Rules of Engagement: When to Engage

Whether your business is posting on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, or a different platform, one very important thing is always true: Great social media engagement with your customers, fans, and potential clients is key to creating a successful brand. The number of individuals engaging with companies online has never been higher, and more than 90% of social media users have contacted a brand or business through a platform. In fact, using social media is now only slightly less preferred to in-person interaction for things like company complaints. This means that if you aren’t listening to and having meaningful interactions with your customers through your business’s social media accounts, you’re losing money.

There are two main questions about social media engagement that are especially worth consideration. The first is, when is it a good idea for my business to engage with people on social media? Second, what does effective social media engagement look like? We’ll discuss that in another post soon, but let’s answer the first question now.

When is it a good idea for my business to engage with people on social media?

The easy answer is, most of the time! Engaging with your customers and potential customers via your social media accounts is one of the most personal ways you can interact with them. Social media engagement is now consistently more powerful for your daily business than any television ad, radio spot, or print marketing.

These traditional forms of marketing are merely one-sided conversations, which actually amounts to no real conversation at all, right? Instead of communicating at potential customers and supporters, you can use online engagement to have meaningful conversations with them, hearing their thoughts, adoration, and even critiques. This kind of engagement is of paramount importance to developing a real and loyal relationship with your customers.

While most times can be considered good times for engagement, you should be mindful of times and situations where great engagement opportunities knock on your social media door. These may include:

• Post or ad engagement

Make them feel heard and appreciated, and you’ll continue to cultivate meaningful relationships for your business.

• Brand love

Brand love engagement can come in a variety of forms, but it’s always positive. Not only does this validate and make the person feel valued by your company, but people who see the interaction may also be spurred to post their own brand love.

• Customer concerns

These types of engagements can be difficult, but it’s imperative you develop strategies for dealing with them. Failure to provide needed support can result in a loss of trust and business as a whole.

• Complaints/Critiques

It’s extremely important to address dissatisfied individuals, make them feel heard, and remedy their displeasure as effectively as possible. This can either be done in a public or private way, but if left unengaged, an upset individual will do more damage in the long run.

It’s also important to note that not all negativity online requires engagement. You will likely find that some individuals post hate/negativity toward you for very little reason, if any. This is part of the social media world we live in, and the best strategy for your business may be to just hide/ignore those people who can’t be pleased.

Knowing when and how to engage with people who interact with your company on social media could be one of the most important skills you have for boosting your brand. Remember: This skill is an art, not a science. Every situation and individual should be critically evaluated and engaged with in the most effective and productive way possible. Social Factor is an agency that understands these nuances. Our team of marketing experts has the knowledge to take your business to the next level of brand awareness and profitability. If you need help understanding engagement on social media, contact us today.