The rage of social media is catching on.
Businesses no longer rely on PR statement to get through to their customers.
It is all about direct communication, a listening and engaging phenomenon that allows businesses to get to know their customers' preferences, view about certain products and also cater to customer service issues that they are dealing with.
One effective way to engage customers is to develop social media campaigns.
Experts advise that before starting a social media campaigns, businesses have to be keep the objectives in mind.
The aim of a social media campaign can be as simple as spreading the awareness of a new product or managing customer feedback, driving sales or higher customer acquisition.
The duration of a social media campaigns depends on the objective and can vary from 2-3 months to even a year.
There are several points that businesses need to keep in mind while developing a short or long-term campaign.

• Make sure to capture the interest of customers - Companies can be sure that their customers are interested in the campaigns only if they actively participate in it.
  The can be ensured by setting up contests and inviting customers to encourage their friends to participate in it as well.
  
• Change as you go - Companies should be ready to make the required changes as and when required.
  The campaigns may catch on and expand to a much bigger level and companies must be prepared to handle it.
  
• Concentrate on the consumer- Focussing the campaign on the consumer helps businesses concentrate on the sites most frequently visited by the customer and also target their needs.
  Remember that the customers decide the success or failure of your campaigns.
  
• Talk in a language that the customers understand - The tone of the campaign should be consumer friendly.
  Customers will only respond to campaigns that appeal to them.
  
• Research your audience - Before starting the campaigns businesses need to know where to reach their customers and what they think about he company's products and services
• Measure the success of your campaigns- Use effective analytics to measure the success of your campaign and to analyse the data accumulated from it.
  For instances if the campaign objective is to bump up sales, an increase in profit will indicate success

Social media engagement is a continual process.
In order to keep your customers engaged you need to be imaginative and conjure up ways that will take the customers attention away from competitors.