One of the most important roles of social media for marketing your business, is engaging your audience and building brand loyalty. But it’s important to be selective with the methods you employ to do this, as some forms of online engagement can result in your business being publicised in a bad light.

Social media reviews are one form of feedback that can have either a positive or negative impact on your business. Take Trip Advisor for example. I have read some scathing reviews customers have left about the quality of restaurants, cafes or accommodation.

A news article I read recently highlighted some of the worst Trip Advisor reviews ever, which had me in stitches. I can’t lie! Especially this hotel review posted anonymously, “Do not stay in this dump of a hotel, and I use the term hotel very loosely. I cannot convey strongly how disgusting this place is, blood stained headboards that have clearly been up since the world war (the first one), rude staff, windows that won’t close, no hot water, broken furniture, dirty utensils, broken light fittings and actual poo in the kettle. Pretty sure I’m going to end up with some sort of rash/disease due to the sanitation conditions. In summary, this place is a complete hole.”

To avoid your business being targeted critically, while still openly engaging your audience, I’ve highlighted 3 different ways below that have worked successfully for many businesses. If you’re struggling to find the time to connect with your online audience, source a social media specialist to assist you.

#1 LET YOUR FOLLOWERS HAVE A MOMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT 

A great way to increase audience engagement is to ask your followers from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other platform you’re marketing on, to send you content relating to a topic you’ve chosen, along with a catchy hashtag. Then select and publish the best entries and let the participants know, so they feel special. It’s also a great way to accumulate industry related content for future marketing campaigns or social media posts.

#2 ASK YOUR AUDIENCE TO NAME A FAVOURITE PRODUCT

Another fantastic idea to get your audience to engage, is asking them online to name a favourite product from your range, as well as why they like it. This also builds brand loyalty, because there is a higher level of credibility when your audience markets your products rather than you, and shared experience, as other followers will feel a connection to those who love the same product.

#3 RUN A CONTEST

Contests are an innovative way to connect with your audience, while enabling you to gather unique content to use for future marketing on your social media platforms. Food manufacturing companies often run competitions to discover the best recipes their social media audiences can create featuring a particular product, then post the winning recipes. This not only allows the company to advertise a specific product, it also shows how it can be used in many different recipes, which can also boost sales!

By following these tips you can connect with your audience on a more personal level, as well as increase brand awareness and loyalty. Need some help with social media management and campaigns? Contact the digital and social media experts at Ad On Digital today! The team have the knowledge and expertise to grow your business through social media. You can either call them on (07) 5586 1400 or send them an email today!