Don't Save the Commentary: Why Comments and Dialogue Matter More Than Likes

There are countless ways of tracking your engagement on social media platforms, but it’s fair to say that some matter more than others.

If we take Facebook, for example, it’s easy for marketers and business owners to focus a lot on the ‘like’ metric, meaning the number of reactions (like, love, angry, wow, sad, haha) it generated. The more likes, the more successful the post, right?

Not so fast. While yes, having posts with a large number of likes can tell you a thing or two about a brand’s ability to reach a certain audience, there is another metric that is much more telling: comments.

Why Are Comments Important?

Comments are rarely a metric one focuses on. It’s great if they appear for a particular social media post, but marketers are more concerned about the overall audience that post reaches. But comments symbolize something more powerful than likes.

For one thing, it’s easier to give a like than to comment. The former involves a tap or a click of the mouse, while the latter requires a lot more effort on the user’s part. Additionally, a like does not guarantee the user actually read and understood the post. The comment, on the other hand, requires the users to go through the post in its entirety, and share their thoughts with you.

Comments essentially signal that your audience isn’t just an audience in the traditional sense - comments mean your target takes part in the conversation you start and are actively contributing to it. A post with a high number of comments speaks to a brand’s ability not only to reach a certain audience size but also engage it and get it to react.

The Benefits of Focusing on Dialog

It’s much harder to get people to comment than to get them to like something. Again, this has to do with the very effort required by each of these tasks, but if you focus on engaging in a dialogue with your audience, these efforts will pay off.

Here are two key benefits of getting the audience to talk to you:

1. They Add Life to Your Page: If a new user stumbles upon your page for the first time and sees a lot of people commenting on your posts, that sends a clear message to them. This page is active, engaging, and other people are paying attention. This can be enough for them to decide to follow you as well.

2. You Build a Community: Likes or follows don’t necessarily say much about your community, as there is no guarantee your posts will reach all of those people. But when they comment, a lot of social algorithms will continue to show these people posts of yours, and you can build a stronger audience.

Final Thoughts

Comments are a telling sign of how strong a brand is because everybody knows it takes a lot of effort to engage an audience. And as far as metrics go, you’re a lot better off focusing on comments than likes.

How Do You Connect With Consumers Who Are Disconnected?

Photo by Trinity Kubassek from Pexels

Picture this: you have a few years in the business and have managed to create a rather impressive audience, be it a social following, website visitors, or even buyers. These are all, in a sense, consumers.

But many businesses may notice that a considerable portion of their consumers are disconnected from their brand. They don’t respond to posts anymore, they don’t read your articles, or they’ve stopped buying.

So, how can you reconnect with disconnected consumers?

1. Find Out Why They’ve Left

There has to be a reason users became disconnected from you, and finding it out is imperative to get them to come back. Essentially, you have to look at the way you are talking to them or interact with them to see if something may have put them off. This has a lot to do with consumer expectations. Ask yourself, are you meeting them? Because a lot of businesses don’t. One survey showed that 4 out of 5 consumers believe businesses provide a disconnected experience. This means that the businesses are lacking in something consumers want or expect to be offered.

To find out why they disconnected, you can even send out a short survey and ask. Not everyone will respond, but even if just a few do, you will get a better sense of why people stopped listening to you. It could be a confusing strategy, too many newsletters, or an unpopular campaign. Either way, these can be fixed.

2. Incentivize Them to Come Back

People can find anything they want online, and for them, not paying attention to your brand isn’t really affecting them in any way. It’s always a lot for the brand, not the consumer.

But when a business wants to convince a user to reconnect, they have to make it worth that user’s while and provide compelling reasons to do it. This can be a generous discount, access to something exclusive or even making them part of your future activities. These incentives show a user that you really care about them, and are going the extra mile to connect with them.

3. Leverage Technology to Stay Connected

If your communications process has any type of gap, you risk losing consumers. These days, people expect to receive what they want, when they want it, which is usually right now. This is almost impossible to achieve without staying logged in 24/7 unless you are using a chatbot.

Chatbots can pick up where human resources leave off, and communicate with users at any time of day to provide clarifications, answer questions, or even help with routine tasks. It’s an easy method to ensure a consumer can connect with you whenever they want.

Conclusion

In marketing, many focus on bringing in new people constantly, which is not a bad strategy, but it can make you forget to take care of the people who are already on your side. Reconnecting with users who’ve stopped engaging is essential because these people already know your brand and services.

Does Your Brand Need a Makeover? Five Signs that it’s Time for a Change

Photo by Andre Mouton

Have you ever put on your favorite pair of jeans, and they seemed a little too snug? What was once a trendy hairstyle ten years ago is now aging. Sometimes a change in style is warranted, and for brands, it’s no different. If your brand is dated or has grown too big for the shoes it once filled, then it’s time for a change. Unsure if your business requires a rebranding? Check out these top five signs that it’s time for the brand to change.
 

1. Handing out your business card or sharing your website makes you cringe.
This is a major sign that changes and rebranding are in order. It’s probably the most significant indication that your brand has gotten too big for its britches. When you, deep down, feel that your brand is stale, unoriginal, or outdated, you need to reach out to a branding agency. When the brand is modern, and you believe in it, you won’t feel embarrassed to share your business cards and website. You know what they say - listen to your gut. 

2. You’ve run out of ways to differentiate.
At the core of an effective branding strategy is having the ability to differentiate the business from your top competitors. If you think your brand has the same look and feel as the rest of your market, then it’s time to rock the boat. Reposition your brand with cutting-edge value propositions, and you’ll stand out from a sea of Stepford companies.
 
3. It’s complicated.
Is your messaging scatterbrained? Would it be easy for someone to get confused about what exactly you do if they come across your website? When your business becomes a complicated jumble of offerings with no narrative to unify it all, then it’s time for a change. When branded messages make the audience cross-eyed and confused, you’ll need to retrace your steps, simplify, and focus your messaging. Complexity in branding means less cohesion, and a tougher time capturing and holding onto market share.
 
4. What’s in a name? Reflection.
Ten years ago, your brand name may have been avant-garde and cutting edge. But most importantly, your brand name was an accurate reflection and representation of your vision for the company. Today, your brand name may no longer serve this vital purpose. Changes in the cultural context and business growth can change the implications and meaning of your brand name. If this has happened to you, then change it. Stale names shouldn’t hold back great brands.
 
5. The brand’s strategy has already changed.
When your brand was founded, you had excellent, strategic objectives, and you were able to meet them. But things change. Emerging market opportunities or technological innovations can cause you to pivot strategy. When your business objectives, models, and strategies change, then your brand should reflect these differences as well. The way your customers are served should align with the way your company operates under the hood.
 
When a change is needed, the signs may be everywhere. If you’re wondering if a rebranding is in order, look for these top indicators and if your brand has outgrown its original mission. With the right strategy, a rebranding investment can pay off exponentially.