How You Interact Matters: Outbound Engagement
What’s the point of having social media accounts if you’re not going to actually be social on them? Just having a social platform and posting a few times a week just isn’t enough in today’s social media landscape. Let’s face it, everyone uses social media nowadays. How do you make yourself stand out and continue to grow? Outbound engagement!
Outbound engagement is the act of reaching out to your audience. Besides the basics of responding to inbound messages, outbound includes searching for potential clients, people that you want to work with, or a target audience to create organic conversations. Below, we will explore some basics to social engagement, and how to fully utilize it with your brand.
Be Consistent
It’s simply not enough to make a few posts and respond to some comments. This shows the audience that you either don’t care to respond or you only respond when it’s convenient for you, which can lessen your chance of them ultimately purchasing your product or viewing your page. Feedback is essential in bettering any processes and taking the time to listen and engage with comments shows you care.
To get people into the habit of engaging with your content, try implementing a social strategy that has some sort of theme or schedule. An example could be implementing Instagram and Twitter polls on Tuesdays to ask followers questions, or posting a weekly video on Wednesdays to discuss a product. For more ways to implement Instagram tools for your brand, check out this blog post. Having consistent postings can help audiences find, or even know when to look for your next post.
Be Genuine
People don’t want to hear a boring “thank you” just as you don’t want a simple “good article” to content you work really hard on. Be sure your responses are not only valuable but catered to that specific interaction — be as personable as you can be. When communicating with other brands, have fun, but don’t pester them. Create a conversation over something shared on a platform like Twitter or Instagram. This is a great way to get your name out there and to network for potential partnerships. Showing some basic human characteristics can give your brand a sense of personality, which can bring more views and create brand loyalty.
Studies back the idea that people unfollow brands on social media are using jargon, not replying to messages, and not showing a personality. Analyze your audience to be sure of what works and what doesn’t. You’ll encounter some trial and error as you implement new strategies — and that’s okay, as long as you’re showing that you’re trying!
Be Creative
Thinking outside of the box can pay off when it comes to engaging with your audience. Think about involving industry or company news, graphics, memes, trendy holidays, and even trending topics into your content strategy. No one wants to see the same type of post seven days a week, so implementing different ideas is key. Remember, the social platform should showcase your brand’s personality. What can you post to make you look good while benefiting the product?
Moreover, a great way to continue outbound engagement is switching up your medium of posting. For example, say you’re using Instagram, try using various features in the app such as Boomerangs or filters. Instagram also allows for various stickers, audio, and customization on all graphics and videos. Create a poll on Twitter or Facebook to get feedback and create a conversation. Your audience will appreciate the effort.
When You Work With Cosmitto
Outbound engagement sounds pretty straightforward, but can be tailored and perfected to boost the overall social medium and brand. At Cosmitto, we take the time to build an organic interaction so that you’ll have real, engaged followers. Consistent outbound engagement will not only continue to enhance the brand appearance, but it’ll help the audience associate with it, too. Get in touch with us today to get started.