Engage Your Social Media Followers With These 5 Basic Tips

Social media rules the day for businesses when it comes to customer engagement. Nowhere else can companies interact with their clients on such a personal and visible level. From your Facebook marketing plan to your Twitter feed, following these key strategies can make your company more appealing to current and potential fans everywhere.

Watch the Attitude

All social media platforms are meant to be fun and casual places for people to virtually hang out. You have to make sure your posts fit in with this positive atmosphere or you risk losing customers. Here are the easiest ways to do that:

• Be yourself: Your fans are following your business because they want to get to know more about you. Share some interesting insights about your company, and they'll keep coming back.
• Be casual: Companies that stir the pot with political posts or controversial statements risk alienating followers. Keep your posts casual and inoffensive.
• Be inclusive: Write social media posts as if you were talking to any Joe or Mary on the street. A neutral tone will ensure everyone feels welcome to participate in the conversation.

Pertinent Content

There is so much news available on the Internet that it can seem as if you are always late to the game. Discussions, news items and other interesting topics have a shelf life of a few days; so don't be afraid to invite followers into the discussion:

• Timely issues: Posts about breaking news or current debates can be great for customer engagement, but it's crucial to be neutral. Just introduce the news and ask others what they think.
• Photo heavy: Social media users love photos. Studies show they get more attention and feedback than other types of posts. Look for photo ops around your company that are suitable for posting.
• Post full links: The metrics gurus at Facebook have found that full website link addresses get more clicks than shortened URLs.

Be Engaging

Discussions are terrific for getting customers involved in your social media feed. Even silly, everyday questions can prompt followers to reach out. Once you've got them on social media, you can push them to your website. Here are some ways to engage:

• Ask questions: Some companies use a fill-in-the-blank question or ask people to vote about which is better between two items.
• Shout outs: If you get a positive review on the company website or a third-party review site, you can post it on social media and thank the customer for their kind words.
• Use humor: Studies show funny posts do better than most others. You don't have to be a comedian, just try to be clever.

Consistent Posting

You might not gather followers if you aren't consistently posting at least several times a week. Customers will get bored if you don't have anything new to offer. Plus the algorithm that screens content might not like inactive accounts. Make sure you do these basics:

• Post regularly: If you are having trouble making time to put up new content regularly, write a bunch of posts at once and use social media software to schedule them.

• Respond to followers: If someone asks a question or even has a complaint, be sure to answer right away.
• Host giveaways and contests: Potential product discounts are the main reason social media users follow company feeds.

Inside Look

Finally, customers love a behind-the-scenes look at companies. It can be fun to see what the regular people behind a business name are doing on a daily basis. As long as no proprietary info is at stake, there is no reason not to share with fans in these fun ways:

• Introduce the team: Take photos of employees and post them with a little info, such as their favorite candy bar.
• Inspirational quotes: Love them or hate them, inspirational quotes are huge on social media. Post those that are pertinent to your company.
• Fun stuff: Asking followers trivia questions, playing games, or even offering playlists can make your company more appealing in their eyes.

With a little practice and persistence, engaging followers on social media can be rewarding. Taking the time to interact with your company's fans is not only entertaining; it also can affect your bottom line.