I know I say it all the time – but engagement is golden when it comes to social media.
Why is it so important?
Twitter is about real-time conversation. People interact with their friends, their favorite brands, their favorite authors or their favorite product. Your business must be part of that dialog.
Facebook allows the same type of interaction – but did you know that how engaged your followers are can also affect how often your content shows in news feeds? It’s important!
So how do you get followers talking and engaged? Let’s take a look at a few ideas:
1) Post Questions
It’s one of the oldest rules in the book – if you want answers, or engagement, ask questions! The same can be said for social media. Post engaging questions – ones that relate to your product or service. On Facebook, mix in questions that encourage users to hit like. The more likes – the higher the engagement.
2) Stay on Top of Dialog
Pay attention to what’s being said on Twitter in relation to your industry. Word of mouth is crucial in regular customer service and it’s important on Twitter as well. When your customers or prospects are happy – they’ll spread the word about you on social media.
Example? I was looking for a CRM system and posted a request to my Twitter followers for recommendations. I was impressed when two CRM suppliers stumbled across my post (via search – I didn’t use a hashtag) and reached out to me. I immediately shared the story on my Twitter account – mentioning both companies.
3) Host Chat Parties
One of my clients has ambassadors for their products. We’ve held several successful Twitter Chats with key figures in the athletic industry which resulted not only in increased followers – but massively extended their brand awareness. Each participant was including us in each Twitter post they made to participate – which lead to their followers learning about us.
Try hosting a chat party on Twitter or Facebook. You don’t need athletes! You’re an expert in your field – so share whatever knowledge you have. If you’re an author, answer questions about your books from your fans. Run a law firm? Do a Q&A with prospective clients.
Good luck getting your followers to start talking. Let me know how you do!
