On social, your first and foremost priority should be your audience – responding to customer feedback, engaging with fans and answering questions. In between the demand for help and answers, nurturing your follower relationships and adding value to their lives will help increase loyalty and, ultimately, sales. Ilona Selina, founder of Route Marketing, breaks down how to make sure your social content is contributing to your cause.
The easiest way to do this is to change your mindset entirely about social media. Stop thinking: How am I going to promote my brand? How am I going to sell this product? Instead, start considering: How can I share my knowledge with my audience? How can I educate? How can I inspire or offer something unique to my followers?
Once you have caught your audience’s attention and engaged them through interesting, value-adding content – instead of just another pretty picture – they will want to follow you, look forward to your content, engage with and trust your brand. Here are five easy ways to start adding value to your social media channels.
1. Get to know your audience
The key is to encourage interaction within your posts in a way where you can figure out what your audience likes, dislike and values. Ask them questions, put up some polls and even look at their stories and posts. The more you learn your audience, the better you can tailor your content to create something they genuinely want to see on their feed. Do the filtering so that they don’t have to.
2. Keep the conversation going
Remember: it’s a two way conversation. Listen to your audience’s comments, opinions, ideas and respond. Take the time to thoughtfully reply to questions to show you’re human and you care about them! Simply liking and responding to a comment with a heart or smiley face emoji can go a long way, too.
3. Make your content easily digestible
Big chunks of text and complicated charts are a no-go. Keep your content meaningful yet simple to read at the same time. Can what you’re saying be broken down into a list? A how-to guide? An infographic? Or even be visually narrated through images? When you are efficient with how you organize your content, your followers are more likely to pause, read and even share.
4. Show your personality
Humor and inspiration is what most people need right now, especially to contrast negativity that still lurks on social media. So go ahead, post that meme or cute animal pic. Share your favorite quote or wellness tips. Show your followers that it’s not always about sales, but sometimes just cracking a smile or having a little giggle.
5. Gratitude
The benefits of thanking your Instagram followers are almost endless. Try to make your audience feel as appreciated as possible and give them incentives that will encourage them to nurture your online relationship. Whether this be through a giveaway, offering them exclusive sales or just a kind note on your story. Leave little reminders here and there that show you are sincerely grateful.
As we are a generation that increasingly spends more time online, gift your followers an experience that is worthwhile, almost as a form of escapism. Rule of thumb: remember your audience’s worth and always make it about them.
