What's happening?

Five steps to engage with your social media audience in 2017
27 Jan 2017
by Kirsty Smallman

Social media marketing for your business is vital – especially in 2017.

While it’s important to consistently post relevant content and grow your follower base you have to make sure that you’re listening to your audience. Below are five steps as to how this can be accomplished.

 

 

online-1905876_1920

The art of social listening

As a business you’re not always going to have time to sit down and monitor all your social media channels. Whether you have a calendar to work from or you post on an adhoc basis, it can be time consuming. So the need to assess how your audience responds to your brand might not seem like a priority – but it is.

Listening to your audience is extremely important. What are they saying about you? Is it positive or negative? Are they acting as a brand ambassador by reviewing and promoting your products and services? If you look past your brand for a minute you will discover what is happening within your industry, and this can be a powerful tool.

Keyword lists

Researching phrases that keep coming up in discussion across various social media platforms is the perfect way to be able to create a keyword centric strategy. Listen out for anything that relates to a specific product or service that people might be talking about or searching for.

Don’t forget that your competition can also provide a field of useful keywords that you can use as part of your strategy. Leave no stone unturned especially if it can help you build a closer and more trusting relationship with your followers.

Tools to help

Today’s socially connected world has an array of useful tools that can help you listen and track the keywords your audience discuss. Hootsuite is an ideal resource and acts like a central hub for all channels. It’s like looking at a bank of CCTV monitors, you keep watch on all those terms that people mention which link to your business and industry. Other tools include HubSpot and Google Alerts to name a few.

Engagement strategy

Once you have collated all of your keywords together the best thing to do is create a strategy. This strategy will layout how you will engage with your audience and respond to them in a timely and informative fashion.

Comments that praise your business as well as critique it should be responded to. But don’t forget to take part in any industry discussions, this will create an engagement buzz. Keep in mind the language you use when connecting with people. A response on Facebook might be slightly different to how you would respond on Twitter.

Monitor results

As with anything in marketing, being able to monitor your results will help you to change areas that are not working and focus on those that are. Some users may be more confident to come forward and discuss your brand, while others may hide in the background. It won’t always be plain sailing but with these steps you should be able to effectively listen to your social media audience.

If you need help with any part of your social marketing then contact the team at J&PR today.