Numbers. Measurements. PROOF.
These are all things we like. We’re guessing you like them too. Why? Because being able to know a campaign is healthy and successful reassures us our investment is worthwhile.
When it comes to social media, it’s easy to point at Facebook likes and Twitter followers as proof. For some marketers, a large spike in these numbers is a chest-pounding achievement. An increased fan base is verifiable. It’s a logical upward progression we can track. Unfortunately, the true significance of likes and followers is greatly overestimated.
Naturally we think more is better. In many instances this is true. For example, a large following on Facebook and Twitter provides a certain amount of social proof. Yet, a large fan base doesn’t mean a loyal fan base.
Likes and follows don’t correspond to an increase in revenue. This is especially true for brands that may have a large portion of “fake” or “purchased” fans.
(There are numerous services designed for people to purchase large quantities of Facebook likes and Twitter followers. These quick-result schemes have been around since Google’s first rendition of the search engine.)
Instead, if you build a qualified social media fan base, you’ll be able to communicate with actual prospects and customers (aka people genuinely interested in your business). What does this mean for the numbers we all love to track? Typically, it means they won’t be as big.
The best way to build and maintain a qualified following is with creative, unique, and interesting content.
Is sharing this content on a regular basis easy? No. Is it free? No. Is it worth it? We’d say, emphatically yes.
However, we also recognize the importance of tracking the return on investment (ROI) of your social media efforts. Some social media results are difficult to consistently calculate, such as:
- Improved Search Engine Rankings
- Increased Brand Awareness
- Shaping Your Brand’s Message
- Customer Satisfaction
- Problem Solving Before an Issue Escalates
Other results are most definitely calculable, such as:
- Facebook likes, comments, shares and clicks
- Twitter favorites, re-shares and replies
- Mentions
How do these engagements correlate to your ROI? Like nearly every marketing campaign, there’s no exact science. But, by comparing your revenue to your engagement, you’ll be able to identify times when spikes and dips in follower engagements correlate to sales.
These simple steps will help you start growing a qualified fan base and increase engagement:
Stop Buying Likes – If you are buying likes or followers, stop immediately. In the long run, this practice will not help you.
Create a Strategy – Quality and consistency are key to growing and engaging your fan base. Create a clear strategy so your business will stay on track.
Assign Responsibility – Like any other aspect of your business, your social media efforts will need to be completed by someone. This could be an individual in-house or an external contractor. Be sure to clearly designate who is responsible for this task.
Use Calls-To-Action – Incorporate clear calls-to-action (CTA) into your messaging. This will encourage your fan base to engage with you.
Have additional questions? Shoot us a tweet.
