Five Ways to Better Engage Your Social Media Audience

It has been said numerous times that social media marketing is the future. Individuals and companies have jumped on board, working to get their social presence going so they can keep up with the ever evolving marketing world.

However, gone are the days where simply posting to your social media platform gains you interest. You need to truly engage with your audience and potential customers to get them to take you seriously and to capitalize on your marketing efforts.

It seems simple enough, but not everyone has fully enacted their social potential, so it is important to address a few ways to really engage your audience via social media.

1. When You Link to an Article, Draw Their Attention to a Specific Point

Sharing content, regardless of where it originates, is a great and simple way to engage with your audience. However, not everyone has time to read the article that you linked to, and they aren’t going to click on it unless you give them a reason to.

Try pointing them to a specific part of an article that you find helpful or funny, and you will have a greater chance of directing traffic to the site. Articles with numbered lists, such as those on Buzzfeed, are easiest for this since you can just say something along the lines of, “Number 4? So true!” Easy, right?

2. Drive Users to Your Site

Another way to really engage your audience is through quizzes. It is a good idea, as a company, to have a blog dedicated to communicating information to customers, and it is a great space to publish interactive content.

Internet users love taking random quizzes, and you can see the results shared on numerous individual’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Use this to your advantage! If you are a home improvement company, you could have a quiz such as “What is your home style personality?” The possibilities are endless as well as entertaining.

3. Join the Conversation

Sure, using social media to share your marketing messages is a great idea, but take it a step further by interacting with your audience, as well. If someone comments on your post or asks a question, simply respond to them. This shows that you are engaged with them and value their presence.

Let’s say your company sells used equipment for construction or renovation. Post something along the lines of, “Will you be working on any outdoor projects over this beautiful weekend? If so, let’s hear what you are up to!” Use the timeliness of the season change to your advantage. You are not directly marketing anything, but you are getting the audience to think without them feeling like they are being bought.

4. Visual Stimulation

People are drawn to visual stimuli. It is as simple as that. When posting to your social media accounts, try to have an image to go along with it. Users are more likely to read something if their eye is drawn to it from the start.

Images on social media increase the success of whatever you happen to be posting. When it comes down to it, this is important for getting your message to even more people via shared posts and retweets. Try out photos, infographics and even videos to really engage at this level.

5. Choose Your Timing Wisely

Timing is everything. It is important to know what time your audience is most receptive to posts, so you hit the largest possible population. There are tools capable of calculating this for you, and it is a good idea to utilize them so you don’t get buried in the noise of social media updates.

Not only is the time of day important, but the day itself is too. Consider when your particular audience is likely to have free time. Set-up posts to go up over the weekend, when a lot of consumers have off from work, since they will have a greater chance of seeing them.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to marketing your company on a social level, but engagement is key. By interacting with your audience, you will be able to build a larger following, which will lead to higher profitability in the long run – when done correctly. Simply be mindful of your strategy and purpose, and give your audience something that will really bring them in!

About The Author:

Savannah Marie is a social media junkie, online marketing wizard and consultantfor SEOcompanyGo. Catch up with her on Twitter and Google+