If the first few months of 2018 are anything to go on, this is going to be a year of serious self-reflection when it comes to the way we use social media both personally and professionally. Whether it’s the neverending algorithm changes, the data collecting and mining, or simply an awareness of how much time we’re spending scrolling aimlessly, people are dropping these platforms in droves. However, social media can still be an incredibly important tool for us as business owners in connecting with our customers, giving us the ability to build and maintain authentic online relationships that carry over into our real-world interactions. The temptation to jump ship in order to spend less time online can be hampered by our desire to hang around and reap the benefits social media can provide our business, leaving you struggling with an internal tug-of-war.
Here at Neon Canvas, we believe that you can have the best of both worlds. You can make social media work for you while prioritizing time offline by focusing on social media engagement rather than marketing. Retaining your existing clients is as vital to your brand’s success as bringing new ones in, and having positive reviews and consistent interaction by and with them on social media can significantly increase your credibility. To achieve increased and profitable engagement on social media, you can:
Share the spotlight
People love a little public recognition. By celebrating those around you, be it their successes, milestones, or strengths, you invite your followers to do the same. Recognizing your family, friends, employees, vendors, or other local business owners is an incredibly easy way to share your appreciation for others and build positivity within your community at the same time, something people will naturally respond to.
Continue to share “behind the curtain” peeks
We’ve mentioned before how much people love to catch glimpses of us behind the scenes, and involving them in all your endeavors as a business builds more than just followers – it creates relationships. By sharing a little bit about what goes on behind the curtain of your day-to-day business, welcoming feedback, and making it a practice to reply to comments regularly, you can involve your social media communities in ways that make them valued and heard without an overwhelming amount of effort on your part. People who feel that their input is appreciated by you will often feel invested in your success!
Write the way you talk
To connect more deeply with your followers on social media, take care to candidly share the things that matter to you. Authenticity comes through in content that’s written in a genuine, personal tone, particularly if that content informs or entertains your audience. Start with something you care about, and create your post as if you were telling your best friend all about it. As an added benefit, Facebook’s current algorithm optimizes this posting style, so your sincerity pays off for your brand in more ways than one.
Increase your impact with images
A picture’s worth a thousand words for a reason. Images are able to deliver a message far more effectively than words can. Posts that contain images will often get double the engagement of those without, so it’s always in your best interest to have a high-quality photo accompany any social media post, no matter the subject. Focus especially on images that feature people, as they tend to perform the best, and it’s even better if you can include your own clients whenever possible.
It’s important to remember what’s truly important. Behind these tips lies the bigger truth that in order to maximize its impact, you can’t view social media solely as a marketing vehicle. It can create a genuine community around your brand if you let it. And the best part is that by making sincerity and a genuine desire to connect cornerstones of your social media strategy, you won’t have to spend so much time trying to craft an image that doesn’t truly reflect you and your brand. That means less time “selling” your business online, and more time to do the things you love away from social media. It’s a win-win!
Speaking of wins, Neon Canvas has a wealth of experience in creating award-winning content for a wide range of businesses. If you’re looking to hand off the social media marketing baton completely, we’re ready, willing, and able to take that from you and run with it! From the initial concepts to launching your online presence and beyond, we will work with your business to give it the signal boost it needs, leaving you free to focus on providing stellar service during office hours and enjoying your free time outside of them. We appreciate having you onboard, and we’re always here to help you be more successful in whatever way we can!
Kyle Fagala, DDS, MDS
Co-Founder, Neon Canvas