Social media is essentially unrivaled as a means of creating an online community around a brand or company. However, given the variety of individuals and organizations making the identical effort, communication specialists must hone their strategy to assemble a devoted following.
Of course, today’s social media users might be fickle, following a company one day and unfollowing it the next when the brand posts something they’re not particularly interested in so that their feeds can accommodate more interesting content from other sources. The next difficulty is to keep people returning to your social media profile for more after you’ve piqued their interest and won them as followers. The greatest method to do this is by inspiring them.
16 members of the Forbes Communications Council offer their top piece of advice for motivating social media followers and creating the vibrant communities that communications professionals want.
- Show Flexibility
It’s important to share interesting information on social media, but you can also improve your social communities by answering comments. Your community will appreciate your attentiveness and be inspired to interact with your content frequently if you answer
- Dispel prejudices
The people who follow you on social media resemble those in your community or the society in which you reside. What could be more motivating than defying social norms for the greater good? Be the change you want to see in the world, as Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as having said. A leader has the ability to motivate followers and alter society. Make the most of it! Sterlite Technologies Limited’s Alok Chander
commenters with a comment or a like. Additionally, you’ll assist your content gain organic traction by amplifying it. Lyndsi Stevens, from Celerium
- Avoid attempting to be all things to all people.
If the newest trend doesn’t align with the values of your company, resist the urge to adopt it. All of our material springs from the positivism that is at the core of our companies. In order to inspire our followers, we must decide to adopt the trends that will allow us to adhere to this principle and appeal to our audience. Getting this balance right will motivate your supporters and increase your audience. Victor Potrel from The Soul Publishing.
- Encourage Supporters To Take Cause-Related Actions
Giving back to the communities that brands support is an excellent opportunity to show how values are put into practice. When used to invite audiences to participate in that effort, social media is a potent tool for engaging with followers and fans. Giving fans the chance to engage in social media acts that further a cause enables them to have an effect and confirms their shared affinity for the brand. Otter Public Relations’ Dave Green
- Interact With the Content of Your Followers
While eye-catching, retweet-baiting, gimmicky sensationalism is quickly replacing other forms of communication, you can swim against the tide and try social listening. Inspire your fans by paying attention to and participating in their material rather than uploading your own. They will value this, and doing so will strengthen the foundation of your relationship. Critical Mass, Mary Cusick
- Share Outside Content That Motivates You
Something that inspires you is likely to inspire others as well! Share anything that inspires you, whether it was created by someone else or not, including quotes, artwork, tales, and other media. Just keep in mind to give credit where credit is due and use your platform to elevate a wide range of talents. Vibe Creative Marketing’s Erica Mau
- Draw Attention to Followers and Make Them Active Participants
Treat social media as a community from the perspective of your followers if you genuinely feel that it is one. You should share the experiences of your followers, even when it takes more time. Interrogate them. the videos they make. Invite them to collaborate with your company to develop content that focuses on their passion for and use of your brand in their daily lives. Pocket Hercules, Stephen Dupont
- Be Human and Stay True To Your Brand
Online communities are no different from traditional communities in that they are based on shared characteristics. Because you provide experiences, insights, and concepts that people can learn from and utilize in their own life, people seek you out and follow you. In order for followers to know what to expect, the stuff you provide should match how you identify yourself in your profile. – Amidala Amber Arnold, MWWPR
- Create a secure online environment.
The new currency for brand equity is trust. Before you can motivate your audience, make sure they feel safe and trustworthy. Toxic channel behaviors must first be understood, a bad activity must be recognized, human moderation must be prioritized, dangers must be addressed, and AI detection must be improved. A real effort is required, but with trust and safety, people can achieve their goals (and yours). – Spectrum Labs’ Tiffany Xingyu Wang
- Establish A Budget And Do Audience Research
Set a budget and conduct research to assist you to understand your audience. An essential first step in every advertising endeavor is setting goals and determining how much you can afford to spend to achieve those goals. Determining your target audience, their demographics, and their interests are all equally significant. Jessica Wong of Valux, LLC
- Be prompt
Timing is crucial. Your message needs to be current. Instead of just considering what you’re sharing and why consider “Why now?” Your material needs to immediately resonate with your audience. What is happening right now in their world? People need to be able to link their thoughts to actions and carry them through if you want to motivate them to accomplish anything. – Brady Chatfield, RxSafe’s PakMyMedsTM
- Highlight “Regular” People Doing Amazing Things
The fact that so many “ordinary” individuals are heroes was one of the most important lessons we learned in 2020. It is the most motivating thing I can imagine. My one piece of advice for motivating real social media followers is to highlight the amazing things that “regular” people (both staff and customers) are accomplishing and how your product may assist them to do so. Pini Yakuel from Optimove
- Use a variety of entertaining “edutainment” techniques.
Your target audience requires both entertaining and educational B2B social media content. Depending on who you are interacting with, you will use a different type of “edutainment,” but it must be genuine and offer the audience something that will pique their interest. You will be one step closer to opening the door to a prospect once you can initiate a dialogue with remarks and inquiries. – Dyndrite’s Rachael Dalton-Taggart
- Be Inquisitive and Pay Attention to the Answers
Just like in a real-life community, listening and trust are two characteristics of an active social community. We’ve discovered that the correct questions can significantly increase engagement. Then, paying attention to those responses will help you direct your future content creation so that it is more targeted and motivates your audience. – ClickBank’s Kuba Poraj-Kuczewski
- Establish Credibility With Content Tailored to Your Audience
The most valuable form of virtual money is trust. You must borrow it if you don’t have it. Create content initially based on how your target uses the internet (mobile, tablet, desktop, and so on). Then, concentrate on video content and explicitly interview the thought leaders and influencers your target follows. Use the content mentioned above to extract podcasts, YouTube videos, articles, and other types of content. American Power & Gas’ Andrea d’Agostini
- Increase Engagement With Enjoyable Content
Engagement is key in social media. Real engagement occurs when you make it enjoyable, even though many of us in the B2B industry is all about promoting thought leadership through these channels. People seek out one another. They desire to support their buddies. Laurie Hood, from Mobilewalla
