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Social Media Engagement: Beyond Likes and +1s

You’ve put lots of thought into your post. You’ve edited the content several times. You finally click that button to send it out to your followers. When you check in on the post later in the day, nobody has shared, commented, or even liked it. After checking the Facebook Insights, you see that just a fraction of your followers even saw the post. What went wrong? And more importantly, how do you fix it?

The best way to answer the “what went wrong” question is to understand how to publish content properly. Social networks reward those who offer compelling content, and they measure how compelling your content is by how many people interact with the post. But what makes content compelling, and how can you make sure people see it and engage?

Here are some tried and true tips to get your social media posts in front of more people:

Use images – Pictures catch people’s eyes, meaning they are more likely to read the text you took time to write. Now they are much more likely to like, comment, or share that post.

Use videos – Again, people are attracted to images in their Newsfeed or Google+ stream. The more you can get them to click, the more people will see the post.

Ask questions – This is one of the hardest tips when it comes to crafting content, but it is a very effective technique. It’s important to remember that you don’t always have to ask questions directly related to cars or automotive interests (or whatever industry you represent). You may try to find a topic that is relevant to the community in which you are located. Does the local football team have a big game coming up? Is there a big community event going on this weekend? These are things that you can ask questions about in order to engage followers.

Keep the conversation going – Respond to the people who do comment. Add your own ideas and opinions to the discussion. This could get even more engagement.

Research your competitors – You visit their websites already to see what they are doing — make it a point to subscribe to their social media also. See what is creating success for them. They are targeting the same people as you, so if they are succeeding in social, follow their lead. It’s already been proven to work!

Do what works for you – This is the most important thing. If something works for your brand, continue to do it! The ultimate goal of a social media account is to extend your brand and stay fresh in the minds of consumers.

In the end, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have or how many people have you in their circles. What matters most is how many of these people are engaging with your content. Social networks rank content on popularity. Just like the old idea that if someone has an opinion they will tell two people, then those two will each tell two people, then all four of those people will tell two more; the social network algorithms operate in the same way.

Social media is a great way to really connect with your customers even when they are not currently in the market. It will help you build trust and lead to a more solid relationship. Next time they are looking for a new vehicle, they will call you first… or maybe they will just post a message on your wall.


Jeremy McBrayer

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