The Engagement Rules – Nurture the Relationship or Watch it Wilt

Your brand has thousands of Facebook fans and even more Twitter followers.  That is great.  Well, actually it may not be that great after all.  You see, it really doesn’t matter if you have thousands of social media users who are a part of your online community if you aren’t engaging with them in a meaningful way on a consistent basis.  In fact, you are better off having a meaningful relationship with hundreds of engaged evangelists than you are piling up fan numbers and followers who you never communicate with at all.

Big Spenders

Want to know why engagement rules?  This is one of those numbers that will even have your boss convinced to push your social media marketing strategy to the top of the to-do list.  In their research for the post “Putting Social Media to Work,” the consulting firm Bain & Co. “found that customers who engage with companies over social media spend 20% to 40% more money with those companies than other customers. They also demonstrate a deeper emotional commitment to the companies.”  So how do you formulate a social media engagement strategy.  Let’s talk about that.

What Did You Say?

Let’s start down a different path than most posts about engagement.  Instead of focusing on what you are going to say, why not keep track of what your Facebook fans are saying and then making sure you enter the conversation.  Many brands fail to monitor their social channels regularly because of the time constraints or lack of resources.  Here’s a tip: Hire a reputable social marketing agency and let them listen and engage for you.

Make it a Habit

If you wish to succeed at getting in or staying in shape, you must develop a habit of regular exercise and eating well on a daily basis.  Keeping your Facebook for business page in shape also requires developing a habit.  Consistency is key when it comes to healthy social media engagement.  Having your Facebook fans involved in the conversation improves your EdgeRank and helps get your brand’s message in front of more of its fans.

Posting Perfected

So now that you know you need to find the time each day to monitor your Facebook conversation and that you need to make it a habit to post consistently, let’s take a look at a few simple ways to create engaging posts.  Posts that include images and videos are a tried and true way to initiate social actions like sharing, commenting or liking.  Asking questions, as in real world conversations, also initiates responses.  Sharing valuable information with links to referenced content gets folks clicking and talking.  And most importantly, at the end the month, take the time to review your Facebook Insights data, see which posts received the most engagement, and repeat the process.

Does your brand have a strategy to build relationships through engagement?  Please pass along your tips below and share your knowledge.