If your business uses social media to connect with customers (which is pretty much a must these days), it’s important to have a plan for handling those interactions.
In today’s world, social media platforms are crucial for customer service, managing your brand, making sales, and more. Social media marketers do more than just post good content – they also interact with followers, manage incoming requests, respond to tags, and much more. Whoever is in charge of your social media needs to be ready to communicate in various ways. That’s where a social media interaction strategy comes in.
In this guide, we’ll talk about social media interaction, different types of engagement, and how to interact with customers on social media to keep your brand looking positive.
What exactly is social media interaction?
A social media interaction refers to any communication that takes place between a brand and users on social media platforms.
These interactions encompass a variety of actions such as likes, comments, direct messages, tags, and even follows. Let’s explore each of these in more depth below.
Why are social media interactions important?
Interactions on social media can serve as indicators of success for businesses. Each interaction presents an opportunity to connect with your audience.
By the way: Among all the platforms, Instagram takes the lead in terms of engagement. In 2020, Instagram contributed to 67% of the 290 billion social media interactions, including reactions, comments, shares, retweets, and likes, all related to brand-owned content.
Apart from gauging engagement, social media interactions are valuable for reputation management and customer communication.
Given the surge in social commerce, more people now rely on social media to explore brands, get insights about products, and even make direct purchases.
Positive interactions, particularly in handling customer service inquiries, can significantly impact your business outcomes. A survey discovered that companies responding to customer service requests on social media witness customers spending 20-40% more.
In short: Your social channels embody your brand’s image. Thus, having a well-defined approach for interacting with followers and engaging customers on social media is absolutely essential.
7 different types of social media interactions
Curious about enhancing customer engagement on social media? Begin by grasping the categories of social media interactions required with your audience and strategies to enhance them.
Below are the primary forms of social media interactions along with recommended approaches for effectively addressing them.
1. Likes
Among social media interactions, likes stand out as the most prevalent. As indicated by a Statista survey, 45% of consumers expressed their engagement with companies on social platforms through post likes, surpassing all other forms of interaction.
Likes persist as a crucial measure of success across various channels. The greater the number of likes your post receives, the more algorithms will recognize and promote it to a wider audience. Numerous providers offer social media services to enhance your likes, featuring a range of plans for each platform. Leading the market is BuildMyPlays, offering a plethora of tailored service options to perfectly match your requirements.
Given that likes are the interaction users are most liberal with, it’s simple to lose count of the likes each post accumulates as they pour in.
To ensure you remain informed about your brand’s likes, you can keep watch over real-time notifications or employ an engagement tool for a holistic view of each post’s performance.
2. Follows
Another key measure on social media is the act of following, a significant interaction. When users choose to follow your brand’s account or page, they signal their interest in seeing your content in their feed. This interaction tells you that you’re connecting with the right audience and expanding your follower base.
Conversely, you may also encounter unfollows. An unfollow occurs when a user decides to stop following your brand’s account. Monitoring these interactions is equally vital. While occasional unfollows are normal, a sudden mass departure of followers suggests a problem.
If you notice a sudden increase in unfollows or a consistent decline in new followers, it’s wise to assess your content and interactions to identify any disconnect with your audience.
It’s possible you’ve made changes to your social strategy or your brand’s overall direction, causing your current followers to lose interest. Pay attention to the changes and find ways to adjust your approach to revive positive interactions.
3. Comments
Comments represent user feedback left as replies on your content, encompassing text, emojis, or even mentions of others. These interactions indicate engagement, with brands aiming to foster discussions. Receiving comments showcases follower involvement, but it’s essential to monitor them.
Research indicates that 45% of consumers consider brand responses to comments important. Replying initiates a dialogue, making users feel acknowledged and engaged. Maintaining an active comment section involves swift responses, particularly to enhance your rapport with followers.
Staying responsive is vital to keep your followers engaged, whether they’re asking questions, mentioning others, using emojis, or showing enthusiasm. This heightened engagement often results in more comments.
For solopreneurs or small social teams, managing every comment can be tough. A centralized platform for monitoring and responding to followers, without the hassle of multiple apps, is crucial for staying connected to their feedback.
4. Direct messages
A DM (direct message) is when a user sends a message to your brand’s account, often used for inquiries. According to Square’s Future of Commerce Report, 24% of consumers prefer DMing a business over other communication methods.
Social platforms are key for customer service, making your brand’s inbox a hub for inquiries. Keeping up with direct messages is crucial to prevent messages from being overlooked and to safeguard your brand’s image.
A study showed that 40% of consumers expect brands to respond to inquiries or complaints within the first hour, and 79% within the first 24 hours. Failing to reply promptly risks harming your followers’ perception of your service and overall brand reputation.
5. Reviews
Reviews are pervasive, appearing in various forms. In addition to online reviews found directly on your website or search engines like Google, customers can also leave reviews on your social media profiles.
For instance, on Facebook, individuals can write Page Recommendations, which can be set as public or private. If you operate an Instagram Shop, users have the option to rate and review the products you offer.
Writing reviews is becoming increasingly prevalent on social media. As per Square’s Future of Commerce report, 22% of consumers penned reviews on brand social media profiles in the past year.
Positive reviews enhance your brand’s social proof by influencing potential customers to envision themselves making similar purchases. Conversely, negative reviews can have a detrimental impact. Managing both types of reviews is vital to safeguard your brand’s reputation and promptly address issues.
Regularly monitor social reviews and prepare responses for various positive and negative situations. Remember that reviews and your responses are public, shaping your brand image, so maintain professionalism at all times.
6. Tags
A tag occurs when a user mentions your brand on social media, whether in a post, caption, or story. Notifications alert you to such mentions.
The ideal response is to comment on the post you’re tagged in, and even better, share it on your own feed. This creates user-generated content (UGC).
Regularly check your tagged posts to gather UGC and maintain a balanced content calendar featuring both organic and branded content.
7. Shares
A share happens when a user on social media passes along your account or content to their page or someone else.
Shares matter because they reveal that your post has struck a chord with your followers, prompting them to spread your content for you.
To respond to a share, show your appreciation for the engagement. For example, if a follower shares your post in their story, you can respond with a quick message or emoji to acknowledge the share. You can also take it a step further by resharing their story to enhance the interaction.
