Maintaining an engaged social media community

Bringing together mobile, social and real-time has forever changed the way people discover and communicate. In such an environment, establishing and maintaining a brands online presence is more necessary than ever.  Cogora’s social media brand's position themselves as the go-to-place for the latest healthcare news, trends and forums for discussion, sharing content that will help, inspire and entertain our audiences of healthcare professionals. Where a simple 140 character tweet can have real impact, social media has become the quickest and most direct form of advertisement for brands. Still, it is far more than a means of self-promotion. An engaged and long-lasting social community can be a successful tool in developing brand recognition and loyalty, driving website traffic, and ultimately sales. But in a competitive and crowded social media landscape however, it is time to think differently about customer engagement. Brands can no longer focus solely on their number of followers; active and engaged fans, rather than passive followers, are what make a strong social media community. Through comments, shares, captions, trending discussions and hashtags, social media has given both brands and audiences the chance to interact with one another on a daily basis. When growing a virtual social presence our aim is to always create great online experiences. We must  avoid cookie-cutter marketing plans and decide what kind of content makes the most sense to that social media audience, taking into account their interests and patterns of interactions. The focus should always be on the content that appeals to the users’ interests. Social media allows brands to expand their business in an increasingly digital world. A strong social media community is built on a two-way communication, focused on personalised interactions. At the click of a mouse, or by a tap on a screen, valuable content and news can be shared globally, opening a dialogue with potential brand advocates, as well as prospective customers, helping create a community beyond the brand's follower base. The strategies, tactics and platforms used in social media are forever changing. The challenge will be to keep the brand relevant by sharing innovative content that ultimately keeps audiences engaged.   Some of our social media channels... Cogora: Twitter, LinkedIn Nursing in Practice: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest Management in Practice: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn The Commissioning Review: Twitter, LinkedIn Pulse: Facebook, Twitter Hospital Pharmacy Europe: Twitter, LinkedIn