Today, interactions in social networks have become the basis of everyday human interactions. These types of interactions are those that occur on digital platforms, through the internet. They have their characteristics, which is why they are not equivalent to those resulting from face-to-face communication between individuals.
Importance of social media interactions
Before digital social networks, companies built their own reputation. It was a process mainly controlled by them. However, interactions on social networks have changed this reality, and today they give more power to the user. In addition, advertising is better targeted, thanks to the appearance of tools such as Facebook Ads.
Characteristics of interactions in social networks
Undoubtedly, interactions in social networks offer a wide field of possibilities for marketing. Thanks to them (Community Technology Centers, 2017):
- Brands can express messages more related to their corporate values and less related to selling.
- The user is in a leisure space. So it absorbs brand messages in a different way than invasive advertising.
- The user can express his opinion more freely.
- Brands can hear what is being said about them and their market. Thus, they can better target their products or services.
- Communication has a greater degree of scope.
- There is a higher return on investment in advertising.
Tips to have greater reach in interactions in social networks
When planning a strategy, it is important for companies to be clear about their campaign objectives. Next, we present the most important factors that you must take into account if you want to take advantage of interactions on social networks (Paús and Macchia, 2014).
Emotional Content
Emotional content is much more viral than the rest. In addition, positive content can be shared more because it identifies the sender as a positive person.
psychological activation
An important element is the level of psychological activation caused by emotions. Emotions with a high level of activation —such as anger— cause a greater tendency for social transmission. On the other hand, emotions with a low level of activation —such as sadness— do not favor social transmission.
Storytelling
Another key element is narrative branding or storytelling. It is possible to employ narration by building a powerful story. For this, it is essential to achieve a harmonious integration between the brand, the history, and a clear role of the product.
Situations
It’s easier for people to share positive stories on a cloudy day to make others feel good. Likewise, when there are more accessible topics, they may have a greater predisposition to be part of the phenomenon. For example, during the Olympics, more sports-related stories are shared.
Utility and practicality
Content with practical value has a great tendency to be rebroadcast. It can be tips that save time or money, improve health, or simply help people be happier.
Videos online
Creating online videos is a powerful attraction tool for brands mainly because users are watching the commercial of their own volition.
Reaction to global events
Oreo posted a photo a few minutes after the 2013 Super Bowl blackout, and it became an iconic case. Heineken posted an image just minutes after Pope Francis was elected. It is essential to be aware of major global events to generate interactions on social networks at the most appropriate time.
External factors of interactions in social networks
Not all fans of a brand see the content it posts. Social networks like Facebook use an algorithm to classify content based on user interests. Now, it is increasingly difficult to reach a significant number of people without investing in advertising.
Besides, it is clear that user interaction is essential to achieving effective interactions in social networks. It is not enough for the brand to publish the content. Continuous user interaction is necessary.
How to measure social media interactions
The affiliation of a consumer has become the main objective of current marketing strategies. It is also one of the most relevant metrics for the analysis of results. If you want to properly evaluate the result of your interactions on social networks, you must consider a set of elements and variables (Shower Thinking, 2013).
1. Social reference points or social benchmark
It is about assigning value to social media measures. These are concentrated, especially numerically, in Facebook fans and Twitter followers.
2. Participation
Analyzing participation is essential. This reveals important data about what kind of audience we are attracting with our strategy. Interaction can occur by commenting on guest blog posts, participating in the various activities that the brand proposes, answering questions, and so on.
3. Traffic
Traffic is an obvious form of measurement and control. In this sense, it should be borne in mind that quality is always more important than quantity.
4. Sales
Sales can be measured in various ways. We have Google or Facebook Ads campaigns to funnel analysis.
5. Leads
Many companies do not have online sales. Therefore, the leads become all the levers of word of mouth (“word of mouth”) that have been established previously.
6. Search Marketing
When a brand posts a video, it not only drives more traffic to its website, it also generates scalable interest. The brand receives its echo on Twitter. Bloggers related to the brand expect new videos, and users who did not know it before search for it on Google. In this area, SEO positioning is essential.
7. Brand metrics
Word of mouth can help change core brand metrics, both negatively and positively. Among the main brand levers that can be influenced, we find brand recognition and recall, purchase intention, and brand trust.
Conclusion
Today, the brands that aspire to stay in the minds of consumers are those that seek to be at the center of the conversation rather than just increase their sales. It is undeniable that interactions on social networks have changed the rules of the game. This, far from being a disadvantage, offers great areas of opportunity, with countless tools to create, position, follow, and impact.
