In the past, business owners could get by with minimal engagement on social media. Today, that’s no longer enough. Small businesses need to engage with their audience in order to build loyalty and trust, build relationships and increase sales. Here’s why:
Small businesses aren’t engaging on social media.
According to a study by Sprout Social, small businesses are only engaging on other people’s posts 2 times per day.
There’s a lot of talk about the importance of engaging on social media. But what does it really mean? What are you actually supposed to be doing when you engage with your followers, customers, community, and audience? And why is is so important?
Engaging means responding quickly to comments, questions and requests—not just once in a while but regularly. You should also share relevant content from other people in the industry (content that you know your audience will like). And don’t forget about commenting on others’ posts—you don’t want to come off as an impersonal brand account.
Engaging with customers has many positive effects for small businesses.
Engaging with your customers can only help your business. With the average business only engaging twice a day, you can really make your business stand out with the click of a (like) button. Really. You can just like a customer’s post from your business account and they’ll look at your brand differently.
When you engage with your community, they feel seen and heard.
When people see that you care about what they have to say, it makes them feel like their opinion matters. And when a customer feels like their opinion matters, they are more likely to buy from you!
It’s not just about sales though; when customers feel valued by the business they support, it builds trust and loyalty between brand and consumer which is the foundation of any strong relationship. If someone knows that their feedback is being listened to and taken into consideration, then they will be much more willing to spend money on your services or products in the future.
Engaging with your community also helps establish an authentic connection with people—and social media is one of the best ways for businesses today to create these kinds of interactions because it allows us all equal access through various platforms such as Facebook Live videos or Twitter chats (just look at how many celebrities have done this recently).
Engaging with your followers helps to build loyalty and trust.
It’s no secret that people like to connect with and trust people who share similar interests and backgrounds, so if you have a community of customers who enjoy the same things as you, interacting with them is an easy way for your company to become a part of their lives.
This sense of togetherness helps ensure that even if someone doesn’t buy from you right away (or ever), they are likely still invested in your brand. This gives both parties something valuable: You get someone willing to try out what you sell; they get an inside look at how other members interact with products before making a purchase themselves or recommending friends do so as well.
Engaging with your following builds relationships.
Engaging with your following on social media helps to build relationships. It also helps you to build relationships with your customers, and even more importantly, it builds a relationship between you and your community.
The power of a community cannot be underestimated. When customers know they can depend on their business to provide them with the answers they need, that’s when they start becoming loyal customers. A loyal customer is more likely to refer other people who might want to buy from you as well!
Gain more engagement by engaging with your following.
Engaging with your followers is something that many small businesses don’t do enough of. However, it’s a great way to foster a relationship with those followers and give your business more visibility in the community.
One easy way to engage with followers is by responding to comments on posts, which can make all the difference in getting people to follow you or not. When someone takes the time out of their day to comment on something you share online, they’re making an investment into your business—and if you respond genuinely and quickly, they’ll appreciate it!
Don’t stop at just responding though; ask questions and respond thoughtfully! This will help readers feel like they have ownership over what’s happening in their community (this could be anything from an event announcement), allowing them more reason than ever before why they should come back again next week/month/year etcetera..
Set aside time to engage on social media.
Set aside time every day to engage with your followers, community members, customers, competitors and industry experts. This is the only way that you’ll be able to develop relationships with them and build a strong following of loyal brand advocates who will promote your business when they see an opportunity arise.
All you need is 5 minutes in your day. With 5 minutes of your day you can scroll your feed and leave a few likes and genuine comments.
We hope that we’ve convinced you that it’s worth your time to engage on social media. The truth is, there are a lot of benefits for small businesses when they engage with their followers, and this can make a huge difference in how successful your business is. It’s something that we should all be more aware of—and if you’re not doing this already at least try out some of these suggestions!
