2 Key Elements That May Be Missing in Your Social Media Content

Many businesses have (and are) questioning the value of generating social media content to market their products and services. The fact remains that most consumers in America and across the globe are connecting through some sort of social media outlet, and if businesses aren't involved in these important spheres of influence, they are missing out on unlimited potential to reach customers. So the value of diving in with social media marketing is unquestionable!

As a business, you may be on board with this social media marketing movement, but are you reaching your maximum potential? Are you reaching all of the customers (or potential customers) that you possibly can? You may be generating content, but that content may not be scratching the itch for your clients and customers.

There are two things that may be missing in your social media marketing content:

• Photos/Graphics - A study in 2012 showed that specifically Tweets with image links have a two times higher engagement rate than those that did not have image links. That was two years ago! With the dawn of Pinterest, graphics and pictures have become even more important in social media marketing. It is supposed that Pinterest may have over 40 million active monthly users--most being women. The crux of Pinterest is the images that flood users' main pages, begging to be re-Pinned--everything from deliciously appealing recipes, to alluring fashions, to the easiest DIY headboard transformations. The importance of images is the same across the social media board. Blog and Facebook posts that contain images are are twice as likely to be shared. I mentioned earlier that re-tweet rates for Twitter posts double when image links are present. And finally, images can help to boost your search engine optimization (SEO)--more on that another time.

• Questions - Are you asking questions of your social media followers? If not, you have a one-sided friendship with them, and no one likes that! Ask for their input. Your clients and customers want to feel involved in your business. They want you to hear them, and you can't hear them if you aren't listening. Questions are a very simple way to engage users, and get more attention for your business. Ask for your customers' opinions on whether or not you should stock a certain potential product. Ask them if they like a certain new product on your shelves. Ask them to weigh in on color choices for a project you're working on. Ask them to share, re-tweet, re-pin, etc. the image of an event or sale you're trying to promote...and they will! When your clients feel more involved and engaged with your business, they are exponentially more likely to re-pay you with coveted word-of-mouth recommendations. Get creative and engage your customers by asking them questions, and getting to know what they think through your social media marketing.

Just try it! What do you have to loose? Try incorporating these two elements, and then wait. Now, don't be impatient, either. You can't start adding images to your content and asking questions, and expect overnight success. The key is: "keep calm and carry on." Wait and watch, and you will see the engagement level sky-rocket through your business' social media marketing.