Ask and Ye Shall Receive: On Questions and Social Engagement
What I made for dinner last night. A funny thing my son did. Commentary about the bad weather. A link to what Martha Atwood said about Twitter. Like so many of you, I post on social networks to express myself. Although being heard isn’t on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it should be. The flood of self-expression released by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, tumblr, Pinterest and all the other platforms is evidence that millions and millions of people desire a voice.
When brands tap into this energy (the bread and butter of social media), they see social engagement spike. For example, on Monday, Kohl’s asked a simple question: “Classic holiday drink: eggnog or hot chocolate?” More than 2,600 fans jumped in with comments about their preferences. Ask questions and ye shall receive engagement? It worked for jcpenney, too. On December 1, it ventured into controversial waters with “Christmas sweaters: Awesome or toss ’em?” Hundreds of fans joined the conversation with very strong opinions!
Even though it may not be their fans’ favorite season, Spirit Halloween used a question to stay connected to its fans. One week ago it asked, “Does your love for Halloween ever flow into Christmas? Do you ever decorate with A Nightmare Before Christmas?” Its engagement spiked so much when fans added their remarks, it registered in the top 10 movers on our Retail Social Juice Index for that time frame.
Questions can take other forms besides multiple choice and yes/no. We see increased engagement from brands using polls and fill-in-the-blank posts, as well. What it tells us is that customers enjoy it when brands ask them what they think. Remember — people in social networks want to be heard. Brands who use their walls to as places for fans to express themselves enhance the customer experience.
We all have something to say. Give us an outlet, and we’ll use it. Zuckerberg is onto something. In case you haven’t heard …
