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Social Media Relationships: Engagement is a two way street!

As a budding social media marketer, having come from a very different background, the orientation was not unlike being in a foreign country. Just learning how to use hashtags seemed daunting at first, but after eight months of having been in this strange, yet enthralling world of social media I can honestly say it still is, daunting.

Thankfully there is a lot of help to be found on the web when it comes to establishing yourself and learning in the social media game. My favourites being Social Media Examiner, Jeff Bullas and Hubspot. While websites of this kind help a lot, when it comes to social media, the proof is in the pudding. You have to plan a strategy, campaigns and find the best quality content in your field. Once that’s done, take a leap off the edge of your comfort zone and try, try, try.

Whilst being somewhat successful at my new-found career in the digital world, I (like anybody else) have a pet peeve that I need to get off my chest; Engagement! This, if oyu are unfamiliar with the term is what we (social media marketers) live for, yet struggle to achieve. Engagement by definition is the interaction between the brand and the target market, through likes, comments, shares etc. The thing is, there are so many pages, profiles, groups and all the other entities that people follow on social media, that people rarely say anything. I term these silent followers the ‘stalkers’ of social media.

While I have no problem with them, seeing as they outnumber the ‘engage-rs’ 1000 to 1, what ever happened to basic social etiquette? I know it’s an online platform, but come on people! If I address you, or my followers as a whole, shouldn’t I be acknowledged with a simple “I agree” or “you’re right”? Since when is it acceptable to ignore a statement that someone took time to think about and execute? If it were in physical company I bet you would act differently. . .

All I’m saying is, please, stop the liking and say something, we are all becoming a decreasingly vocal and expressive race.

Engagement is a two-way street!

6 thoughts on “Social Media Relationships: Engagement is a two way street!”

  1. I think that sharing as opposed to interaction has become more prevalent, because people don’t, in fact, know how to communicate properly anymore. The older generation is struggling to keep up with new media, while the younger generation is not taking the time to learn how to interact.

    What we need is posts that are carefully thought out, and designed to stimulate interaction (preferably positive interaction). Ask open ended questions, be a little inflammatory, play the devil’s advocate. Whatever it takes to get people interacting, because on-line, i don’t think sharing is caring.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Agreed, shares are extremely important, yet comments will lead to more refined content. They give the Social Media Marketer/Manager a bit more insight into the type of content that their followers enjoy.

      Thanks for commenting, I already have an idea for my next blog, which will be subject to more research and include facts and stats. This was more of a rant than anything else.

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      • I agree Mat, in fact what is the purpose of being on social media if all you do is liking or ignoring others ‘stuff’. Afterall shouldn’t we be active on social media to learn from one another, support each other and collaborating? There is still power in numbers. May we should put your blog on Call Centre HUB?

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  2. As much as I agree with you wholeheartedly…and by the way, nicely penned!…I have also come to realise that writers write, regardless of interaction or even likes and shares. It’s great to know that people have read what I’ve written but when a writer is who you are, by definition of ‘it’s what you do for work and relaxation’, just keeping on keeping on has become my mantra.
    I believe that, if you can blog, the next step is to set the example and make the comments, offer suggestions, hints, tips and of course encouragement.
    Welcome to a world of observation, set out in words, for others to have a better picture of your perceptions.
    My suggestions – download Grammarly so you don’t have to stress about typos, spelling and punctuation and then…make sure you write every day.

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    • Thanks so much for the awesome advice and words of encouragement, I have come to realise the importance of expression, and also that just writing without overly thinking and analysing my words seems to work well.

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