Is Your Audience Burned Out?

Digital engagement is a delicate balance. Too many emails, posts and threads can have someone hitting unsubscribe or unfollow. Too little and you lose out on valuable audience time. 

In every business, there are ebbs and flows of online interaction. 

The real question is: have you found your sweet spot? Do you know the right level of invitation and energy to bring to your online platforms? This is an important conversation to have. So, let’s have it.

There are a few different elements to this. You will apply different strategies based on varied online audiences and even platforms. For example, your email approach will vastly differ from your social media strategy. Lead generation and conversion is a vital part of your marketing efforts. 

In copywriting, we work tirelessly to craft messaging that works. When we get an audience to one of your platforms, we want to be sure that you are implementing strategies that will keep them watching/reading/commenting. 

This engagement is a measure of health for your business. 

Here are some tips for pulling it off, from the Hire a Writer messaging experts… just for you.

How to Encourage Engagement

Audience burnout happens when you say the same thing, in the same tone to the same people. It’s the reason our children can’t hear us talking anymore: tune out is real. To keep your audience dialed into your messages and engaged with your brand, here are some general ideas:

1. Make content that is about the people. Not for the people: about the people. Make content that appeals directly to your customers: who they are, where they are and what they need. If your content is primarily about what your business is doing, people will lose interest. We’re not saying feed narcissism, just keep your regular messaging and content highly relevant and applicable. This has the bonus value of being immensely shareable.

2. Make content for the purpose of engagement. Some businesses are highly focused on conversion which is, of course, essential. But to keep people sticking around, clicking open and liking your content, it needs to be engaging. This can come in the form of questions, re-shares and opportunities to interact. A tactic like this is also huge for re-animating a lifeless audience.

3. Ask for engagement. This may seem like a no-brainer but it’s a bit nuanced. This is different from a CTA where you’re asking someone to buy what you’re selling or shimmy down your sales funnel. Instead, an ask for engagement comes in the form of appealing to your audience to share your content. This may be highly relevant if you are doing non-profit work or a socially-conscious endeavor. Ask for tags, shares and for your audience to spread the love for your brand. 

4. Find the balance. As we said above, there are different approaches to how many emails you send versus how many Pins to a board. Your sales and marketing teams will need to work carefully to align promotion. This is a great opportunity to get everyone on the same page with a streamlined strategy. While you don’t want to miss the chance to be public on behalf of your brand, there is a restraint that highlights the thought and intention behind what you’re doing. It’s not haphazard or impulsive. Engagement will come with careful planning and consistency.

5. Be predictable. This piggybacks on the latter point and is just as important. Predictability will increase engagement. Most adults are on their devices all day every day. You have the chance to reach them. If they know when and where to look for you, you’ll have a better chance of them engaging with your content. This is a best practice in YouTube channels, for example, where influencers regularly post on a specific time of day and day of the week. Be a part of your customer’s lives by predictable scheduling.

How Much Should You Pursue Prospects?

There are some strategic ways to pursue prospects without burning them out.

• Find and use the right method. You’ll know what works for your business, whether that’s phone calls, emails or something else.
• Connect informally. Relationships are built virtually all of the time. When it’s appropriate, connecting with a prospect outside the realm of official business (say, on LinkedIn) could keep you front and center in their minds.
• Be brief. If prospects get long-winded emails or voicemails from you, they may switch off.

How Much Should You Engage Followers?

For people who are already “in your world,” how much is too much? There are a few key practices that will keep your customers and followers engaged without ending in the dreaded opt-out.

• Switch it up. This runs along the lines of our “same tone” message above. Use varied content that keeps your followers interested.
• Borrow a page (from your competitors). As you create and implement content strategies, it’s important to follow industry standards. What are other people getting from businesses like yours? This can inform some of your work as you compete for an audience.
• Take breaks. Don’t get caught in the endlessness of social media cycles or content generation. It’s okay to be offline sometimes if you need the time to re-strategize or recalibrate.
• Reuse content. Most of the content you create can be used multiple times in numerous ways. Don’t get stuck in a rut or think you have to generate ideas from scratch every time. Reposting or referring to external sources are, of course, a great option as well.

Extra Tips for Avoiding Audience Burnout

At the end of the day, the goal of your efforts is to keep them coming back for more. You want a flowing river (not a stagnant pond) of leads and interest in your brand. This doesn’t mean you endlessly pursue every new platform and opportunity. Instead, you insert renewed energy into places your customers regularly go… and reward them for being there. Here are some best practices and extra tips:

• Offer incentives for engagement, including prizes and rewards.
• Acknowledge your top fans with badges (on social media).
• Always respond: answer comments, take up threads, be active.
• Prove you’re listening: thoughtfully respond and provide evidence that you hear what your customers are saying about you online.
• Use a variety of content. You don’t have to always be one thing: switch it up and let your serious, silly or inspiring side show.
• Use new media. Consider the value of video, podcasts and unique graphics to add interest to your outreach.
• Work your public relations. Every time you are featured on another platform, showcase it on yours. 

Feel like this last one could use work? It’s hard to put yourself out there, especially since copywriting is probably not your job. If you need assistance or advice for how to grow your brand through meaningful connections, reach out to us.