Social media is a huge asset for bloggers. It’s a great way to share your content with readers, drive traffic to your blog, and connect with your readers on a more personal level. I think many bloggers struggle, first of all, with what to share on their social channels outside of their blog posts. Secondly, I think many people struggle with how to engage their followers and get people interested in their content. I want to help with those struggles and share some tips on how to engage your followers on social media.
Respond to Readers
I make it a point to respond to every comment, mention, or message on my social media pages. There are certainly some bloggers who have reached the point where they’re not capable of doing this just because of the sheer number of comments, but I recommend it unless you absolutely cannot. People who engage with you and get a response are far more likely to engage again. Plus someone may have only stumbled onto one of your social media posts and when they see you responded, they decide to hop over to your blog and check out more of your content or follow you on other channels.
Ask Questions
Asking questions is a great way to inspire interaction because you’re telling them exactly what you want them to comment with. Someone who typically quickly reads and then scrolls past your other posts might take the time to engage when it’s something they don’t have to put too much thought into. I also feel like people are more likely to respond to these questions when they see others commenting, so getting the ball rolling early will probably mean more engagement in the long run.
Use Calls to Action
Similar to asking a question, using a call to action in your social media post makes it easier for your followers to respond by taking the ambiguity out of exactly what it is you want them to do. Often people would be happy to engage, they just aren’t sure 1) that you want them to, and 2) how to go about it. By telling them exactly what to do, you’re increasing the chances that they actually will.
Engage With Others’ Content
Don’t just share your content and expect that others will engage without you putting in any work as well. One great way to get people to your posts is by finding them on their own posts and engaging with them in the hopes they’ll come see what you’re sharing on your own page. It’s also a good idea to engage with your most loyal followers so they know they’re an important part of your community and continue to come back again and again.
Mix Up Your Content
By sharing the same content over and over again, you’ll start to bore your readers. Mix it up a little! I see a lot of bloggers who on a certain social media platform will only share their new blog posts, and nothing else. Readers will be more interested to see what it is that you’re sharing if it’s not the same cookie-cutter content each time. Plus, people actually want to see your life and hear your voice rather than just the title of your latest blog post. For that, they can just go to your blog. On social media, they come to hear from you.
Tag Others
If you’re sharing someone else’s content or were inspired by someone else’s content, tag them! Not only will they come check out your post, but it’s a great way to start a conversation with them. Plus they might extend the same courtesy to you in the future, which would send their followers your way.
Find the Optimal Time
Things can a little dicey here because there really isn’t one optimal time that we should all be posting on social media. It largely depends on your audience. I would try experimenting with different times and then see which your followers tend to be responding to most. There are also apps (such as Iconosquare for Instagram) that will tell you when the best time to post for your audience is.
Get Personal
As I’ve mentioned previously, your followers come to your social media channels to hear from you and get to know you. Because of that, you have to differentiate your content 1) from the content you share on your other channels, otherwise, they don’t need to follow you everywhere and 2) from other people on that social media platform. Share things about your personal life and your family (to the extent you’re comfortable doing so), share your personality, your sense of humor, and anything else that is unique to you. You won’t regret it!