s to contribute. You will be able to hear from your followers, understand their positions and it means less work for you.

Asking questions generates two times as many comments as normal posts. When people get involved and comment, your original post is shared in their feed. This entire process spreads your brand throughout their social networks.

These are three simple social media tips that require very little investment in terms of dollars spent. You can still post links to blog posts and share free resources. The most important tip is to keep your content fresh and post daily.

The earlier you move to engage your audience, the more they will want to be part of  your network.