How to be more social on social media?

Social media platforms have become a battleground of brands all competing for the top spot in the rankings. There are many companies out there that are also trying to reach your target audience. Platforms don’t make it easier, with ever-changing algorithms and increasingly restrictive rules and requirements.

You may be forgiven for thinking that the only way to shine is by spending a fortune on social media advertising, but it is possible to achieve the results you are looking for by engaging with your followers. Don’t get us wrong, we are not saying you shouldn’t be spending money on ads, but ad spend without compelling content is an utter waste of time. Promoting bland posts won’t make brand advocates of your customers or increase your sales. You need to get in touch with your market, get out there, and find out what they are all about. Forget the sales strategy and try to add value. Do you need some help? We have tips for you on how to be more social on social media.

Pick your channel carefully

It’s really easy to fall into the routine of posting the exact same content on all your channels, but that is a pitfall you should really avoid. Followers want to see original content and they are super picky about it. Follower fatigue is a result of repetitive posting without of meaningless content. They are so used to being marketed to that they just scroll right past anything that isn’t interesting enough. Reposting the same content across all your social media profiles could also bore followers that follow you on more than one channel. The channel is important, but variety is key. It is already extremely difficult to compete with hundreds of companies for new followers, don’t risk losing the ones you already have.

Show your personality

There is tremendous pressure to be more exciting and more innovative. Followers have become far more demanding and they want to see quality content on their feed. If you are not providing fresh content consistently you will lose your followers to competing brands that are one step ahead of you. What better way to be original than being authentic? People want meaningful interactions and if you humanize your brand, followers will be attracted to that human element. They will forget that you are a business selling products and services. Show your personality, be warm and welcoming. Have you defined the tone for your brand? If you haven’t you should do so now as it formalizes how you should communicate with your customers.

Inspire user-generated content

The holy grail of social media is user-generated content. There is no greater measurement of engagement than when followers, unprompted, post content that positively represents your brand. Just in case you aren’t familiar with the concept, user-generated content is any content that has been created and published by unpaid contributors. The industry your business is in will dictate what kind of content you need. It is easy to get user-generated content when you are selling makeup, or have a fashion line, the real challenge is when you have a product or service which is less tangible and harder to promote. Consider what need you are fulfilling. You can really only inspire your followers when you understand them completely. What can you use to inspire your followers to promote your brand independently? Look out for our next blog on how to turn customers into advocates.

Publish standout posts

Viral posts are not made from mediocre campaigns, so focus on creating content that is daring and bold. Of course, getting this right may seem easy on paper but hard in reality, because constantly coming up with fresh content is difficult to do. It requires an enormous amount of research, time, and dedication. How do standout posts help you to socialize more on social media? Creating thought-provoking content leads to interaction, which in turn leads to conversation. Focus on storytelling rather than posting for the sake of posting. People want to be captivated and posting facts about your products will not win you any fans. As with anything in life, you get what you give, and social media is no different.

Get out there

Okay, so you have picked your channel, worked on being more open and showing your personality, inspired your followers, and published standout posts. What more could you do? The answer is quite simple, just speak to your followers and listen to what they have to say. All the greatest content in the world will mean nothing if you do not engage. Send messages to your fans, respond to their questions as swiftly as you can, and like and comment on your followers’ posts. Everyone is yearning for authenticity. We might be able to run our lives from a computer, but we still crave relationships. Be a sincere human being, speak to your followers, share in their stories, and give them what they are looking for most, a meaningful connection.