While witty captions and perfectly curated Instagram themes are exciting, it will fall flat without a proper strategy in place. At REES + STAGER, we believe in going deeper and assessing the potential of social media beyond its filters. We always ask ourselves “how can we add value?” or “how can we educate our audience?” and encourage our clients to do the same.
A well crafted strategy considers the benefit of each social media platform as well as the potential for engagement. Getting clear about your audience and where they engage is important because content needs to be curated specifically to each platform.
And, of course, be clear on what your social media goals are. If your goal is to drive sales, your content needs to reflect that and you will likely be sharing offers or products with your audience, encouraging them to take action. If your goal is to be a thought leader, your focus will be to create impactful and value-packed content. Remember to keep your goals specific and measurable, so you will know if your social media efforts are bringing a return on your investment.
Consumers in the digital space are becoming more and more savvy and can easily spot an impersonal interaction. It’s important, more than ever, to be intentional and authentic in your social media engagement and in communicating with your audience. Real engagement goes beyond likes and comments, but rather shows an interest in your customers, shares your expertise and asks meaningful questions to generate conversations.
Growth happens from interactions outside of your own account. Make it a daily effort to seek out like-minded individuals and engage with their content. Like their posts, leave a comment, show that you care. This turns strangers into loyal followers and hopefully introduces your brand to their tribe. But again, be authentic. Only comment when it makes sense.
There is something intimate and special that happens when brands show behind the scenes moments or a peek into their company culture. When they share the things that are important to them or when they inform about where a product was sourced from, it offers an open armed invitation into their operations, which creates trust. At the end of the day, people want to buy from brands they know, like and trust, and the best way to achieve these through social media is to give your audience an insight into other aspects, possibly every aspect, of your business.
Think about a time in your life when you made a purchase because a friend recommended a product to you. Genuine engagement on social media has a similar effect and outcome. If your social media goal is to drive conversion, one of the most efficient ways to do so is to position yourself as a brand or person worth trusting, and the conversion will happen organically.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for driving conversion on social media, as each platform will differ in its needs. You need to be clear on what action you want your audience to take before you try to figure out how to get them to do so. For example, if you want them to sign up to your newsletter, you should entice them with a customer testimonial or a promise that you will send out content at the same time each week/month. There are various “hooks” to turn engagement into conversion, like an irresistible free offer (think: sign up to the newsletter and get a free guide to downtown Ottawa), aligning yourself with a strategic partner or hosting a contest. The most important element of leveraging social media engagement into conversion is remembering to continue to engage with them even after the point of conversion.
At REES + STAGER we are big believers in the power and value of social media. It offers endless opportunity for brands or businesses to spark insightful conversations, to make connections or to be of value. As creative and strategic thinkers, we are seasoned in helping clients overcome their social media hurdles, creating an actionable strategy and executing it with ease. Give us a call or send us an email and let’s connect about elevating your brand engagement on social media.
