#SharetheLove - Engage With Your Tribe - Follow Your Power Partners, Share Their Posts, Follow & Engage With Your Customers

You’ve spent a lot of time building your social media network and you have a diverse and vibrant tribe. Congratulations! You have developed a great asset. Now the challenge is to keep your community engaged, show your appreciation, and continue to keep your network growing.

So how do you nurture your network to make sure that it remains strong and healthy? Below are five ways you can show your love to your community and keep them on your side.

5 Tips for Keeping Your Network Strong and Healthy

1. Share and share alike. One of the best ways to keep in touch with your community is to show them how much you appreciate them. The best way to do this is by sharing their posts and content. Of course, you should do so with a purpose and as it makes business sense. Passing along valuable information with a well-crafted comment will not only show your partners and collaborators that you are paying attention, but that you value their insight, too.

2. Follow where they lead. You can keep up with your power partners by following their feeds. Not only will it show them that you are interested in what they have to say, it can help you keep up with what’s happening in their world.

3. Respond, comment, and engage. It doesn’t take long to offer a comment on a useful post. Perhaps you have an article that would be a good follow-up or you have a thought-provoking question. There are many ways to respond. The point is to engage with the person who is posting. Exactly how you respond will depend on the platform and the style of the post but don’t miss the chance to encourage engagement.

4. Show your appreciation. Social media is a great place to say thank you to your customers. There are many ways to do this—from a simple note of gratitude to a promotion that shows how important your customers are to your business. Social media can be an important tool for letting the people who keep you in business know you don’t take them for granted.

5. Be consistent. While you don’t need to comment, respond, or post every day, it is important that you keep a regular schedule. When it comes to social media, out of sight can mean out of mind.

Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or some other social media platform, if you aren’t taking advantage of these channels to engage with your tribe, you are missing a great opportunity to strengthen your network and your relationships.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#SharetheLove - Recommendations - How to Ask for Them & Repurpose Them in Your Social

If you pay attention to trends in social media, then you already know how important and powerful recommendations and testimonials can be. Sometimes called social proofs, recommendations and testimonials from satisfied can be your best marketing tool.

Having the story of your success told by others can establish credibility and trust, and at the same time, give you a boost in the search rankings. Think of recommendations as the modern version of word of mouth advertising—it can be highly effective and is certainly affordable.

Given that we know that recommendations and testimonials are a very good thing, how do we go about getting them? The short answer is, ask! Of course, how easy that actually is will depend on the type of business you have and what type of relationship you have with your customers.

Asking for testimonials

If you have the type of business that allows you to establish personal relationships with your customers, the best way to ask is by framing your question with a compliment. Let the client know you value his or her opinion and would love to get feedback. You might suggest that they provide a product review on video or talk about how your product has contributed to their success. If they agree, be sure to follow up with a thank you and reciprocate where you can. In cases where you have lots of customers but you don’t know them personally, a follow-up survey at the close of a project or the end of a sale can work well. A well-designed feedback form on your website can also do the trick.

Different Types of Recommendations

Keep in mind that having a variety of types of testimonials and recommendations can make it easier to repurpose them. Written recommendations, for example, can be posted to social media, used on your website, or included in print materials such as brochures and fliers. Video testimonials are particularly versatile since they can be used on your social media pages, your YouTube channel, on your website, or in an email campaign.

A word of caution regarding plans to solicit recommendations. While it is perfectly appropriate to ask for them, never be tempted to commission them or pay for them. That is not to say that you can’t say thank you with a small gift, but compensating for customer reviews can erase any credibility you gain.

Positive recommendations and testimonials are a valuable asset to your business. When you nurture them you’ll find you have a full complement to use in a wide variety of marketing channels. With a little creativity and targeted use of customer feedback, you can turn your recommendations into improved standing in the market, enhanced client goodwill, and increased sales.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#SharetheLove - Are You Responding in Your Social Media? Give Praise to Your Cheerleaders!

