The Authentic Social Approach
Social “Likes” Don’t Mean Engagement
There are a lot of questions about how to engage customers on social media and what that really means to a brand or retailer. The topic companies really need to address is content. They need to ask themselves, “how are we extending our brand’s ethos? How are we defining our brand to our customers? And more importantly how are we being honest about what our brand represents?”
Too often brands get caught up in the posting race and they post whatever they can get their hands on: images of products, promotions, short video’s and everything in between. They post away in hopes of gaining that valuable “like” or “follow”. What ends up happening is a disconnect in the messaging across the brand’s channels (email, search, TV, print, direct mail, in-store, video, mobile etc.), which doesn’t help answer any of the questions above. So, where does this leave the customer? Confused, annoyed, and not really connected to what the brand or retailer stands for.
How do you know if your social media followers are engaged as opposed to apathetic or bored to death? To figure this out, gauge their levels of engagement. Are you getting likes? Those probably won’t get you too far. Shares? A little better. Regular commenters? Even better. Measuring your level of customer engagement is just like measuring a real-life friendship. Ask yourself, “When was the last time we talked? What kind of feedback did the other person give?” Basically, you want to put yourself in your fans’ shoes to determine whether your social media content is up to snuff. If you wouldn’t be excited to read it or click on it, you have your answer… They won’t be either.
Most retailers don’t do enough storytelling. Not everyone enjoys ads, but most everyone enjoys relationships. To get your brand understood, you need to present a well-rounded story on who your brand is, not what your brand sells. Your approach needs to be authentic.
What channels can you use to do this? Any major social media platform. If you can present your brand as a whole story, image-centric platforms might come in handy (platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram). Facebook might be the best place to post your newest blog posts, and perhaps you should use Twitter for small updates, coupons, sales and so on. Each platform can play its part in telling the story. It’s up to you to know what that story is and integrate it into all your messaging.
So the big question is: What kinds of posts drive engagement? In order to grow your social communities, organically, you must create content that is personal – not cold and objective. Marketing experts say this all the time, and it’s true: customers buy from people, not from faceless logos. Content should always serve, entertain or inform. There is no benefit to regularly posting content that overtly attempts to sell. Your brand’s story will sell naturally once people get to know it.
Remember, details are what make a brand memorable. Any retailer can offer a discount or a special, but guess whom a customer will choose among a sea of discounts and specials? The brand that told its founder’s story, posted photos, wrote informative blog posts, polled customers… The brand that engaged them first.
While traditional social media efforts have often missed the mark, the practice isn’t rocket science. Yes, social engagement will take time and tremendous patience and a team getting together the right content for the right channel. However, you can rest assured that customers respond to human-oriented content. If your content is primarily focused on serving customers and sharing your story, people will trust your authentic approach and want to be a part of your story.
@robsreasons
