Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Engagement (And not the kind with the fancy ring...)

The social media buzz word “engagement” means: “a dialogue; it’s the ability to choose how and when to engage; it’s the value each channel represents; it’s whether or not expectations were met. Engagement in social media means the ability to reach out to and get response from a company (as a consumer) or an audience (as a company). For instance, if I go onto Twitter and post a question to a specific company (@Ebay, for example), I hope to receive a response. That’s engagement. Instant, human.” It involves participation, listening, monitoring, and strategic bookmarking/marketing. 
 
 
There are several similarities and differences between traditional interpersonal communication within relationships and engagement on a social media level. For example, they are similar in the sense that both of them require building some form of relationship, consist of a dialogue and two-way communication, and expanding your network. Some major differences might include the fact that social media engagement all takes place online, and therefore relies solely on Internet communication instead of any non-verbal cues or physical touch. Social media engagement is also much easier to analyze and it is easier to employ someone else to fulfill these responsibilities, whereas in real life you can’t do that.
 
Three best practices for SMC engagement and networking came from this site:
 
1)Listen First, Then Respond
2)Remember that each interaction is unique, don’t take a cookie-cutter approach to communicating with your customers.
3)Don’t underestimate the power of both positive and negative comments, and be sure to respond to both.

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