When friends or businesses reply to your social posts it can give you a little ping of validation: “I am liked/cool/smart, etc.”
And for businesses, consistent two-way social engagement is essential to building customer trust.
BUT, as any social media manager will tell you, replying to all the comments you receive online requires constant attention, authenticity, tact, and a smile(y-face!).
Here’s a few handy tips to help keep your social conversations engaging.
One of the best ways to boost social engagement is to genuinely care about what your audience thinks about your products or life in general.
Sounds simple and it is. Award your audience with the same politeness and courtesy you would in real-time, real-life convos. Show enthusiasm. React with empathy. And always push the conversation forward.
For example, when you get a reply to a social post, don’t dead-end the conversation with a plain yes or no. Ask more questions. Learn. If they liked a blog post, which part particularly interested them? What’s their favorite feature on your new tool? How’s their day going so far?
Remember: replies come from people. People connect with people. Building a connection with the people who propel your business is key.
We all use review websites or search for businesses on social channels to get a feel for various products and services. Not everyone leaves reviews, and often, business have to ask for them.
Whether solicited or spontaneous, whether good or bad, ALWAYS reach out to any review and reply. Replies often incentivize additional positive reviews and reinforce that human connection. They also give you the opportunity to explain or better understand negative reviews and potentially turn an opinion around. Plus, by showing the same care and attention to a negative review as you would a positive one, you up that all-important customer trust factor.
Emojis are a fun and easy way to add personality to your social communications. Most importantly, they instantly emphasize the human element of your business and can soften or lighten up words that otherwise may fall flat or be misinterpreted. The Golden Rule? Text alone can alarm, whereas an oft-used smiley face disarms ☺.
Close cousin of the emoji family, are memes and gifs. Think of them as emojis on steroids. Not only do memes and gifs enhance text but they can also act as a cultural touch point and signal your business as “in touch” or “on trend.”
Tip: When you’ve found perfect or well-received memes/gifs, tuck them away in an easy-to-access place (ehem, like a Marketing Dashboard) for reuse.
If you’re getting a lot of questions about certain products or new changes in your business, seize the moment and turn on your camera. Because sometimes even words, emojis and memes just aren’t enough to get the job done.
Your audience will appreciate that you’ve taken time out from your super busy business life and dedicated a video replying to one of their questions. Plus, it’s the next best thing to being in person and human connection, after all, is the name of the game.
Make it short, sweet and fun. Make it personal — don’t get caught up trying to be perfect. Mistakes are human and endearing. Just be yourself and be sure to smile; a smile goes a loooooong way.
I know this goes without saying and you’re obviously a super duper nice person (except on Mondays, because, hey, Mondays) but always keep things friendly, personable and light in your replies. The tricks and tools above will help but so does distance — so step away from the screen, take a breath and get some perspective before replying to the tough ones.
The best way to build social engagement is to just be nice, help folks out when they need it and always be a smiley, kind and gracious person, even when you don’t feel like it.
