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3 Ways to Avoid Spamming Your Audience Online

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There are more than 50 million businesses using a Business Page on Facebook, according to the social media giant. That’s a lot of competition. But before you begin to create a host of scheduled posts to go out at the top of each hour or spend your entire day online, you’re going to want to read these tips. Here’s how to effectively engage your audience on social media, without spamming them:

Don’t Completely Replace Human Interactions with Automated Responses

Or worse, wait hours or even days to reply to customer concerns expressed on your company’s social media channels. It’s plain and simple: consumers want to talk to a real person, not a bot. Some social media experts will argue that you’re doing it all wrong if your social media strategy includes automation. Others swear by it. Successful brands walk a fine line between offering real human interactions and finely-tuned automation practices. Consider a mix of real-time replies when needed and automated responses where it makes strategic sense. Marriott, for example, uses automation tools that target social media users and offer them loyalty points when they mention the brand in a post. These points are automatically added to their accounts, and, for Marriott, it has resulted in a 100 percent conversion rate.

Add Authenticity to Your Posts and Online Messaging

Your brand needs a little personality. Whatever industry you are in, there is a good chance that your business has some sort of personality behind it. In fact, data from The Digital Branding Institute shows that 35 percent of social media users are “turned off” from brands that don’t have any personality. Whatever you do, don’t try to be something that you are not; your audience can see right through it. Additional findings from The Digital Branding Institute cite that 32 percent of users are engaged when a company is trying to be funny when they’re really not and 38 percent see through the use of inappropriate slang. Strike a perfect balance like Amway. The direct selling business has a cohesive and authentic voice online on various platforms including LinkedIn. Their posts include smart language and informative findings that are relevant to their audience.

Avoid Excessive Promotions Across All Social Media Channels

You’re likely on social media to promote your company. Although it may seem counter intuitive, you don’t want the show to be all about you. Constant self-promotion is a surefire way to lose followers and will lead to a disengaged online audience. Instead, balance out your self-promotion and share the love with others, such as partners in business, suppliers, or other brands that inspire you. If you do choose to advertise on social media with paid posts, be sure that the content that is going up is unique each time you create a promotion. Your audience opens up Instagram to see fresh, timely images and checks Facebook to learn something new; keep this in mind when you post. WOW Air is a great example of what to do when posting to Instagram. The Iceland-based airline posts an array of photos, ranging from wing views to Icelandic destinations. They also share the love by posting about events, such as a beer festival in Iceland, on their feed.

Fifty million businesses are on Facebook. There is a lot your brand can learn from WOW Air, Amway and Marriott. How will your brand stand out online?

HubSpot