If you feel underwhelmed by your lack of “likers” on Facebook, or if you’re concerned that you don’t have enough little birds to keep you company on Twitter; I want to reassure you… Social media is not just a numbers game!
If you feel underwhelmed by your lack of “likers” on Yet, one of the questions I’m most often asked is “How can we get our “likes” up on our Facebook page?” So once again, I’m going to compare your online social media marketing with your offline marketing… What is a customer worth? Let’s say you own a restaurant and one day you have a regular customer walk through the door, as he does every week. He buys a three-course slap up meal for himself and his guest, a bottle of champagne and then leaves you a healthy tip. The next day you have twenty new customers grace your establishment, they’re just passing through town and they each buy a cup of coffee, nothing else… Which of those situations is more valuable to you? I think you’ll likely answer the former; this customer clearly loves your restaurant and the food you’re serving. They love your service and more importantly they’re going to tell their friends about you!
Of course I’m not going to dispute the fact that it’s really important to grow your digital audience. The way we purchase goods and services has changed; 81 per cent of shoppers conduct online research before buying.
The fact is, social media measurement is different to traditional media. TV channels focus on the number of viewers their programmes have, radio stations will similarly battle it out for listeners, the print media will spout their circulation and readership figures; with all these mainstream medias the biggest audience is the best audience, it’s a numbers game through and through.
Social media marketing differs in that it’s all about connecting with your end consumer. You want your posts and status updates to stand out from the white noise of their various social media streams. For this to happen you need engagement!
So what should you be looking for on social media in terms of engagement; if you’re not looking at numbers?
Facebook – Likes are great… Shares and comments mean so much more. A like means that someone enjoyed your content, but a share means they wanted to tell their friends about it; and a comment means they want to chat with you further about it.
Twitter – If someone “Favourites” your tweet, it’s nice… But once again @replies and retweets mean you have hit a higher level of engagement.
Instagram – If you get a little red ❤️ it may make your own heart sing, but a comment (whether it’s made up of text or emoticons) should fill you with delight!
Your Blog – Whilst it’s good to keep an eye on visitor numbers; for me the bounce rate is important… Are your visitors engaged enough to keep looking around, or are they in the door and out again? I still get a little frisson of excitement when I hover over my social share buttons and see a little red update meaning that somebody has found my content useful enough to share on social media.
LinkedIn – I believe the engagement you should really be measuring on LinkedIn are your recommendations and endorsements. It shows that people trust you. If you think I know my stuff on social media and digital marketing, I’d love for you to endorse me here.
If you’d like to forget about the numbers and find out more about how you can increase your social media engagement levels, feel free to contact me; or please sign up to my newsletter so I can send you more great tips!
