23 Aug How To Authentically Engage Through Social Media
Digital marketing is no longer about simply having a presence online or occasionally promoting products for e-commerce. Consumers prefer companies they perceive as authentic. Social media is the perfect tool to promote authenticity while connecting with targeted audiences.
Here are some tips for building engagement through social media:
Video Content
By 2019, video content is projected to represent more than 80% of web traffic (Video Marketing: The Future Of Content Marketing, Forbes, 2017). One reason for the boom in video is that it works well with any device. This is extremely important in an age where consumers may access social media on a laptop, phone, and tablet all in one day.
With video becoming so popular, businesses must keep their videos fresh and unique. One way to keep consumers engaged is to employ live videos on sites like Facebook and Periscope as well as short term videos on Instagram and Facebook stories. Since this content disappears quickly, consumers need to constantly stay updated with the brand to avoid missing out.
Image Credit: Marketing Profs
Influencers
Influencer marketing is becoming more and more prevalent. Businesses should focus on finding a few key influencers with loyal bases instead of sprinkling the product across many unrelated social media stars. It is important to pick influencers who share interests with the business or are experts in their product field. This makes the influencer’s message come across as authentic and not a generic product placement or advertisement. It is also critical to work with influencers who have an active follower base and who interact with their fans on a daily basis. Though micro-influencers have fewer followers than their million-plus peers, engaging them can actually be more profitable since they:
- Have 60% higher engagement rate
- Underpriced (6.7X more cost-efficient per engagement)
- 2% more weekly conversations than the average consumer
Cultural Insights
Brands can use social media to monitor the conversation regarding their product and how different cultures react. “Social listening” is a great tool for understanding how needs and preferences change across cultural groups –a necessity in our diverse country. Adding a cultural aspect to a brand’s social media presence makes the brand more relevant, in terms of language and appealing to each group’s passions. For example, Hispanics in the U.S. have $1.5 trillion in buying power and over a third prefer Spanish content on social media (How Many U.S. Hispanics on Twitter, Nativa, 2015).
Social media has become the preferred way to communicate with consumers and businesses should take advantage of this opportunity to engage with their consumers. Consumers who interact with brands on social media are more likely to have a positive view and recommend the products to others. By creating authentic content, businesses can create long-lasting relationships with consumers that will become loyal and trusting.
