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Are you having success with your current social media strategy? Or does it seem like a waste of your time? Here are some ideas to start increasing engagement and gain followers.

Ask yourself some key questions.

• What value are we providing our followers?
• Why should our audience be interested in what we say?
• Why are they following us?
• Are we promoting ourselves without offering them solutions?

To answer these questions, you may need to do some research. Identify problems and needs your audience has by asking questions and taking polls. Then target your content to provide them with information they care about. This will bring automatic interest in what you are saying.

Find out who your audience is.

• Are your followers men or women?
• How old are they?
• Where do they live?
• Which social media platform are they most likely to use?

The top six: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube all reach different audiences and produce different outcomes. In other words, don’t waste your time on platforms that don’t reach the people you want to reach.

Be prepared to talk back.

Effective social media marketing requires two-way communication. Be ready to have a conversation with your followers. This will give you the opportunity to communicate with a potential customer, including handling their complaints or thanking them for praising your services. Tell people what is unique about your business and why they need your services. Add a human element to your content by adding videos of your staff and business so your audience can get to know you on a more personal level.

Get organized and create a social media calendar.

• Do you always promote specific events at the same time every year?
• Do you launch new products in the spring?
• Send holiday messages?

Have a plan in place for the entire year so you don’t forget something important you want to convey. You want to avoid scrambling for ideas at the last minute. People are bombarded with thousands of posts and ads a day, you need to create interesting content that makes you stand out from the others. That will take some planning.

Don’t be afraid to change the plan.

Track the number of comments for each post, tweet, or video with the built-in analytics the platforms provide. When you see an increased amount of comments to videos, post more of them. Whatever content gets the least interaction, phase it out. Watch the day and time of your posts. Could choosing a different time of day get you better results? Or would another platform be more appropriate for your message? Be flexible and try new ideas to keep your audience interested.

Include a call to action to drive visits to your website.

Inviting your audience to sign up for a newsletter or get a quote may be the first step for future business. After visiting your website, they will learn more about your products and services. Think about building a long-term relationship with potential customers and spend time learning what they need instead of getting a quick sale.

Whether you’re answering a question, responding to a complaint, or offering a detailed blog on one of your services, your audience will appreciate knowing someone is responding to them directly to get them the help they need. The object of social media is to make connections and join the conversation about your business and your community. Get started today!