Better Ways to Connect With Your Followers on Social Media

There’s a big difference between being active on social media and making a real, meaningful connection with your social media followers. If you’re using social media as a mode of marketing for your business, there are a number of ways you can engage with those who follow your brand. The more engagement your followers have with your company, the more likely they’ll be to share your content, recommend you to friends, and continue to follow you on social media.

• Get personal. Make your social media posts something your followers can relate to on an emotional level. Share real stories about your life or about others who work for the company. Consider a weekly post wherein you highlight one of your team members so that your followers can get to know who works “behind the scenes.” An easy but fun and engaging idea is to use #ThrowbackThursday to share a photo of a company employee now alongside a photo from their childhood, accompanied by an endearing/interesting story your employee wants to share about themselves.

• Be authentic. While there are thousands of posts on the internet that claim to know the “best ways to get more followers,” one of the most crucial things you can do right now is to know your brand. People in general tend to follow brands that give off a “real” vibe – and this includes responding to your followers! Everyone wants to be heard, and they will eventually stop commenting if you don’t reply to them. Whether this means hiring a social media manager or devoting some time each night to reaching out – your customers will be even more loyal if they get a response. Make sure both your posts and your replies hold true to your company’s personality so that a consistent voice can be heard throughout.

• Give! It can be confidently stated that there can never be too many giveaways. Who doesn’t love the opportunity to win free stuff? Getting your followers excited is a great way to encourage them to engage with your brand, and it can attract new followers as well. In order to make contests worthwhile, you must be in touch with your audience enough to be sure of what they want. Also: give away prizes that run in tandem with your company’s ideals and mission. Plan ahead: does your brand need more Facebook likes, Twitter followers or Instagram connections? Reward contest entrants when they interact with your brand on your target social media platform.

• Ask questions. So much of what we put out there online is content coming from the company or shares of brand-relevant posts. Switch it up by posing questions to your audience on a regular basis – and make your questions fun and light. If too much thought or time is required (in both reading and answering) – asking questions can backfire and leave you with nothing but crickets. Ask your followers about themselves, their lives and their experiences.

Increasing and improving the quality of engagement surrounding your professional online social media profiles goes beyond throwing up a generic post several times a week. However, by making a few of our suggested changes, you’re certain to see real relationships begin to form with your followers.