No one Enjoys a One-Way Conversation
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who dominated the conversation? They talk over you, they only talk about themselves and their accomplishments, or when you talk they aren’t listening because their formulating what they’re about to say next. You know someone like this, we all do. And why is it so bothersome? Not only is it rude but it shows a total lack of concern or interest in the other person in the conversation – you. People who engage in one-way conversations usually do not have many wanting to strike up a conversation with them.
Social Media should be a Two Way Conversation
All of the above can be prevalent in our social media conversations. Are we just posting and tweeting engaging and informative content consistently but spend very little time reading, sharing or commenting on other people’s content? Well like in real life conversations, that is bad form. In contrast, if we show our target audience that we are listening, they respond favorably.
“NM Incite’s ‘State of Social Customer Service Report’ claims that 71% of consumers who experience a quick and effective brand response on social media are more likely to recommend that brand to others. That compares to just 19% of customers who do not receive a quick response.”
If you have a conversation with someone obviously interested in getting to know you, have good eye contact, respond to your comments with appreciation and follow-up questions, you will not only seek that person out for future conversations, you’ll also show more interest in getting to know them. So how can we apply this to our social media footprint?
Ways to Start a Two-Way Conversation on Social Media
You have a base of fans/followers on your business page to start exercising your social media listening skills. First follow them back, read their posts/tweets, and like them, share their posts or make comments on. Put some meaning into your comments/replies so they know that you are really listening and show them you have something of value to say. Not just, “True,” but maybe, “Great comment, I have often thought that too and found that …” and this is where you can show your skillset, value of your product/service or show the lighter (humorous) side of your personality.- Show appreciation for their engagement. If they liked your post or started following you, say “thank you for following me”, after you start following them. If they comment on your post, ask a question or leave a review, make sure you thank for their interest so you can encourage others to do the same.
- Seek out conversations about you or your industry. If people are already talking about your brand, then don’t miss the opportunity to convert that interest into sales. Monitor your reviews, respond accordingly and if there are negative comments, it’s essential you do your best to come across as responsive and ready to repair any issues. There are great ‘listening’ tools out there to help monitor when your company name or even product/service are being talked about.
- Hootsuite/TweetDeck
- Google Alerts
- Icerocket
- Social Mention
- Topsy
- Brand24
- Follow others that fit into your demographic. Who doesn’t like to see their number of followers increases? Well, others feel great to see your personal interest in them as well. Take time each week and follow 10-12 people that fit into the description of your target audience. Be selective, don’t just randomly hit follow and make sure your following list doesn’t greatly exceed your followers number. It looks bad for your brand if you don’t have a proportionate ratio of both.
- Get in the conversation, when it relates to your industry. You can search with the use of the hashtag and your targeted keywords to find conversations about your service or product. For example, a wedding photographer may search for #engaged or #gettingmarried to look for newly engaged couples. Then you can congratulate them, offer tips on how to find a wedding photographer in their area, tell them something about your style of work, and then offer a link to your website portfolio.
- Share their thoughts with others. We all like getting credit for our brilliance, our humor or at the very least being in the know. So when someone posts something that will be equally engaging for your target audience hit ‘share’ or ‘retweet’, add a comment why you found this of interest, and thank them with their @username (or Twitter handle). They will feel great you appreciated their posting efforts.
How much time should you spend each day or week on social media responding & engagement? Each company has (or should have) a set schedule of time they can afford to social media management, so divide that time with a 60/40 ratio. So spend 60% of your time formulating and posting good content and 40% of that time responding and listening. Yes, it’s that important, so be consistent. To keep new followers engaged, keeping following, liking, commenting and sharing! You will see that they will respond in kind and you’ll increase your audience and see a higher conversion rate.
