Whether you have one follower or one million followers, if you aren’t interacting with your audience you will not be connecting with them on a personal level which can be detrimental to a brand over time. Social media is a great way to grow a platform and build a community through your audience. Although it seems easy enough to interact with your audience by responding to comments and direct messages, there are other “behind the scenes” aspects of connecting with your audience that should be taken into consideration.
Demographics
When learning how to connect with your audience, you want to verify that you are targeting the correct demographic that your brand connects best with. On a business profile, insights and analytical data are readily available which gives you an idea of who is already looking at your posts. This information allows business owners to adjust what their posts may look like and also gives them insight on who to target. With the information that is collected through demographics, targeted ads can help draw a user to a profile or a specific post. Facebook and Facebook-owned platforms have one of the most complex advertising systems, which allow you to specify your target audience by their demographics, location, and interests.
Content Creation
Creating content and captions that your followers can easily interact with is another vital step in connecting with your audience. Users feel more compelled to interact with a brand if they feel emotionally connected to the content being posted. This creates a more “human” feel on social media when you reply to their comments or feedback. If you’re unsure of what kind of content you should be posting, make sure to check out our blog post “Why High-Quality Images are Important” (insert a hyperlink in the text to this blog post) to see what the GCMG Agency recommends.
Marketing Through Followers
Utilizing your followers to spread the word about your brand through word of mouth is an easy way to build and connect to your audience. Prompt interactions within your captions to gain engagement from your followers such as, “Tag a friend in the comments that would like this product.” This not only allows users to interact with your posts but also allows you to interact with potential followers that they tagged in the comments.
Responding and Engaging in a Timely and Appropriate Manner
As important as all of these aspects are, nothing is more important than building a personal relationship with your followers by interacting with them through comments, likes, or direct messages. You want to make sure you are giving your followers respectful responses and engaging with them while it is still relevant and in a timely manner so they feel like they are heard. The photo below shows how not to approach a consumer that expresses their disconcert. Being empathetic and listening to what your consumers have to say, whether it’s good or bad, and reaching out to find a solution will gain the trust of the community you are trying to grow and leave a positive impression on users.
Community management is key when it comes to connecting with your audience. The GCMG Agency has staff on hand that are experts in social media strategy and building a community surrounding your brand. Email hello@gcmgagency.com for a consultation to learn more about the community management services we offer.