If you’ve been wondering why your social media account is not getting as many likes as you’d prefer, one of these four tips could help you out.

It’s easy to think that everyone loves your product or service as much as you (we love all our clients’ products!) but sadly, not everyone does.

You see, as our Sami would say, it’s like that person who comes to the party and only wants to take about his or herself. The rest of the party is like, “Booooring!”

So what CAN you talk about without annoying people?

What is the one subject people can’t get enough of?

What is guaranteed to be 99.9% of people’s favourite subject?

I’ll give you a clue: it’s not the Kardashians. And it’s not football. There’s something people love hearing about even more.

As one of our favourite business gurus would say, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” 

You guessed it, they love it when you pay them attention, when you make them feel good and worthy and when you pay them compliments. In short, it’s all about “me”.

So does this mean you have to write all your posts directly addressing Bob from Milton Keynes to get him to buy from you? Not exactly using his name, (some of the others might feel a bit left out!), but yes.

How does this translate to social media in practical terms?

TALK TO ONE PERSON – “YOU”, NOT “I” OR “WE”

Now, without naming Bob or anyone else directly, write your posts in the second person singular, or just use “you”, and highlight their emotions and experiences in your copy. Be as specific as you can – This helps them relate because they feel you understand them.

As copywriting trainer and author, Andy Maslen, suggests, you need at least three “yous” for every “I” in your sales copy, and this applies to social media too.

TAG OTHERS

If you’re welcoming people to your Facebook Group or your posting a blog that references other people, tag them in. Don’t be afraid to do a little Follow Friday shoutout and acknowledge some of your biggest fans. We recently published a gift-guide and tagged in the companies featured. The benefit is two-fold: first, they will get a notification to see your post, and next, it will appeal to their ego, encouraging them to react and share.

ADOPT USER-GENERATED CONTENT

User-generated content is one of the best inventions on social media. It saves content marketers a tonne of hard work by getting customers to create content instead. Okay, it’s not always that straightforward, but it’s still powerful. If your customer has bought something from your company and photographs their new products and tags you in, you can repost that picture on your channels. You can encourage more of this with a discount code like Muscle Food has done by posting a free gift to anyone who features their Muscle Food box on Instagram.

REPLY TO COMMENTS

When someone has taken the time to comment on your post, it feels like a rejection when you don’t acknowledge them, not even with a like. So make it your mission to reply to every single comment. Then, ask them a question back. When you ask a direct question, they feel important and that you’re interested in their opinion.

If you do your best to apply these tips, you’ll quickly become a master of engagement. If you want more personalised tips and tactics, get in touch for a bespoke social media workshop.