Within the last decade, Social Media Engagement has become one of the top ways for companies to market themselves. When it’s done correctly, it can boost brand awareness and even increase conversion rates.
Yet, what does “correctly” mean, and how can you use the social sphere to enhance your marketing efforts? Let’s take a look at the importance of Social Media and how it can add new life to your brand and improve awareness through engagement.
Why Is Social Media Engagement Important To Branding?
In 2020, more than 3.5 billion people used social media globally — a number that’s projected to increase to nearly 4.4 billion by the year 2025. For companies, this means there is an overwhelming number of potential customers on the Internet just waiting to be found. Social Media helps businesses connect with consumers where they are and when they’re most likely to respond.
If you’re operating a business and looking for ways to engage with your audience, social media absolutely needs to be part of the equation.
Social platforms give you the ability to start conversations and engage with consumers unlike any other marketing channel. For image-centered platforms like Instagram, work out a strategy to create user-generated content (UGC). You can do giveaways and leverage your customized branded packaging to encourage your followers to post photos featuring your products. In many instances, UGC reels in more new customers than curated content by marketers. That’s because most consumers trust the recommendation of other consumers like themselves more than professionally filtered content made by marketers. Plus, you can increase your brand awareness and bolster the number of qualified leads your company receives with a few simple steps.
What steps, you might ask? Let’s dive a little deeper:
How To Use Social Media To Enhance Brand Awareness And Build Engagement?
Social media has certainly made a name for itself for consumers and businesses alike. If you’re trying to determine how best to use these platforms and grow your business, here are some steps you can take:
Don’t Talk About Yourself Too Much
It’s understandable to want to brag about the awesome things your company is doing and the superior quality of your products and services. However, focusing only on yourself can exhaust and bore your audience. Instead, sprinkle in content that speaks to your industry as a whole. If you need inspiration, be sure to join industry-related groups where professionals in your field share ideas and talk about the latest ongoings of their businesses.
Don’t be afraid to join in the discussions; connecting with other professionals can be a great way to build your brand.
Join Q&A Sessions
Talking to other like-minded folks is great, but the people you’re really targeting are potential customers. You can often find those people in forums, asking questions, and looking for answers from experienced experts. If you engage in this type of environment and offer a little free advice, you’re more likely to come to mind when that audience needs the products or services you offer.
Use the information you glean from Q&A sessions to create an FAQ page or document. Then, invite readers to learn more about your brand by visiting your site or downloading the document.
Share Other People’s Content
Don’t be afraid to share and retweet other people’s content, especially if it adds value to your customer base. Your existing and future customers will appreciate the fact that you are there to help them solve problems and get past pain points. The more beneficial information you can provide (even if it’s not original), the more likely you will be to gain followers.
Engage With Your Audience
This one seems obvious on paper, but it can be scary for brands to fully engage with their audiences. All feedback, good, bad, and indifferent should be addressed. People want to feel as though they matter, especially if they have taken the time to comment on a brand’s post. Responding to commenters makes them feel valued.
Create conversations with your audience by getting them to talk about their experiences with your brand. Not only is this a great way to boost engagement, but you can gain valuable feedback about your strengths and weaknesses.
There is a definite relationship between marketing and social media. When you use media platforms to boost your brand’s awareness and audience engagement, people should remember you.
Boosting Your Brand Through Social Media Engagement Infographic
Check out this graphic presentation from those clever guys at Crestline and learn about all these interesting and important facts and figures.
[Recommeded reading: What Is Re-Engagement? Everything You Need To Know]
[Main image: Flickr, Piccadilly Circus by Night by Kris Olin, Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; Infographic by Crestline ; Couple on a bike: Pixabay]
Rebecca Purrington is a Promotional Products Expert with Crestline Custom Promotional Products who specializes in custom PPE and more. She has more than five years of consultative sales experience in the industry and holds degrees in both Social/Behavioral Sciences and Business Management.