Right now, the “new” here has to do with personalized interaction on social media. According to Infosys, 59% of consumers thought personalized marketing influenced their decision to purchase from a brand, while 74% of them can feel frustrated when businesses use generic messages. So, personalized social media content interaction is the new norm, but how do you do it? Here’s a quick guide: People want their favorite brands to cater exclusively to them. While it’s impossible to create content for every individual follower you have, you still have to adapt your content. And the best way to do that is through “customer personas.” Look at your audience and develop the profile of your ideal customer. Try to determine the type of topics they’d find interesting, and which format they prefer. Look at your engagement rates as well. Which type of posts is more popular? Does your audience prefer videos, or do they want links to long articles? Once you’ve identified that, then routinely offer it to them. – “routinely” being the main point here, because you should never post only one type of content on your page. While figuring out the type of content your audience prefers is rather easy, identifying the topics they prefer isn’t as simple. You have to analyze your audience in depth to spot their interests and see which of them you can connect to your page. Brands no longer dictate what consumers need; the consumers do it. If anything, social media has made companies check in with their audience, and find out what they want. So, if you want to create a personalized social media strategy, then you need to align your business goals with their needs. You don’t have to neglect your bottom line, just make sure it also reflects what people want. Integrate whatever they are looking for into a wider, comprehensive social media strategy. That way, you can create a lasting relationship with your audience, bring them closer to your brand and increase their trust. And trust is a hard thing to come by these days. And finally, the quintessential element of personalized social media interaction: the one-on-ones. You’ve created relevant content, and developed an entire strategy around it, but if you think that’s enough to call it a day, then you should think again. Your customers want you to talk to them, and not just through the posts on your page. They want you to like their comments, chip into the conversation, answer their questions, and any other form of direct interaction. People want their brands to feel human so that they can better relate to them. Don’t make it a one-sided conversation, since it can make you appear cold and distant. You can use these personal interactions to your advantage. For instance, if someone posts a good review, praising one of your products, comment on their review with a nice thank you message and a recommendation of other products they may like as well. In a way, you have to make each of your customers feel special.
What’s Next?
You probably think that it’s pretty hard to create personalized social media interactions, and you’re not wrong. It is difficult and time-consuming, but in today’s market, it is also essential. People want to interact with brands on social media the way they do with their friends. So it’s about time brands join the conversation, and directly engage with their followers, not just making it look like they do. Even more so because, in the end, this way everybody wins.
