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Marketing, Mindset, Social Media

Make Your Social Media Interactions Stick

social media interactions

In these days of multiple social networks, it seems like every app is offering a way to say more by saying less. From Twitter with its 140 character limit to apps such as Vine with interactions condensed to 6 second video clips, you have to streamline your message for anyone to listen to it.

Even with this new reality, you have to make sure that you don’t disregard the quality of your social media messages simply because there are more of them. Every online interaction you have has the potential to bring a customer to your brand. This article (“Your Cheatsheet For Creating Memorable Design”) inspired me because while the rules set out in the article are for making great UX decisions, they can be applied to social media interactions as well. Here are some rules to follow for your daily social media interactions.

1. Watch For Chokepoints

With interaction in the social media environment being so casual and informal, it is easy to forget that you still have to make sure the process of your interactions is easy for the customer. If you want your customer to sign up for a mailing list or join your network, make the process streamlined. Don’t make the process 3 steps when it can be 2. The less resistance there is in the process, the more likely the customer will connect and look forward to more opportunities to interact. If your process is complicated, not only will the customer fail to follow through with your call of action, but they may ignore future opportunities to interact because of the previous experience. Always make your processes as simple as possible.

2. Create In Different Mediums

In web interactions, routine is boring. If you push the same content to your customers and potential customers, you will get lost in the noise. Make sure you add variety to your social media channels. If you write blog posts, add pictures and video content to spice it up. Exploiting multimedia is a great way to strengthen you content offerings. However, make sure this content is as crisp and professional as anything else coming from your brand. Low-quality content for the sake of it helps no one. Collaborate with knowledgeable people who can help you create content if you cannot do it solely on your own. Interesting, quality is a major factor in drawing consistent traffic.

 

3. Give Back To Your Customers

Make your interactions two-way streets. No one likes being constantly shouted at and this hold true in social media. You have to show your customers that you value them even when they aren’t spending money with you. Put relevant advice into your content streams. This way, your customers get a break from being sold to and can also learn from you. This also serves to position yourself as an expert in your field. This can increase your stature in the marketplace and serve to draw even more customers to your business. The more integral you are to your customers life (knowledge + product), the more likely they are to return to you for your services.

Keep these 3 rules in mind as you build your social media strategy and you are one step closer to cultivating a strong social community for your brand!