Brands are using social media now more than ever to build communities and drive ROI!  Forrester reports that 80% of the top 50 global brands actively post to the top five social media platforms, and their followings on those platforms has increased. However, engagement has been slowing down a lot over the last year, so smart brands are turning to new creative ways to holistically engage on social media platforms.

Brands really need to stand above the social media noise. One way of doing this is by developing a persona for you brand. Share a vine of things of interest in and to the office. Personalize your brand’s Twitter presence by including the Twitter handle of the person(s) tweeting in their bio. Join the conversation, reply to the people who take the time to tweet you a question, retweet a partner and the list goes on and on.

It is important to present your brand as a thought leader. Be known as an expert that people turn to by sharing relevant information they can use right now. You also need to start using ads on your top of content to really boost engagement. Natural user engagement is still very much alive and can thrive under the right conditions, it just needs a little extra boost from time to time to really get the kind of reach you are looking for from your social media. Last but not least, utilize your social tools to nurture and engage your brand’s target market in ways you never thought imaginable!