When you develop a clientele that has shown its interest in what you do and what you sell, it's your job to keep your followers' interest.
Statistics have long proven it's cheaper to keep a customer than it is to attract a new one—though you'll surely want to do both. Of course, this doesn't imply that it's easy to keep your current customers.
Begin with posting updates on your chosen social platforms once a day. This helps you establish a rhythm
On the contrary; it's often difficult to maintain a connection with your faithful followers, especially if they don't hear from you on a regular basis. To that end, you need to keep a steady flow of communication to let your customers know what you're up to via social platforms, but how much is too much?
If you update too often, you'll become an annoyance, too little and you'll be forgotten. Here's how to determine a rhythm that's just right.
Start with the one-a-day prescription
Begin with posting updates on your chosen social platforms once a day. This helps you establish a rhythm for yourself and begins to garner the attention of your followers. Remember, they decided to follow you in a quest for information, entertainment or whatever it is you have to offer.
Reward them by giving them something to enjoy each day. This will help you carve out a bit of your followers' mindshare. At the same time, it will help you establish a personality for your business that will hopefully connect with your fans.
You can create your daily content on the fly (maybe something will suddenly inspire you) or you can plan out a posting calendar that helps you avoid the "what will I say today?" roadblock.
Is 'more' better?
Many are vexed by how much to post each day. Yes, there's plenty of other content out there vying for your followers' attention (since you're likely only one of many businesses and personal friends being followed, all of which are also posting updates).
Even though you post your updates daily, how are those faring in the traffic of updates from other sources?
You'll need to monitor the effectiveness of your updates by closely monitoring their result. How many views, 'likes,' and responses do they get, favorable and unfavorable?
There's no exact method yet that ensures your updates will always be seen, though you can improve your chances by posting several times a day. In that way, your followers will likely find one of your collections of daily posts during the times they check in to see what's going on in the social landscape.
Are you being a pest when you post several times each day and might you be risking being un-followed for your effort? That's always a possibility, and there are no guarantees your updates won't be ignored or, worse yet, hidden and even dropped outright.
You'll need to monitor the effectiveness of your updates by closely monitoring their result; how many views, "likes," and responses do they get, favorable and unfavorable?
Let that result guide you in whether to post more or less. You can also simply ask your followers, "Would you like to see more updates from us each day?" While not all might respond, those who do can likely serve as the barometer to guide you going forward.
Consider the timing of your updates
As discussed in another article, the timing of your updates has a direct impact on the effectiveness of your updates. In a nutshell, here are the largely agreed upon recommendations for a well-timed update:
- Early in the morning: Surveys have revealed that 80% of smartphone users check their messages and social updates within 15 minutes of lifting their head from the pillow. You can typically fare well to catch followers' attention before they begin their busy day.
- During lunchtime: Sure, that midday break is a great time to catch your followers, they who are checking in to see what's been going on and are looking for a bit of a distraction before the second half of their day.
- After work: In the world's metropolitan areas, millions of folks use their commute to check in on social updates while riding public transport.
- After dinner: Another statistic notes that 86% of mobile Internet users surf while watching TV each evening. This is a bit more of a distracted time to try to engage, but it is an option to you.
Don't forget that your updates should be offered for your customers' benefit, not for your own indulgence
This covers the entire day, so you'll need to experiment with the best time to reach your followers. When you understand their likes, their daily rhythms and the times when they seem most attentive to your updates, that's when you can tailor your update timing to best serve them. Don't forget that your updates should be offered for your customers' benefit, not for your own indulgence.
Train followers to anticipate updates
Here's where to truly focus your attention in the frequency of your updates: Work to establish a frequency and timing that your followers will be expecting.
If you have a rhythm of updates your followers truly respond to (maybe special announcements, cost-saving offers and so on), explain when you'll be posting those sorts of regular updates.
If you've truly engaged your followers, they'll be looking for these updates from you. In this way, you won't have to compete for their attention; all you'll need to do ensure you post on time, every time, and your followers will likely be waiting for you.
In the end, it all comes down to establishing a relationship with your followers. You offer updates you hope will connect with them, you watch and listen to feedback, and you adapt to improve the results of your updates. Then you work to give them what they crave on a regular basis, practically ensuring their standing by to lap up what you serve. That's when you'll know you've mastered the effectiveness of your social updates.