Rules of Engagement: Social Media Enhancement for Brands

Alongside the ubiquitous nature of digital engagement these days, more and more brands interact with consumers through the online model. Brands, therefore, feel the pressure of the ever-expanding requirement to interact with customers through digital interfaces and new technologies. In most cases, social media is the front line for such engagement. Therein lies the danger. For without careful consideration, the customer experience may become cold and impersonal. If brands are to thrive in this age, their social media channels must adopt a personal and communicative tone.

Think of social media as a two-way channel between customers and the brands they follow. The platform enables direct communication between the two parties in a public forum-like environment. It’s a popular tool used by many and the numbers continue to grow. According to recent reports, almost half of consumers in the US use social media to ask questions, complain or report satisfaction, and a third prefer social media customer service over a phone call.

With all this buzz on social media, it’s important to shy away from robotic postings that dissuade consumers from furthering a conversation. Instead, humanize the type of messages your brand crafts for consumers. Here are several goals your social media postings should accomplish on a daily basis and the necessary tools to accomplish them.

This blog post is part of “Your Definitive Guide to Lead Generation” blog series.

Encourage Community Building

Customers love it when they can personally identify with brands. Show your human side through engaging in community-based discussions. Accomplish this with fill-in-the-blank posts, timely, location specific posts, and images that speak to an audience.

Create a Brand Feel

Take the time to create a personality around your brand. Don’t limit yourself to the objectified product or service at hand. Take some time to figure out a personality and culture behind the product and develop that through social media. Utilize behind-the-scenes posts spotlighting employees in and out of the office, humor through appropriate memes or images, and develop an overall story with the use of “throwbacks” and “flashbacks” to portray a storyline that customers can follow.

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Sharing is Caring

The whole point of social media is to share with others, right? Then why not follow the simple rules of these channels and posts shareable items for customers to enjoy? These include variations of content from images to videos to infographics. Anything that sparks the visual interest of the audience. Also, quotations, however cheesy, tend to perform well in social media. Is blog writing an aspect of your marketing strategy? If so, post teasers a day or two in advance to gain interest prior to posting.

Social media doesn’t have to be a burden. Take the time to humanize your brand for social engagement. You’ll be glad in the end.

How do you utilize social media for brand building? Let us know by commenting below.

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