The main names are as familiar as brands that have had 50 to 100 years to become well known (like McDonald’s or Coca-Cola). Not only that, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. are more popular than anyplace you’d go on the Web. According to a report from Salesforce, 66% of Internet time is spent on social media sites. And, yes, Facebook is still the leader, and still a connection point for eight in 10 Americans who go online.
Live video is the biggest trend anywhere you sign in. The Salesforce Complete Guide to Social Media says, “All the major platforms are either running and encouraging live video or soon will be. Why live video? Because it’s native content that captures attention and increases the total time users stay engaged with their platform. In a time when content is king, new and original content is in high demand, and live video provides a seemingly endless stream of original content.”
Camera-shy marketers may recoil at the idea of going live. However, if there’s another thing that social sharing of videos has taught us, it’s that people don’t mind amateur videos or first-timers trying an on-camera presentation. You can use live video to demonstrate products, introduce your team or tell your company story.
“Listening” to your customers is another social trend. Actually, listening was always essential, but now social tools make it easier to program into your strategy.
Social monitoring is a level of listening that is more like eavesdropping. You want to hear what customers are saying about your company, especially if it’s negative. Search functions on Facebook or Twitter can help you find mentions of your company, or you can use tools like Hootsuite to keep up. Also, check review sites. Google Alerts can let you know if your name makes the news articles. Or just enter your name in the Google search field to see what’s out there.
Going a step further, social listening means that you’re taking what you’re hearing and making adjustments. Are you noticing common concerns? Are people having problems that you could solve if you added a service? Do they misunderstand how you can improve their homes and lives? As you listen and apply, you can improve customer service. Or add a product your customers need. Or fine-tune your marketing campaigns to more directly address the problems your customers want solved.
Engagement isn’t a new concept, but it’s still essential to your social media presence. If someone comments on your post, don’t leave that comment dangling. Be sure to respond. Thank them if they said something nice. Start the relational repair effort if they issued a complaint. Apologize for any discomfort or inconvenience and ask them to private message you a phone number so that you can call to discuss. (Or request an email address if that fits the problem/solution scenario.)
Engagement is partly responsiveness and partly creativity. Interesting, enlightening, inspiring or tastefully humorous images get attention. Ask questions to generate engagement. Tell stories about your company, your people and your customers. Create bonds with your audience by sharing authentic content. Interact, respond and try to keep the conversations going. Also, contests and giveaways are popular because people always like to win free stuff. But check with your legal team and follow platform rules.
Use a mix of organic and paid posts to increase engagement and reach. Engagement measures are likes, shares, retweets and comments. Reach tells you how many people are possibly seeing your content. You extend reach when people share your content and when you pay to boost posts.