Social media is fundamental to any brand’s communications campaign these days and this new media is changing the way brands interact with consumers and other stakeholders. Tooting your own horn is out. Active listening, taking an interest, and creating meaningful two-way dialogue is in, and keys to creating healthy relationships with consumers.

Insights and social media specialist, Emily David, offers tips to developing engaging and long-lasting relationships with today’s social savvy consumers.

Gibbs-rbb: Overall, how has social media changed how brands communicate with consumers?

Emily: Social media is now a necessity. Consumers expect brands to be active and responsive on social media, especially from a customer service perspective. Additionally, with the proliferation of social media, the conversation between consumers and brands is now a two-way dialogue, rather than a one-way marketing push. Now, more than ever, consumers go to social media to share their praise and complaints publicly. Brands need to actively monitor conversations and show that they are listening to their customers online to stay on top of managing their reputations.

Gibbs-rbb: Why do consumers no longer respond to brands that broadcast messages?

Emily: With more and more brands pushing out content and advertising on social media, consumers are facing information overload. For a brand to stand out, it’s crucial that consumers feel that the content they see is relevant and useful to them. If it’s not, they will go elsewhere. Social media has an increasing impact on buying discussions so if a brand doesn’t own the conversation in its respective industry, a competitor will.

Gibbs-rbb: What are some key strategies to making conversations audience-centric?

Emily: First and foremost, figure out how and where your audience communicates and interacts online. On which social media channels do they most often engage?  What kinds of content grabs their interest? Listen first, then interject when appropriate. The interaction should feel natural, not forced. Instead of pushing out what information you want them to know, think about what information they are actually interested in. Brands need to find out what motivates their consumers to do what they want (whether that’s a sale, signing up for a service, etc.) and then create content that helps move them in that direction, without hard-selling.                                                                                                                                   

Gibbs-rbb: Do these strategies change if a brand is communicating with investors, suppliers or other non-consumer stakeholders?

Emily: Different social media channels attract different audiences and serve different purposes.  It’s crucial that brands evaluate the best channel for reaching each of their target audiences and create content that resonates with that audience, while leveraging the strengths of that social media channel. This includes going beyond the standard channels.  For example, you might find that your audience is more active on an industry forum (particularly in niche B2B categories) than other classic social channels, which should factor into your communications strategy.

Gibbs-rbb: What are some social channels that are a must in creating meaningful conversations with consumers?

Emily: Every industry and audience is different, so there’s no “right” channel for everyone.  The right channel is the one where your target audience is having quality conversations about your brand and industry. Brands should take the time to research a variety of channels to figure out which one is the best fit. It’s not worth spreading efforts too thin to push messages on every channel.

Gibbs-rbb: As our digital world continues to evolve, how do you think strategies and tactics for consumer engagement will evolve?

Emily: Social media interactions will have to become even more personalized to meet consumer expectations. Consumers expect up-to-date information, timely responses and customized information. With consumers fragmented across multiple social media channels and feeling inundated with information, quality content will be more important than ever to capture consumers’ attention and drive engagement.

Emily David is an insights and social media specialist for one of Gibbs-rbb’s parent companies, G & S Business Communications, with over five years of experience in social media. She’s worked on a variety of clients in the information technology, sustainability, agriculture and home goods industries, among others. She specializes in using insights to inform social media strategies. When she’s not writing in 140 characters, she spends her time running on the lakefront, cooking and trying new restaurants.