How to Engage and Build Your Audience on Social

Are you looking to grow your social media following and create meaningful engagement with your audience? We hosted a webinar focused on how to build an engaged and loyal audience on social platforms, and we’re excited to share the key takeaways with you!

Whether you're just starting out or looking to boost your social media presence, this guide will provide actionable tips to help you connect authentically with your followers and maximize your content’s reach.
And here is the recorded version to watch the complete webinar:
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Why Engagement Matters in Social Media

In today’s fast-paced digital world, social media platforms are saturated with content. As a result, capturing your audience's attention requires more than just frequent posting. Genuine engagement is crucial for nurturing your community, increasing your brand's visibility, and fostering brand loyalty. A strong, engaged audience will become your most vocal supporters and advocates, helping spread your message organically.

Key Engagement Strategies:

1. Add Value: Before asking your audience to buy or promote your product, give them valuable content. For every promotional post, ensure that you’ve posted at least three to four educational or entertaining pieces.
2. Spark Conversations: Ask questions, share relatable stories, and encourage discussions. This not only helps foster connection but also works with social algorithms like Facebook’s, which prioritize engagement over passive interactions.
3. Create Raving Fans: Cultivate relationships with your followers by showing that you care. Engaged audiences are more likely to become brand advocates and help promote your product.

Automation Doesn’t Mean Losing the Personal Touch

While automation tools like MeetEdgar can help you streamline your social media posting, it’s important to remember that automation doesn’t equate to losing human touch. Automating repetitive tasks can free up time for you to engage more deeply with your audience. By using tools to automate posts, you’ll have more time to respond to comments, participate in conversations, and provide excellent customer service.

How Automation Can Enhance Engagement:

• Schedule Consistent Posts: Ensure you post regularly, especially on high-traffic days and times. Using automation tools like MeetEdgar allows you to maintain a steady flow of content without constantly being online.
• Recycle Evergreen Content: Don’t let your high-performing posts fade away. Automate the re-sharing of evergreen content to ensure new followers see it, and your old followers remain engaged.
• Engage in Real Time: Even with automated posts, make sure to set aside time to respond to comments and interact with your audience. Human-to-human connection is key!

Relatability and Storytelling: The Secret to Social Success

One of the strongest ways to connect with your audience is through storytelling. People are hardwired to connect with stories, so it’s essential to incorporate relatable narratives into your content.

Tips for Using Storytelling:

• Share Your Journey: Whether it’s how your business started or a lesson you’ve learned along the way, sharing personal stories helps your audience connect with you on a deeper level.
• Encourage Your Audience to Be Heroes: Frame your content so that your followers see how your product or service helps them achieve success.
• Be Vulnerable: Share challenges and mistakes you’ve faced. This not only humanizes your brand but also fosters trust and relatability.

Quality Over Quantity

You might be wondering how often you should post. While consistency is important, quality always trumps quantity. Every piece of content should add value to your followers’ lives, whether it’s educational, entertaining, or thought-provoking. This ensures that your audience will look forward to your posts and engage with them, rather than feeling overwhelmed by too many updates.

The NPR Model:

For every promotional message, share three to four pieces of value-driven content. This builds goodwill with your audience and makes them more receptive to your promotional posts when the time comes.

Embrace Real-Time Engagement

One of the most effective ways to build engagement is through real-time interaction. Platforms like Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, and X/Twitter Chats offer opportunities to interact directly with your audience. By showing the human side of your brand, you can foster a deeper connection.

Ideas for Real-Time Engagement:

• Host Live Q&A Sessions: Use Facebook Live or Instagram Stories to answer audience questions in real time. This not only boosts engagement but also provides valuable insights into what your followers are interested in.
• Start Twitter Chats: Create a regular Twitter chat around a specific topic, using a unique hashtag. This encourages your audience to engage with your brand and each other.
• Share Behind-the-Scenes Content: People love to see the human side of your business. Show them what goes on behind the scenes and introduce them to your team.

Measure Your Success

It’s important to track your social media efforts to see what’s working and what needs improvement. Platforms like Facebook Insights and X/Twitter Analytics offer valuable data on your audience's preferences and behaviors. Use these insights to fine-tune your content strategy and improve engagement.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Engagement Rate: The percentage of people who interacted with your post (likes, comments, shares).
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The number of people who clicked on a link in your post.
• Follower Growth: Track how many new followers you’re gaining over time and see which types of posts are driving the most growth.

Conclusion: Social Media as a Human-to-Human Connection

In the ever-evolving world of social media, it’s easy to get caught up in the technical side of things. But at its core, social media is about building connections with real people. Focus on creating value, fostering meaningful engagement, and sharing your brand’s unique story.

Ready to dive deeper into building and engaging your social media audience? Check out the full webinar for more in-depth strategies and examples! Watch the Webinar.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll not only grow your audience but also create lasting relationships with your followers that translate into long-term success for your business.

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