3 Tips for Engaging Customers on Social Media

By Anne Lucas, CertainTeed.

Here are three steps to boost your social media engagement in a way that drives new sales:

Social media is a great tactic for engaging with customers – it’s quick, easy to use and, best of all, free. But just because you post to your company’s Facebook page doesn’t mean you’ll gain new business from it. In fact, even having a great follower count can mean little if your followers aren’t interacting with your page.

1. Know who your followers are.

Each business will have a slightly different following (for example, your Instagram account probably doesn’t have a lot of the same followers as pop star Ariana Grande, who at last glance has more than 151 million), but we can learn a lot from each platform’s key demographics. Here’s who is active on three popular social media sites:

Facebook: Facebook has 2.2 billion users with 68% of adults logging on every day. 80% of 18-49-year-old Americans use the platform, and even 41% of American seniors (65 years and older) are active on Facebook. 74% of women are on Facebook while 62% of men are.

Twitter: 18-24 year olds are most popular on Twitter with 45% of the age group participating, and use decreases as age increases. Twitter use is fairly even by gender.

Instagram: Instagram, like most social media platforms, is dominated by millennials with 71% of 18-29-year-old Americans active. A surprising 40% of 30-49-year-old Americans use Instagram, and the numbers decrease significantly as age increases. Men and women are equally active on Instagram.

For an added benefit, you can choose to pay to boost your page on each of these social media platforms and select a targeted audience. For example, you can boost your Facebook page to be seen by 30-40-year-old women with an interest in home improvement and located in a certain city. Even a one-time $25-50 boost can increase engagement! Or for more effective and long-lasting results, consider boosting your page for $50-100 every month until you reach a target number of followers.

2. Know why they’re following you.

You’ll gain the most success on social media when you figure out why your followers are following you. What do they like to see? What types of posts do they interact with the most? Which get the least engagement?

Every social media platform has an analytics page where you can learn what posts outperformed others throughout the month. Learn how to operate the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram analytics pages to optimize your social media pages.

At the end of each month, review your company’s analytics and determine which posts gained the most engagement. Make notes of any trends you see, and alter your future social media efforts to reflect these trends.

Some topics to consider on social media are “before and after” remodel photos, project updates, community events, company culture, volunteer work or promoting other, non-competing local businesses.

3. Do what they do.

Social media users choose to interact with businesses and influencers when they’re relatable. Spend some time researching what your followers are talking about, and brainstorm how you can get involved in the conversation.

Here are some suggestions based on the three aforementioned platforms:

Facebook: Facebook is about connection, and connection has proven to be the strongest through video. Plus, the Facebook algorithm loves video, so videos are more likely to be seen than other posts. Think of ways you can incorporate video into your regular Facebook posts (consider including progress at a jobsite, company culture around the office, a Q&A with a contractor, etc.). Plan your entire Facebook marketing strategy with these tips.

Twitter: The key to Twitter is just to be more human. Talk like your customers talk instead of being scripted and appearing robotic. Two of the most popular Twitter accounts from 2018 were Wendy’s and Burger King. Yes, they’re both fast food restaurants, but they talk just like the millennials they’re targeting, and they’re always ready to comment on current trends and events. See how Wendy’s does it in this Forbes article.

Instagram: This is the most visual platform, so aesthetically pleasing Instagram accounts receive special attention. Scroll through Instagram accounts The Minimalist or Tara Milk Tea to see how a color scheme establishes a brand. While it’s unrealistic to expect a similar following, it does show that an established brand that caters to your company’s target audience can greatly contribute to an increased Instagram following. Check out Instagram’s current trends and how you can use them to your company’s benefit.

Regularly posting to social media is an effective way to grow your business that shouldn’t be ignored, but it’s also a big responsibility to take on. If you’re new to social media, begin by creating accounts (we suggest Facebook and Instagram) and posting just once a week. As you become more comfortable, you can increase your post frequency to three times per week.

Check out this article for help developing your social media strategy, frequency and more.

The goal is simply to maintain the conversation and increase engagement – ultimately, when your followers need a remodel, they’ll think of you first.

Learn more about CertainTeed, LLC in their Coffee Shop Directory or visit www.certainteed.com.