Harmony: Find a balance in your social media engagement

As with most things in life, too much of a good thing can be harmful. The same can be said for pushing yourself too much on social media which can come across as overbearing, desperate and just downright annoying. It’s understandably difficult to fight that temptation sometimes, especially when you need people to engage. Find the right tone and you’ll be on exactly the right track. Here’s a few suggestions from Bark Social to help find that harmonious balance.

Tone of voice

Much like being left alone at a party with the boring one, engaging online with a robotic personality is incredibly boring. Your tone needs to be snappy, fun and totally authentic. Don’t get complacent with this – it requires thought and planning to get right, something that too many social media managers skip. If you’re too pushy, you’ll never grow your audience; too quiet and they’ll never find you. You can make the most of other brands’ complacency by putting time into finding that perfect tone.

The customers always right

Being too clever is another sin that many social managers too often commit. Doing effective follower research allows you to see what your community is desperate for. If it’s new products, give them products; if it’s competitions, give them products. Finding what your customers want will keep them coming back to your channels and ensure that your communities continue to grow.

Understanding your own audience

Remember, just like your own audience, you’re probably a heavy user of social media. Ask yourself how you engage with brands and companies you follow. Do you comment, like or share? Which ones do you ignore? Focus on these details without worrying too much on interaction or follower numbers. Getting your quality of posts up to scratch will inevitably bring a sea of people. Engagements, not followers, mean sales.

Trust issues

Here we come to the crux of any social media campaign. If your own community can’t trust you, you may as well pack it in. Direct and efficient community management can make the difference between success and failure, so make sure you don’t let it slide. Be transparent and never disengage or censor negativity – this be useful feedback. Furthermore, that negativity can easily come back around to bite you in the bum if you don’t deal with it in the right way. Like a strong friendship, if your community can’t trust you, it’s not going to work out.

Finding these balances isn’t an easy task. Fortunately, many social media campaigns don’t put enough thought on their tone and engagement styles. That leaves it up to you to take that space they’re foolishly missing.