How many Facebook or Twitter followers do you have? A couple of hundred? A couple of thousand? More? Does it matter? That’s the real question. You can have thousands of followers, but if you aren’t interacting with them are the providing any value?
In the world of social media, the number of people following your page is not a true indication of your success at reaching them. The best social media mavens are active and engaged with their community. They provide thought provoking ideas, regular commentary and actively engage with their community to strengthen the bonds formed on social media.
So, how can you improve your engagement with your social media followers?
1. Targeting. Know who you want to reach and why. Are you going after a specific demographic (moms, teens, men, women)? Or do you want to target key players in your industry? Use the search function on Twitter to find social media leaders and groups in your target market.
2. Listen. Stop and listen before you comment. Some groups in the social media space are serious and others fun loving. Be sure you understand the dynamic of the group you are targeting before jumping in with comments.
3. Engage. After you have a feel for the group you want to interact with, start by introducing yourself and what you do. Find threads where you can provide constructive and valuable feedback and contributions. Avoid talking about yourself and your products or services too much. Become an industry resource and people will come to you to find out more about what you do.
4. Keep It Up. You must stay engaged over the long haul. Check in daily to see who is new in your space and what you can contribute.
As you work to build a name for yourself in the social media space, your number of followers should increase. Best of all, they will be quality followers as you become viewed as a thought leader.
