Social media marketing requires ongoing efforts to keep followers happy. Keeping the followers you have happy is much more valuable than focusing on just gaining as many followers as possible because long term followers that enjoy your social media efforts are more likely to become long term customers than those who just discovered your online presence.
One way to keep followers happy for increased engagement is to find out what they are most interested in and making sure to give that to them on a consistent basis. For example, if your website sells aftermarket auto parts, then you can imagine that your followers appreciate automotive information including tips, tricks and the latest news. Creating quick posts that give them this information will keep them happy because they will feel as if you are adding in a valuable way to what they are passionate about.
Another way to keep followers happy for increased engagement is to ask them to share their opinions about your products and services. People enjoy feeling heard and when you ask for their opinion, and then respond when they answer, they will feel as if you value their interaction and will be encouraged to speak up more often. An example for an aftermarket auto parts company would be to ask followers what they use for a specific maintenance project for their car. Many of them will be happy to let you know their favorite ways to care for their autos and this could start a great conversation with other followers.
When your social media followers start to regularly interact with your posts, make sure and recognize them somehow. Along with feeling heard, everyone likes to feel appreciated, so reward them by mentioning them in a post in some way or even thanking them with a free $5 gas card. When other followers find out that you randomly gift people who hang out at your social media sites, they will become very interested in finding out if they will be rewarded sometime too.
As you can see, with a little bit of imagination and knowing who the people are who are most likely to follow your social media sites, you can keep them happy and increase engagement at your site. It also helps to run analytics to study which efforts you made were the most popular and replicate the elements that made them a favorite. Loyal followers can become loyal customers and the increased engagement will also give you benefits of earning more followers and increased social proof to help with search engine optimization efforts.
