So you have a Facebook or Twitter account. Now what? Creating accounts is only step one, folks.

Oftentimes social media is thrown into the marketing mix, but it’s severely under-utilized.  The point of building these accounts is to garner social media community engagement of some fashion.  Each business has a following. Social media helps bring it together online, where they are already spending their free time, most likely talking about brands and products.

Social media allows your business to enter a two-way communication channel with your customers. You in turn allow your customers to be heard. This shift in how customers like to be marketed to completely shocked the marketing industry a few years ago. We all learned we needed to be on social media. What got lost in the message we that we need to be active on social media. You wouldn’t start a phone conversation with your customers only to ignore them halfway through because you don’t have time to keep up with the conversation. The same goes for social media. If you’re going to start a conversation, make sure you can continue it.

Here are three short tips on how to build community on your social media networks, which can in turn drive traffic to your website and provide quality lead generation.

1. Talk. Talk to your customers! This means post status updates. Respond to comments or retweets. Interact with your customers so they know your brand is authentic. Share what’s going on with your business to make them feel like they’re getting the latest news exclusively from you. Share personable stories about your staff or other customers to build brand loyalty and mutual appreciation.
2. Listen. Listen to your customers! The beauty of social media is that you can get really great feedback in real time. Whether the feedback is positive or negative, you can respond immediately to either conjoin with the commenter or console the commenter.  Your brand is given a personality and reputation that you can manage more effectively by joining the conversation. You can also learn what your customers really want – market research simplified!
3. Incentivize. Give your fans and followers a reason to be your fans and followers. Some of the most successful brands on social media offer incentives, coupons, and offers to their social media audience, often leading them down a lead conversion path.  In return, their fans and followers help do their marketing for them by sharing the incentive or participating in what you ask them to do. It’s a win-win and your community members will feel the exclusivity of being your fan.

For more helpful tips on lead generation, download our free ebook below! 

About Small Screen Producer

Small Screen Producer is a full service, marketing firm located in Houston, Texas that specializes in online digital media marketing through a 4-step process. Step 1: WE PLAN a custom web presence strategy for your business through website design and development, mobile development, social media account creation and branding. STEP 2: We then POSITION your brand through Pay-Per-Click advertising and search engine optimize tactics that include on-page and off-page SEO that are Google and Bing approved. STEP 3: We then PROMOTE your brand using an Inbound marketing strategy or a content marketing strategy to help you accomplish your marketing goals. We do this through blogging, video production, infographics, call-to-actions, landing pages, and free educational offers. We help you build trust and rapport with your customer base. STEP 4: We then PROTECT your brand’s web presence with a reputation management program that monitors social media and on line reviews. Get started today with a free online marketing assessment of your company’s web presence. Your company deserves it.