It’s difficult for companies of all sizes to successfully utilize social media as an engagement mechanism – a tool that extends beyond information sharing and actually increases website traffic and further builds relationships with potential and current customers. So, here is how to maintain social media engagement with your contacts, regardless of their stage in the customer lifecycle.
- Utilize data to determine optimum sharing/updating/tweeting times. Check out your analytics as well as Klout profile to determine when people are engaging with your social media posts. For me, I try to share around 10:00am, 11:00am, and 3:30pm on weekdays via Twitter. It’s different for everyone, so look at your data and schedule posts that will drive traffic to your most effective web pages (look at your Google analytics and conversions to do this) at these recommended times.
- Be conversational and don’t schedule everything. Scheduling your updates in advance doesn’t mean you’re done and “good to go.” It’s critical to regularly monitor conversations related to your industry or brand daily. This provides plenty of opportunities for organizations to interact with contacts, followers, etc. to earn trust and build relationships (plus, it shows you’re not a robot = bonus).
- If you’re talking to someone or mentioning another brand, do it. Instead of sharing you “really LOVE Right On Interactive” try tagging them in an effort to engage them (i.e., “really LOVE @roi_marketing”). By including their handle, the person or organization is more likely to respond, meaning their fans and followers will also have the opportunity to see your name and potentially engage with you, too. Bonus.
When it comes to social media, remember people are following you for one of several very different and very important reasons:
- They are a current customer
- They are doing consumer research (prospective customer)
- They like the information you share
- They think you’re interesting
- They are a partner/vendor
- They are a competitor
At any point in time one or all of these different audiences is engaging with your social media accounts. It’s critical to use tools such as landing pages and forms to determine who is who and better control who has access to your information and resources.
By utilizing a customer lifecycle marketing platform that combines social media engagement with website analytics and email marketing, marketers can determine and control who has access to resources such as ebooks and whitepapers as well as who needs to be nurtured into the next stage of the customer lifecycle via personalized and targeted email campaigns.
How are you currently maintaining social media engagement with your target audiences?
