Effective Social Media Demands Two-Way Conversation

Thousands of people, businesses, brands, products and services create a social media presence every day. Whether its a Twitter account, Facebook page or Google+ page, they want to make sure that you can find their product in all corners of the web.

Creating a social media campaign requires commitment, communication and most importantly, listening.

Have you ever tried having a conversation with a brick wall? Not so much fun, huh? In fact, if you tried talking to a brick wall in front of your friends, people might think you’re crazy.

Businesses and brands rarely engage their follower whether they are periodically post content, whether self-promoting, sharing information or enticing. If a business posts about a new product and paying customers ask legitimate questions about the new product (its benefits, cost, difference from previous product) there should be someone there to answer the customers’ inquiries. This is especially important immediately after the information has been posted as that is when the post or share will see the most interaction.

Social media posts usually have a very short lifespan. Whether they are tweets, Facebook updates or Google+ posts, they will filter into their followers’ “streams” and only live for a few minutes at most (usually seconds). If a brand wants to promote a product and engage their audience, it is critical that they be available to answer questions and reply to their followers after posting.

The same goes for political campaigns.

If you are running for the President of the United States of America and have a very diverse and wide-reaching social media strategy, you should probably explore hiring a few individuals to manage those outlets, moderate the feedback from your followers and engage the people interested in your campaign.

That’s not to say Obama should visit your house and kiss your baby every time you retweet him.

Social media staff should be available to interact and engage the audience of any brand or campaign. By having a two-way conversation with your customer or follower, you are showing them that you are receptive, know how to listen and actually care.

After all, you wouldn’t want your customers talking to a brick wall, right?