It’s pretty exciting when the likes and comments start rolling in on your social media posts, especially if they are complementary. After all, isn’t that why you post? To engage with your community?

You probably answered yes--but here’s another question for you. Are you really engaging with your audience? Whether you are using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, you are only half done once you hit that button to post. The important part is what you do next—the response.

In order to take full advantage of social media, you need to have a two-way conversation. You expect your followers to engage so you need to do the same. Think of it this way: those who respond to your posts are your cheerleaders. They know who you are and they can be your best advocates. But you need to let them know that you hear what they are saying and that you appreciate it. In other words, you need to give praise to your cheerleaders. Here are four foolproof ways that you can make sure that you are letting your social media universe know that you appreciate them.

Always respond.

While you don’t have to acknowledge every like or follow, you should respond to every comment that requires a response. Keep it brief, on point, and appreciative. If you have lots of comments you can prepare some ready-made responses to use when appropriate. Videos, gifs, and images can all be strategic tools in letting your community know you are engaged with them.

Keep it positive.

Face it: not all of your commenters will think you’re a 10. That’s ok. There is always the chance that someone will be less than pleased. You, however, always need to be positive. If it’s a problem you can fix, do your best to do that. Remember to follow-up to make sure that the problem is taken care of.

Be consistent.

If you go from master poster to radio silence, your followers will be confused. Respond on a regular basis and stick to a schedule. Carving out a particular time of day or day of the week for responding can help you stay on track.

Be grateful.

You may not know each of your followers personally but they are just like everyone else. They want to be appreciated. Regardless of the type of feedback they provide, say thank you. Look for appropriate ways to return the favor. Perhaps send a commenter a link to a helpful article, run a special promotion for those who are active on your page, or add a positive review on their page.

Socialmedia can be much more than just a way to get the word out about your business. When you engage with your audience you can create a virtual community. Even if someone never buys a product or sends you a referral, they can be a valuable resource. Take a few minutes to let them know that you are glad they are there.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#ShareTheLove - Does Your Audience Know How You Serve Them?

Growing a following on social media is usually a big goal for businesses. Business owners spend a lot of time and money creating social media accounts that look good, showcase their brands, and (hopefully) keep growing a following.  

In order to keep your audience, you need to make sure you’re serving them in a way that makes them feel valued.  So how do you better serve your audience? Here are some tips.

Know Your Audience

The best way to serve your audience is to have a good understanding of who they are. Start basic, with things like occupations, interests, and hobbies. Then think about your audience in terms of how they interact with your business. Why are they a follower of your profile? What does your business offer them that they need? What can you share that would get them excited?

If you’ve done your homework and know who your ideal customer is, this part should be easy!

Share Content that Nurtures Them

Once you know WHO you’re serving, you can make sure the content you’re sharing is something they’ll love. There are lots of ways to do this! You could share a news article with important industry-related updates. Or, you could offer free resources and helpful tips they can use in their lives or businesses. Think about WHO you’re serving, and then WHAT these people would value. That’s what you should be sharing.

Connect with Them

It’s not enough to just schedule content anymore. You need to connect with your audience! Consider hopping on a live video and chatting with your followers. Host a Q&A on your page so you can answer their questions. These are great ways to form connections.

Be Responsive

When people post comments, tag you in posts, or send messages, make sure you are responding. This is especially important if someone is asking you a question. If you have a system for monitoring tags, comments and questions, your audience will feel like you are engaged and that you care about them.

See What’s Working

It’s not enough to post things you think your audience will love. You need to take the extra step to monitor engagement after you post. If engagement is high when you post helpful tips, for example, that means your audience likes that kind of content, and you should be creating more of it. Listening to your audience and sharing more of what they love is one of the best ways to make them feel valued.

If you respect your audience and show them that you value their engagement with your social profiles, they’ll want to stick around. Using these tips will help you maintain a loyal following that will ultimately turn into loyal customers.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars