Gaining steam on social media is undeniably an
uphill battle these days. You have to contend with algorithms that make it
nearly impossible to get discovered until you achieve a certain level of
visibility.
Nevermind the fact that social media
overwhelmingly prefers silly or opinionated content—two things that really
don’t gel with the average business’s branding. Sure, you can gain thousands of
shares by posting ridiculous cat videos, but there’s a slim chance all that
attention will aid your business goals.
In spite of the challenges, putting your
business out there on social media isn’t just worth it; it’s necessary. In the
U.S., 87 percent of mobile internet time is spent in apps.
What are the most common apps? Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, to
name a few. In fact, [two thirds of U.S. adults say they get their news from\\
social media](http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/07/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2017/).
Put simply: if you aren’t on social media, you
will have an incredibly hard time gaining brand recognition for your business.
So how can you get traction and grow your
audience on social these days? The key is engagement; the social networks want
to see that your content actually matters to your audience.
How do you get engagement? Start with these
six tips below:
\#1 Talk About Your Audience, Not Your Business
No one logs into social media to talk about
you! Okay, that may be an unfair exaggeration, but our point is that most
people enjoy social media because it’s all about _me_
, _me_
, _me_
.
You can use that tendency to your advantage
and stand out from the crowd by creating content that’s more engaging. Instead
of talking about your business, talk about your industry in a way that people
can relate to. Suddenly, you’re not just promoting, you’re conversing.
Here’s an example: consider a post written by
a local dry cleaner that says, “Our new power cleaning process can bust the
deepest stains! Come in today and mention this post for $5 off.”
While the offer may be tempting and the
service may be useful, people may tune them out. Instead, the business can say,
“Have a piece of clothing hiding in your
closet because you can’t remove a stubborn stain? Bring it to us! With our new
power cleaning process, your favorite outfits can find new life. Get $5 off
your service when you mention this post!”
The difference is all about perspective. When
you write content, don’t just subtly hint at relevance to your audiences.
Instead, write things _for_
them that
subtly steer them towards your business services.
Flipping your thinking around can be a quick
path to more consistent conversions.
\#2 Be a Niche News Station
Another way to branch away from overpromotion,
and to easily find topics to create content about, is to be a font of news and
information for your industry.
A restaurant can discuss exciting new culinary
movements. A healthcare provider can offer self-care tips and the latest
studies on which health practices are most effective. A local gym can share
stretches and exercises people can do at home to start feeling better.
When done right, this content earns your
audience’s interest without your business appearing like it wants something in
return.
\#3 Participate in the Conversation
What if your brand were a really helpful
person? That’s the approach many of the most successful social media marketers
take when they’re building an audience.
Every community has active conversations
happening online - in groups, forums, and by hashtags. Find them and
participate.
When building your initial audience pool, try
to be very active in Facebook groups and public discussions. Avoid coming
across too opinionated and don’t promote, but don’t be shy about being
involved.
By being a helpful participant in the
conversations happening, you build brand awareness for free, become more
relatable, and the default option to turn to when your prospects need
something!
\#4 Aim for Emotion
The smartest marketers know that content that
stirs emotions gets more engagement and shares, and ultimately creates a
stronger connection to your brand.
Any product or service can be used to create a
positive emotional impact with prospects and customers.
Consider Gatorade’s mini film “ The Boy Who Learned to Fly,” which earned the
sports beverage company 15.3 million views and over 68,000 “likes” on YouTube.
It told a powerful story that ranged from exciting to tragic to joyous in just
seven minutes.
But you don’t have to produce a multi-million
dollar Hollywood-style production to have the impact you’re looking for.
Get to the emotional core of what your product
or service offers, and then start small by telling stories about your customers
the highlight the emotions you want to connect with.
If you’re an event caterer, you’re offering
strong memories and good times. If you’re an IT and cybersecurity services
provider, you’re providing reliability and peace of mind. If you’re a dry
cleaner, it’s making your customers feel confident and sharp!
Look for simple opportunities to consistently
add emotion to your content and watch your engagement and visibility improve.
\#5 Ask Questions
There is probably no more powerful social
media marketing phrase than “What do you think?”
The best content creates a conversation, and
questions are the best way to get a conversation started. Asking for opinions
is a surefire way to get your audience talking.
The beauty of asking others for their opinion
is that it can be done in just about every post. If you’re a cybersecurity
company talking about the dangers of weak passwords, you can ask people for
some of the worst passwords they’ve ever seen. Or, if you’re a restaurant
writing about the best foods from around the world, throw in a question on your
post asking your audience about the best meal they’ve eaten abroad.
Soliciting opinions is easy, and it can
reliably earn engagement.
\#6 Really Get To Know Your Audience
The most important factor in creating content
that engages is empathy. Really knowing and understanding your audience is what
will allow you to create content that stands out.
All of the tactics above work well on their
own, but you turbocharge their effectiveness by doing the work of truly
understanding your audiences. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to this - you
just have care enough about your audience to put in the work.
Your Turn!
There are six powerful tips to creating more
engaging content; the secret to growing your audience fast. You won’t get it
all exactly right straight out of the gate - but don’t stop!
Write down your strategy, measure your
results, and experiment to find better performance over time.