These days, it’s not enough for people and organizations to simply establish an online presence such as on social networking sites. Other than creating an account and adding personal and company information, engaging with your fans and followers is a must.

It should be noted that engagement is key to achieving the results you want such as gaining more followers or customers and greater exposure of your personal campaigns, products or services. It is all about interacting with people, sharing your knowledge and exchanging views and ideas.

On the internet, there are various channels where you can engage with your target audience. Apart from your website or blog, you can join discussion forums related to your niche and get in touch with people on the different social media platforms.

The Benefits

Using online tools is a great way for companies and organizations to reach their audience and stakeholders. They accommodate new voices and help expose new ideas to their stakeholders thereby solving certain issues and unveiling new truths.

Engaging with your audience online also promotes a sense of community which allows you to gain support from people for your personal or company campaigns. Your followers, in turn, also feel valued because they are able to share their views with the private individuals or organizations they look up to.

Another benefit is increase in website or blog traffic. Studies have shown that as social interactions increase, web traffic also follows suit. A study by Socialbakers.com, for example, noted that the number of social interactions with a company’s social media posts correlates to the number of visits to the company’s website.

Additional, increased engagement can generate sales leads. But this is only possible if website and blog owners share relevant content that would make regular readers and visitors stay longer on the site and return.

Steps to Take

So what can you do then to boost your engagement online including on your preferred social media sites?

Consistency matters which means you need to interact with your followers and customers as well as share relevant content regularly. This is a great way to let them know you care about them and their opinions. If you don’t have the time to do this, though, you can always hire a freelance virtual assistant or social media specialist and post your need for such freelancer on pro blogger jobs and other trusted job sites.

Sharing useful and relevant content is as important. You have many choices such as posting an inspirational quote whether through text or images and posting lighthearted content. Articles and anecdotes that are humorous can relieve a person’s stress and if you are able to do this often, there’s a great chance you will attract more followers moving forward.

You can also share articles from other blogs or websites with authority if you think they will be helpful to your target audience. This gesture will surely be appreciated by other blog and website owners and might even encourage them to link back to your site.

Originally posted on August 26, 2015 @ 8:41 am