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What We Can Learn About Positive Social Media Engagement from 2011 Australian Census

This may be old news, but it's worth repeating. The other day I came across an image of a back and forth between one Twitter account and the 2011 Australian Census Twitter account. In the image you see an exchange between Twitter accounts. The person engaging with the 2011 Census Twitter account is referring to the popular song by Kelis - Milkshake. Instead of simply not replying, the 2011 Census Twitter replied back continuing the lyrics. This interaction is one of the reasons I love social media so much and also the main premise in which I try to instill in my clients and people in general. Whether your subject is siriuz biznuss or not, the interactions between your customers/clients/fans/people, doesn't always have to be on-point and serious.

Instead of just ignoring the person who tweeted the 2011 Census the song lyrics, they replied back with additional lyrics. It's a beautiful display of engagement.

I like to use this example as a basis for all my examples about awesome engagement in social media. People don't want to be ignored. No matter what they're saying to you through Twitter, acknowledge them the best that you can. Even replying with a smiley face can do the trick. It's OK to go off topic sometimes. Just saying hello is a great way to get a conversation going sometimes. So when thinking about your social media strategy, try to leave a little wiggle room for general engagement with the public.

How do you engage with your Twitter followers?