Having a huge number of followers on social media is all well and good, but any business knows this is just the beginning. When you have established a follower base, you need to move onto boosting engagement with those customers in the hopes of driving sales.

Many business owners find engagement more complicated than getting followers in the first place. If you’re stuck for ideas on how to increase your social media engagement levels, then here are six tips to help you improve.

Focus on platforms that are working for you

The sheer number of different social networks currently online is overwhelming; this article counts over 100. However, it’s wise to be circumspect when it comes to your social media strategy. Trying to create an account with each and every network is pointless, and will spread your time and resources far too thin. Instead, identify the social networks your target customer base is most likely to use. Focus your efforts on these.

Don’t be afraid to show your personality

There’s nothing duller than a typical corporate social media account. These accounts have been created by businesses who are told that they need social media, but have no idea how to use it. Don’t be one of these companies; let your brand have a personality, a lighthearted sense of fun, on social media. This is far more likely to boost engagement than a basic, bland corporate account that seems devoid of a sense of humour.

Develop a consistent voice

If your brand is constantly changing between styles and ways of addressing customers via social media, this can be rather strange. Customers like to know what to expect when following a brand on social media, and if this changes unexpectedly, they will likely find it jarring. That’s why you and the experts running your social media marketing services must develop a consistent way of addressing your customers across all of your social media accounts.

Choose a publishing schedule— and don’t deviate from it

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is to post to social media in an ad-hoc way. Your customers need to be able to rely on your brand consistently, especially when it comes to timely and relevant content. Posting when the mood takes you may be workable for your personal social media accounts. It really isn’t if you want to boost your customer engagement on your professional accounts. Develop a publishing schedule and always ensure you have content in place to meet the schedule requirements. Talking of content…

Quality content is more likely to generate engagement

We all know the importance of content when it comes to business websites, but the necessity of high quality content spreads far beyond this. To ensure customers want to follow and engage with your business on social media, your quality of posts has to be high. It is far better to post one interesting, engaging, and genuinely beneficial-to-the-reader post than it is to post 10 that have little to offer. Choose quality posts every time and you should see your engagement begin to rise.

Develop a two-way relationship

Finally, social network marketing isn’t just about talking at your customers, it’s also about listening to what they have to say. Take the time to ask questions, carefully developing a two-way relationship. Not only does this increase the bond your customers have with your brand, but you can also use the knowledge you gain to improve your business strategy in future. All feedback is good feedback, after all!

Focus on the six areas above and you should be able to see your social media customer engagement dramatically increase.