As an expert social media company in Surrey, Thunderbolt knows that it can be easy to fall into the trap of measuring the success of your social media campaigns by the number of page likes or followers they garner. But focusing on vanity metrics such as these can often end up giving too incomplete a picture; after all, a large number of followers does not guarantee enquiries or sales for your business. That being said, what should be used to measure social media marketing success? The ultimate goal we recommend that businesses work towards is to have an active, engaged audience with brand loyalty. So how do you actually achieve this? Obviously, there’s no magic formula, but there are certain best-practice steps you can take that will increase your chances of success…
Be Genuine
A good place to start is by showing your company’s human side and being genuine. This is something that we suggest for a lot of clients, especially on their Facebook and Instagram accounts! It’s good for your audience to be able to imagine people actually going about their business at your company, rather than seeing it as a faceless corporation. Take a leaf out of Thunderbolt’s book and post pictures of your team (make sure that they don’t look overly staged or edited) and remind users that there’s someone on the other side of the computer screen! Be humorous, share opinions, and discuss current events (though be mindful to keep the last two business-appropriate!).
Interact with your followers
Content is king, but don’t churn it out at the expense of overlooking comments and questions! It’s easy to feel ignored online, especially by larger corporations on social media. Actually replying to customers in a meaningful way will stick in their minds, and make your brand more memorable to them in future – they’ll also be more likely to comment again if they know they’ll get a reply, which can strengthen your relationship further!
Post regularly
You’ll also want to try and become a familiar presence on social media to your followers, which you can do by posting regularly. You don’t always need to stick to a rigid schedule (though planning your social media presence ahead is definitely recommended) – just try to steer clear of posting erratically, as this can alienate your audience, who will lose trust in your brand and forget about you in your periods of silence.