Hi, its Caitlin, your friendly community coordinator here to talk to you about social media!
Chances are your company might have a Facebook and Instagram page, maybe even a LinkedIn page. You create content and schedule posts a few times a week, only to then set and forget.
Social media is a 2-way communication platform, but we so often see brands mistakenly use it as a notice board or billboard. What they are missing in their social media management activities is an important element called *Community Management* which includes activities such as liking, commenting and interacting with your community in a public online space.
Now take a second to imagine you’re telling a friend a really interesting story that is full of wild facts – only to then run off to the hills after an abrupt conclusion, leaving your friend standing there full of follow up questions and confusion. This is what you’re doing to your audience.
Let’s face it, no one would do that, so stop doing that to your audience! If you want your audience to continually be engaged with the content you are posting then it’s important to *engage* *with* *them*.
This could be on your company’s own social media page, perhaps a direct message, or even in a Facebook Group. Wherever it is, it’s essential that you are connecting with your audience in one way or another to fully reap the benefits of your social media strategy.
In this blog I will take you through 6 important reasons why you should be including Community Management in your social media strategy.
Increases Brand Awareness
Social media is the place people turn to for brand discovery. Think about it – if you are considering going to a new restaurant or ordering from a website that you have never heard of before, the first thing you will do is head straight to social media to look at reviews , see if they are active on socials, and look at the kind and quality of food they’re offering.
Users are more likely to discover you if there is social noise associated with your brand. The more you post, comment, or engage online, the more likely you will pop up in your target audience’s feed.
(PS, if you want to know how to make your brand recognisable, read along here to find out).
Builds a relationship with your customers
The more you engage with your customers regularly on social media, the more connected to your brand your audience will feel. It’s also a great way to make your customers feel included and recognised; it shows that your brand truly cares about providing them with the best solution.
Helps you understand your customers’ pain points
Creating a space for your customers to feel welcome and free to ask questions and advice is an amazing way to come up with high value content ideas. For example, if a customer comments on a post asking how to use your product, you can help solve a problem for your customer *and* have a new idea to create a piece of content your audience will connect with.
Creating content based on your community management makes it far more relevant to your audience’s pain points because, chances are, if one person is asking that question, others may be wondering the same thing.
Humanises your Brand
Providing a tone and a voice to your brand can help humanise your brand. Instead of setting generic replies to your customers, it’s important to customise your response to their individual question. A little tip is using your customer’s name in their reply, such a small thing that can go a long way in making your customer feel seen and heard. You will be able to steer away from being a #robot and head straight towards being a respected and valued brand.
Positioning your brand as a thought leader/expert
Publishing thought leadership content on your social media can be an excellent way to position your brand as a thought leader. But what increases your brand authenticity and credibility further is replying to your customers’ questions.
If you can successfully engage with your customers, providing a safe platform for them to start a conversation with you, the more likely customers will come to you when they’re ready. After all, authenticity converts.
Gives you the chance to flip negative reviews
Feedback is a gift, as corny as it sounds it is so incredibly true. By your customer providing a review it gives you the chance to potentially solve or flip the situation. For this reason, it’s so important to be monitoring comments and reviews on your social media and replying to them.
Replying to your customer puts you in control of the situation and shows not only that customer, but other potential customers that will see the comment, that your brand truly cares about them.
Conclusion
The best and most successful accounts on social media are the ones having conversations. Creating content that their community wants, that goes beyond a ‘set and forget’ mentality. It’s important to nurture your community and support them no matter what stage of the buying funnel they are at.
If you would like any more information on how community management can benefit your team or social media outcomes, get in touch with the team at BeKonstructive Marketing today.
