By: Dara Cohen, Account Coordinator
When I began at RBOA, one of my first tasks was to create social media accounts for a new business in town, Gulf Coast Dermatology of Tallahassee. I quickly realized it didn’t matter how many Twitter followers we had if only five of them were interactive, so I decided to look for tribal members, not followers.
A tribe is a group of people with a common goal or interest. My job is to reach out to my client’s interest groups and figure out what they want. It is all about helping and connecting with others.
When looking for tribal members, you want more than people who just click the “follow” button and forget about you. You want people who are interested in what you have to say and want to interact with you. For example, I am always looking to build a tribe of individuals for Gulf Coast Dermatology who are interested in skin care, dermatology or cosmetic procedures and live in Tallahassee or the surrounding area.
Once you figure out who you want to target for membership in your tribe, you need to figure out what to tell them. Finding content that is both interesting and engaging can be challenging, but there are techniques that can help you develop the audience interaction we all strive for.
Cater to your audience
If you aren’t tweeting something that would interest your community, then why are you tweeting at all? Spend some time listening to your tribe prospects, and give them information they are already looking for. Come up with a list of hashtags that contain key words your followers are using, watching or searching for to help extend your reach. For Gulf Coast, I often use #dermatology or #skincare. Your content will be much more effective if you are sure it caters to your audiences’ interests.
Connect with your followers
Respond to your follower’s posts. Thank your supporters regularly. Ask your tribe questions about topics they are already talking about. Get involved in their lives! It’s simple human nature – when someone listens to you and makes an effort to get you know, you will want to do the same back!
Keep it fresh
Make sure you are staying up-to-date with the latest news and trends. Do your daily news monitoring on blogs, websites and even twitter keyword searches. Google Alerts is a great asset for cutting down on your search time. By reporting on events as they happen you will keep the attention of your tribe members and build your followers! If you can be the first to post about the news, the possibilities of who you can reach are endless.
Have fun
This goes hand-in-hand with interacting with your followers. Just because you are representing a company doesn’t mean you can only post serious tweets – have a little fun! Try posting a daily interesting/fun fact or a related photo. This will keep your followers interested and entertained, and you will enjoy tweeting more too!
How do you build your tribe of mutual, engaged followers?