10 Tips for Managing a Social Media Community
By Caitlin Cunningham
1. Engage with your Audience
Don’t simply post content and then leave it unattended. Be sure to answer any questions posted to the page and interact with your followers. Your target market wants to know it’s being heard, so give the people what they want!
2. Redirect your Audience to your Website
This is your chance to speak to your audience directly and let them know there’s a person behind the business.
3. Produce Captivating Narratives
Narrative is one of the most persuasive forms of content delivery. Why? People love stories, especially about themselves and their communities. So take advantage of this and share stories of your customers using your products and/or services. They’ll be much more interested in listening than you just talking about yourself.
4. Honesty and Integrity Win the Most Followers
Your customers are investing a lot in your brand, so you owe it to them to be honest. Address criticism, respond to questions, and make sure your audience feels comfortable talking to you about their issues. They’ll come back if they feel like they’re being heard.
5. Utilize Humor Where Appropriate
Humor is a great way to get your customers’ attention and generate sharable content. Be careful though. Comedy is subjective; so don’t expect to tickle everyone’s fancy.
6. Update When Appropriate
You want to update your social networks often enough that you maintain presence, but not so much that you annoy your followers and they jump ship. The issue is it differs between businesses and industries. There’s no frequency rate rule that has blanket application. So be careful when experimenting with how often you need to generate original content to maintain relevancy.
7. Observe How your Audience Engages with Competitors
Take a regular peek at your competitors’ social media networks. Are they doing anything that you’re not? And if so, is the audience receptive? Remember, different isn’t always better, so you may be taking the correct alternative approach. It’s just a good idea to be always aware.
8. Post at Optimal Times
If you generate the perfect post but send it live at 3 o’clock in the morning, it’s unlikely anyone of influence will see it. Do the proper research to figure out when your audience is online and speak to them during those time blocks.
9. Make Visually Based Content a Priority
Customers respond and share visually based content more than text alone. It’s the best way to capture your audience’s attention.
10. Maintain Perspective
Remember the 2% rule – every group will have about 2% cynics who, unfortunately, actively participate. This means no matter how much you care or take care of your customers’ concerns, there will still be a group of people who are jerks. They’ll only post negative comments and aren’t looking to contribute to constructive discussion. It’s ok. There’s just no pleasing some people. Don’t beat yourself up over the ones whose minds you won’t be able to change.