You’ve probably caught wind of the 6C Model of Social Media Engagement.
Don’t be misled by the fancy wording – it’s simple and surprisingly effective.
Get it right, maybe combine it with something like a branding agency and your business could see some serious gains with how much it sticks out from the rest.
What Is The 6C Model Of Social Media Engagement? A Basic Overview
(Source: Evaluation Framework For Social Media Brand Presence by Irena Pletikosa, ResearchGate)
The “6 Cs” of social media engagement are Company, Content, Community, Customers, Conversations, and Control. Here’s how it works:
1st C: Company makes and shares Content.
2nd C: Content goes out to the Community.
3rd C: Community checks it out and passes it on to potential new Customers.
4th C: Customers talk about it with each other, creating a Conversational Loop.
5th C: Conversations shape what the Company, Content, and Community do next.
6th C: Control means managing the brand’s own content and making sure the community stays on track and user-generated content fits your brand values.
This setup keeps things flowing, gets people involved, and builds strong connections with the audience.
6C Model Of Social Media Engagement: The Full Breakdown
Now, we’ll try to explain exactly what every C means so you can get a better idea.
1. Company
This is your business presence on social media. You create and manage the Content shared on platforms. This includes posts, updates, and brand messages, all reflecting your marketing goals.
2. Content
This is what you share on social media – posts, images, videos, and more. It should be relevant and valuable to your audience, aligning with your brand’s message and goals. But that begs the question, what exactly is good content? It’s not something that can be defined easily.
Tips To Improve Content Quality
However, you can follow these tips to streamline and improve things:
- Research what content resonates with your audience.
- Plan your posts with a content calendar.
- Experiment with different formats and styles.
- Share stories and user-generated content.
- Analyse post performance for optimisation.
3. Community
This is your network of followers and fans. Building a strong community involves fostering relationships, encouraging interaction, and making followers feel valued.
Tips To Make A Better Community
If you really want a tight-knit community, you can try to do the following:
- Monitor discussions and trends with social monitoring tools.
- Engage actively with comments and messages.
- Encourage user-generated content and reviews.
- Participate in relevant discussions.
- Reward loyal followers with exclusive offers.
4. Customers
These are the people who buy from you. Engage with them by listening to feedback, providing support, and showcasing their experiences to build loyalty.
Tips To Improve Customer Experience
To do all of the above effectively, you can:
- Respond promptly to customer inquiries and feedback.
- Personalise interactions to show appreciation.
- Offer support through direct messages or chatbots.
- Share customer testimonials and success stories.
- Use feedback to improve products and services.
5. Conversations
This is the ongoing dialogue between your brand and its followers, along with talks between the followers themselves. Encourage meaningful interactions by starting discussions, responding promptly, and joining relevant conversations.
Tips To Handle And Grow Conversations
Other things you can do include:
- Initiate discussions with questions or polls.
- Stay engaged by replying to comments and messages.
- Use hashtags to join industry conversations.
- Encourage user-generated content and testimonials.
- Monitor brand and industry discussions for engagement opportunities.
6. Control
This involves overseeing your brand’s presence on social media while allowing for community interaction. You need control to ensure the quality of content and make sure everyone stays comfortable. Set guidelines, monitor content, and manage crises to protect your brand’s reputation.
Tips To For Smooth Moderation
Here are some things you can do to make sure everything goes smoothly for everyone.
- Establish clear social media guidelines.
- Moderate user-generated content to maintain brand standards.
- Have a plan for handling negative feedback or crises.
- Update your strategy based on analytics and trends.
Tools to Utilise The 6C Model Of Social Media
Now, let’s go over all the popular social media tools you can work with to make the best use of this framework.
1. Social Media Management Platforms
- Hootsuite: Schedules and manages your posts on different social media platforms.
- Buffer: Helps you plan and schedule your content ahead of time.
- Sprout Social: Keep an eye on engagement and check performance.
2. Control and Moderation Tools:
- AgoraPulse: Moderates comments and manages user content.
- Moderation Services: External services like social media manager agencies take over the reigns of watching your community and keeping it in check.
3. Community Engagement Tools
- Brandwatch: Shows what people are saying about your brand and industry.
- Hootsuite Insights: Tracks mentions and helps you see how customers feel.
- Facebook Groups: Lets you build and manage your community groups in the easiest way.
4. Customer Relationship Management Tools
- Zendesk: Helps easy handling of customer support and interactions.
- HubSpot CRM: Tracks customer feedback and allows you to personalise your responses.
- Salesforce: Collects and analyses customer data so you can improve service.
5. Conversation Monitoring Tools
- Mention: Keep track of where your brand is mentioned online.
- X Pro/TweetDeck: Helps you follow Twitter/X conversations and hashtags.
- Google Alerts: Notifies you about new discussions related to your brand or industry.
6. Content Creation and Curation Tools
- Canva: Makes attractive graphics and visuals.
- Adobe Spark: Can be used to create engaging videos and social media posts.
- BuzzSumo: Helps find trending topics and new content ideas.
Useful Resources To Enhance The 6C Model Of Social Media
You can use the tools above if you want to do things on your own. But if you can’t spare the time for it or aren’t sure what to do, here are some services you can try.
- Local Social Media Content Packages: Pick Social Media Content Creation Packages tailored for NZ. They help create content that Kiwis love, engaging your local community better.
- Marketing Agencies: Partner with Social Media Marketing Agency. You can even go for a Digital Marketing Agency in NZ if you want to expand your campaign into social media but don’t want to specifically focus on it. They’ll still help shape your social media posts to fit Kiwi trends and preferences.
- Graphic Designer: Team up with someone who can make your media pop. They’ll design eye-catching posts that appeal to Kiwis, boosting engagement. Even better, you can hire people who are more experienced with local tastes. Take Happy Hank Media for instance – we’re one of the most popular Graphic Designers in Tauranga.
Final Thoughts
In Social Media Marketing, the 6C Model of Social Media is a great way to stay ahead.
And Happy Hank Media’s entire core philosophy is built around it. Give us a call and we’ll help you build up your own business with it in the best way.
It’s quite new, so some of your competitors might not know about it yet. Give it a try and see how it can boost your online presence.
Whether you’re new to this or have been here a while, by using strategies like this Model, your business can adapt and make a mark on customers, staying flexible as trends and the digital world shift.