Since the creation of social media platforms like Hi5, Friendster, and MySpace, expressing yourself online and connecting with people around the world has become extremely convenient. Back then, these platforms allowed users to connect with people around the world, meet new friends, and become their own personal online diary. When these social platforms were first released, it was dedicated for individuals, you wouldn't be able to find businesses on them.
Today, social media platforms are more than just a place to message your friends living 1,200 miles away, but an outlet for people, and even brands, celebrities, and businesses to express themselves. In fact, it has become one of the most convenient places for brands and companies to connect with their fans, prospects, and customers.
Think about how much social media has changed!
Ten years ago, you wouldn't be able to have a conversation with the representatives and executives behind a company. In order to get your concerns or feedbacks to the business, you would have to wait on the phone for 45 minutes or send an email that would rarely get a response.
Today, customers can simply Tweet them on Twitter, message them on Facebook, or leave a post on their wall. For businesses, you can share the latest news, updates, and have a conversation with anyone interested in your company.
However, starting a good conversation and avoiding a one-sided conversation can be tricky. So, how can you ensure your fans will engage in a conversation with you on social media?
Stay Current & Get Personal
In today's digital age, businesses need to be recent and aware of the news and events occurring around the world.
Social media platforms have allowed news to spread quickly across platforms, and if you're behind on current events, you could miss a great opportunity to connect with your fans.
For many of us in Toronto, the Blue Jays and Raptors have been a big deal for all of us. Whether or not you're in Toronto, chances are, your followers are a fan of specific teams or sports leagues happening right now. So, why not get personal and share something that can be relatable across all platforms?
During last year's baseball playoffs, TechWyse supported the Blue Jays on their first playoff game in 22 years by sharing a photo of our team decked out in Jays gear.
It showcases our love for Blue Jays and the amazing team behind the brand. Ask your fans whether they are watching the game. Are they a Blue Jays fan as well? If not, which team are they supporting?
Ask Questions
Ask questions and express interest in your fans. Social media isn't all about sharing updates about your company. You don't want to seem salesy and push fans away.
You can easily Tweet to Twitter and post a message to Facebook or Instagram to ask how your fans are doing and to get to know them on a personal level.
For example, if the weekend is here, you can ask them about their weekend plans. If you're in the hospitality industry, you can even ask questions regarding their plan and suggest visiting your business for the weekend.
Twitter Polls
In October 2015, Twitter rolled out Twitter Polls to allow Twitter users to weigh in on questions posted by other people on Twitter.
Often times, your Tweets might get missed by your followers. The reason is because there are so many Tweets that appear on someone's feed. I'd like to think that Twitter Polls are slightly different. Because they're unique and are interactive, they tend to catch a person's eye when they're scrolling through a large number of text Tweets.
In addition to being a great research tool, Twitter Polls allow your followers to voice their opinion and engage with you. They're eye-catching and a great way to see users' opinions on specific topics.
Share Quizzes
I'm guilty of spending countless minutes doing strange quizzes on BuzzFeed. But, you have to agree that they're quite fun to do!
Many people love sharing their results with others. Not only does this generate conversations between the business and the customer, but also customers with each other as well. You can also get to know your fans and their interests too.
Caption It!
One of the best ways to generate engagement on social is through visuals. However, simply sharing an image on your social media platforms isn't enough.
To get your fans commenting on your photo, I often like to ask fans to "Caption This." It's a great game to play and it allows fans to let their creativity and imagination go wild. Ask your fans to caption photos for you and have them be a part of your business.
Aside from traditional outlets like phone calls and emails, social media is the next best thing to have conversations with your customers. It's quick, convenient, responsive, and direct. What are some other ways to generate conversations on social? Share with me your strategies in the comments below!
on
I’m pretty sure the usage of the social media sites for company is very useful. There are some companies here in the Philippines interact with their fans through messages. We all know that in facebook everyone can message the page. Even troll messages. There’s this trend here that you ask for advice but not with their friends but with the page of a company and it was entertaining to see them reply! They ride the trip of their fans! I mean it might not sound very professional but it sure does help their PR. I think?
on
I’m amazed by how many companies don’t use social media as a way to interact with their users, it’s so easy to just pop in and ask “your people” a question or update them with something new, people love when they get to interact with a company. Also, I’ve seen a lot of them asking questions on Facebook but they don’t bother responding to some of the users, which I think it’s not the best idea. Interaction is key, I always make sure to answer to some of the responders when I ask a question on Facebook/Twitter.
on
Using quizzes to connect with people is an interesting concept that I never explored. How fascinating that I never thought of it, and it’s so obvious. I suspect creating your own quizzes would be even better!
on
This is well written piece on how to engage people on social media. the Twitter polls really help and bring people together. you have taken your time to write quality content and hopefully it will be useful for a lot of social media marketers. thanks for taking your precious time helping others understand social media marketing.