Some brands overlook the importance of followers. However, faithful followers are likely to buy from a brand. Stellar social campaigns can increase follower count, turn users into leads, and keep existing customers coming back for more.
How do you gain followers, turn them into customers, and keep them coming back for more?
Here are a few pointers.
1: Treat different platforms differently.
Each platform has unique strengths and weaknesses. Leverage the strengths of each platform to reach people better and increase your ROI.
For instance, different posting times yield better returns on different platforms. Different character counts per post do well on different platforms. And different kinds of text and images perform better on different platforms.
But regardless of the platform, keep in mind the importance of visuals. Visual content is over 40x likelier than text posts to be shared on social media. Keep the focus visual and simple.
Instagram is for beauty.
Aesthetically-pleasing posts perform the best on Instagram. If you are using stock photos, choose wisely. If you are designing or photographing your own images, exercise the art of taste. Attention to artistry will pay off in gaining new followers, delighting existing ones, and converting fans to customers.
Facebook connects people.
Most people use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, family, and colleagues. However, this does not mean that Facebook advertising is a lost cause. 79% of Facebook users prefer it over other platforms for connecting with brands.
Twitter is for immediacy, opinions, news, and trends.
Tweets often get lost in the constant stream of new content. Jump on trends quickly, and tweet frequently in order to build your brand’s following on Twitter. Quantity matters most on Twitter.
2: Mix it up
Unpredictability keeps your audience coming back for more. While it is helpful to have some kind of uniformity for your brand, it is also important to change with the times. Vary your color scheme, post differently-themed copy, and use a mixture of images and videos.
3: Engage with commenters.
When someone takes the time to comment on your post, it is worth repaying the favor and engaging with them in turn. This makes it likelier that they will turn from a follower into a fan, and potentially repost your content or buy from you. Brands that engage classily, regularly, and well have a significant advantage over brands that ignore their followers and fans.
Take care how you respond to your audience — in the digital age, it is easy for one social media mistake to be spread around the internet. Some brands that have gained a reputation for bad customer service are continually haunted by their failure for many posts to come.
71% of consumers who have had a good social media experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others.
Reward engaged followers by responding graciously to them. But do not overwhelm them or look desperate by responding with paragraph-long comments.
Stay polite and concise.
The more you say, the easier it is to commit a faux pas. Choose words wisely and use only a few.
By Esther Grace Ehrenman, Digital Editor and Strategist
Sources
1. Dream Grow
2. Hubspot
3. Wish Pond