Content creators, your power is undeniable! A nod from an influencer is the best endorsement a brand can get. Why? Because 92% of the present consumer trusts peer recommendations far more than brand promotions. We don’t say it. Neilson proved it in a study. To leverage that power, you need to engage with followers.
Yes, the content you create is your constant touchpoint with the audience, but it is not enough. If you aim to increase participation, you need to mix it up!
You have to interact with your followers through avenues beyond your daily content. You need to start more dialogues. And you need active involvement from followers.
How do you engage with your audience other than your content? We’ve got some ideas for you.
How To Engage With Followers On Social Media?
1. Start Asking
You know why Ask Me Anything (AMA) is such a hit in every effing platform? Because people are inherently curious. They want to know everything about everyone. Hence, gossip.
Make it easy for your followers to know more about you. Invite them to ask questions every few weeks. AMAs will not only increase your interaction and engagement but also educate your audience in the niche you promote. With every answer you provide, you’ll establish yourself as an expert in the field, which, in turn, will amplify your reach.
2. Start Answering
If you are inviting people to ask questions, then be prepared to answer them. Truthfully. Even a small answer can lead to more active engagement from followers who have stayed passive until now.
FYI, when we say start answering, we don’t limit it to AMAs. The digital world is filled with FAQs. Find the ones relevant to your Thng (read: the thing you love to talk about on social media) and reply to them.
While there are a gazillion places you can answer questions, the best are Quora and Reddit.
3. Use Giveaways
When you’re genuinely tired of creating content or your muse has left you high and dry, use giveaways.
Everyone loves freebies, so even the most reticent of followers will be tempted to participate. In other words, you get more people involved with your social profiles.
4. Use Polls
The quickest way to interact with followers is through a poll. It truly takes a few seconds to make one on Twitter or Instagram. All you’ve got to do is type in a question, two or three answer options and you are ready to hit post!
Believe us; you’ll see a major chunk of your followers answering the poll. Why? Because questions, especially yay/nay ones, give people a pause and make them think critically. And we all know, once we have an opinion about something, we gotta share it!
5. Attend Meet & Greets
Heard about Savi & Vid? The duo behind Bruised Passports? This trick is taken from their book. Long back in 2015, the travel content creators held their first meetup, and since then there has been no looking back.
Meet and greets are an excellent way of putting names to faces and creating a stronger bond with your followers.
6. Attend Influencer Events
If you’re spending most of your time scrolling through screens or creating content, then you’re missing a major ingredient to engage with your followers. Take the effort to leave home and talk to people in RL!
How do you do that? By participating in creator conclaves and influencer events like Creator Con. You’ll build not only your audience but also gain the opportunity to connect with other creators.
7. Find Your Community
The key is to find like-minded individuals (who’d love to be a part of your audience), connect with them and then build lasting relationships.
How does this help a content creator? Think of it as moving into a new home. Your neighbours are not going to come over and say hi to you just because ‘you’ve arrived.’ Their time is already booked to the gills.
Similarly, because you’ve started creating kickass content, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically have an active audience. There is too much content in the digital ether that’s already vying for attention.
To cut through the noise, you need connections. These connections are built through a community. Think of the community as a shortcut to ‘court’ new followers. Where do you find a community?
LinkedIn Groups is an excellent starting point, but a more tailored option is a creator platform like Do Your Thng. (Ummm, yes this was a shameless plug on our part, but it is a genuine trick to engage an audience.)
Engage With Your Followers. Period.
There are endless ways to get your followers to comment more, share more, or like more. For example, switching up your content. If you’ve been focused on YouTube Videos or IGTV, then branch out to podcasts. Audio content is making it big right now, and users are leaning towards influencer podcasts.
But we understand that sometimes you need tips and tricks to engage your followers besides your content. For those days, use our seven ideas, and in case inspiration strikes you on how else to it. Share it with the community and pay it forward.
