Welcome back! Yesterday in part one of this post, we walked through choosing the appropriate social media platforms and how to develop appropriate content dependent on your audience and goals. Today, we will focus on posting strategically as well as generating deeper engagement with your audience.
Post strategically.
Similar to your content strategy, the timing of content is largely dependent on when your audience is most likely to engage with it. College basketball fans are most involved with their favorite teams on social media during the two or so hours when those teams are playing a game. Therefore, many teams will interact with fans and post relevant content during these times.
When using social media to market your brand, the best times for posting vary by platform. LinkedIn followers, given the professional nature of the site, are most active during traditional work hours. Conversely, Pinterest experiences higher engagement on weekends. Tailoring the time at which you post content on social media will increase the exposure and engagement that your brand receives.
Post frequency is also an important consideration in your overall social media marketing strategy. Follower engagement is low when not enough content is posted, but it will also decline if posts are made too frequently. For example, four tweets per day is an optimal amount for Twitter users. By paying attention to the frequency of your posts, followers will not be bogged down with too much content, but will be more inclined to stay engaged with your brand. Social media marketers must toe the line between being present/accessible and too “in your face” at all times.
Engage with your followers.
In today’s fast-paced world of technology, it is often more convenient to schedule social media posts ahead of time and not devote time to engaging with your audience in real time. However, taking this approach can diminish the experience that your followers have when they interact with your brand on social media.
Some of the most successful college basketball teams on social media consistently respond to fans and find new ways to increase participation rates through the form of question-and-answer sessions, surveys, and contests. Your brand can experience similar success by having real-time conversations with followers and by thinking outside the box when brainstorming ideas of how you can better interact with them.
It is no secret that college basketball and March Madness likely have little to do with your company or brand, but many teams have mastered the social media space through their use of appropriate platforms, by posting purposeful content at the right times and frequency, and by being engaging members of each network. If you can implement these tips in your company’s social media marketing strategy, I am confident that you will be able to meet your marketing goals and take your company to new heights. Think about what it could mean to have clients and supporters of your brand as rabid as some of the college sports fans that you know. That should be motivation enough to continuously improve your social media engagement to further cultivate customers for life.
For more on the basics of how social media integrates with Customer Lifecycle Marketing, be sure to check out our e-Book, Lifecycle Marketing 101, for tips and strategies at every stage of the customer lifecycle.
