In the past, business communication with customers was a one-way conversation. Ads were purchased on television, radio, or print media and customers responded by visiting the store and making a purchase. Social media has changed the way that businesses and their customers communicate. Communication is now not only a two-way street but also on a public forum with all customers involved. This enables customers to engage with their favorite brands like never before.
Social media engagement is a measurement of the interaction between a company and its customers over social media. It tracks the number of likes, mentions, shares, views, and subscriptions. Ultimately, it reflects the number of people forming a relationship with the brand. With most businesses going online and competition getting tougher, it is essential to make sure that your brand is capturing enough attention.
Why is social media important for your business?
Building a social media presence, attracting followers, and engaging them effectively with quality content seems to be a big effort. It helps to understand what benefits you can expect from your investment in social media. Here are a few reasons why the engagement of social media followers is important.
#1 Social Media Engagement Offers Social Proof of Your Business
When people visit your page and see that you are popular and have happy customers, it builds their confidence in your brand. A large fan base is a testimony to satisfied customers. You may have a perfect product but without an engaged online presence your potential customers will not perceive you favorably. Active and positive engagement will make them much more likely to purchase your product or service.
#2 Social Media Engagement Expands Your Marketing Reach
Regardless of the size of your business, social media allows you to engage with potential customers around the world. On this global platform, using the right tools, you can convert those views into appointments, pitches, and sales.
#3 Social Media Engagement is More Cost-Effective than Traditional Advertising
With traditional advertising, the cost increased with the number of prints made or time on air. With social media engagement campaigns, even a one-time cost can lead to a lot of shares. This generates a lot of views and publicity. Even if a single person shares or retweets your product message, it can reach hundreds or even thousands of people at virtually no cost.
Learn more about the differences between social media and traditional media here.
#4 High Social Engagement Boosts Brand Awareness
Awareness of your brand increases every time an individual interacts with your business on social media. For example, page and post likes on Facebook can be seen by your customer’s friends and followers. This engagement leads to a potential increase in followers and thereby sales.
#5 Engagement Leads to Open Channels of Direct Communication
Customers want to quickly engage with a member of your team if they have a query or a complaint. They prefer to bypass the phone and e-mail and head straight to your social media channels to resolve their issues. A large number of customers expect companies to offer customer service via their social media channels.
#6 Engagement leads to public resolutions
It is every business manager’s nightmare to deal with customer complaints in public. However, when handled correctly this can actually be a PR win for your brand. When you show that you respond to complaints quickly, take issues seriously and resolve the problem to everyone’s satisfaction, your customers will perceive your business as one that cares about their customers not just about the profits. It can also help to learn what people are saying about you and your competitors and be aware of problems or opportunities that you would otherwise be unaware of.
We talk about how to respond to negative comments in this article if you want to know more.
Social media engagement is much more than just the accumulation of followers across social platforms. It is a measurement of the attention that your brand is getting and the amount of interaction with your followers. By paying attention to your engagement you can benefit from better market reach, ROI, and greater brand awareness. If you would like to discuss your social media engagement and strategies to improve it, schedule a session with us today.
