A report from marketing author Jen DeTracey suggests that 75 percent of companies struggle with social engagement.

Jen DeTracey, author of Lift Strategies: Quick Tips to Engage Customers and Elevate Profits, recently asserted that one of the main reasons businesses using social media marketing struggle to boost conversions is a lack of engagement with their prospects. In her analysis, DeTracey found that 75 percent of companies have failed to convert a prospect because of missed engagement opportunities.

When prospects reach out to a business on Facebook, Twitter or another social platform, they expect interaction. Failing to respond to users’ messages, questions or even complaints defeats the purpose using social media marketing to engage social audiences.

While there are tertiary benefits of building a social presence even without allocating resources toward user interaction, such as greater market insights and inbound links through shared content, social media marketing is a two-way communication platform between companies and their prospects.

Moreover, DeTracey said, companies with poor engagement tactics often struggle to retain their customers, which further demonstrates the value of social listening and responses. Using social marketing to connect with clients is often overlooked but critical, she said, as it costs up to 15 times as much to get new customers as it does to retain existing ones.

Whether brands need to work on interacting with prospects, clients or both, there are ample opportunities to reach audiences via social media. Brafton recently reported that more than 70 percent of social users said they follow companies for a number of reasons, including a desire to communicate with them.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.