Engagement is the name of the game when it comes to opening the door to building relationships using social media. You want people talking to you on social media; commenting, posting, sharing, tweeting, liking your posts, etc. If you are not getting this type of response, this means no one is paying attention and you are simply talking to yourself. There may be some value in talking to yourself but not when it comes to social media!
How To Get Conversations Started on Social Media
How do you get people talking on social media? Million dollar question huh? It's really very simple…REALLY!
Some great conversation starters…
Question of the Day
Keep the questions simple so that you get simple responses. People don't want to respond to something deep that is going to take a lot of time to answer. Examples…”what's your favorite movie”, “what's your favorite color”, “what's your favorite food”, etc. Obviously this is much better than a question like “what is your favorite plot of a movie”.
Tip of the Day
This should revolve around your niche so that you are creating value for your audience based on something that is of mutual interest. If you are an organizational coach your tip might be “Organizational Tip of the Day”. Whatever your niche is, simply craft your tip around that.
Got News?
This is really big for those who actively follow you and want to know what is going on with you and your business. People like to feel like they are a part and have knowledge of specific types of things and NEWS is huge. Another way to use Got News is to keep your audience in the loop as it relates to breaking niche news. This is a great way to show that you are on top of things and provide value by sharing industry news within your niche.
Did You Know
This is another great way to share information that is specific to your niche. It might be some recent statistics, news that is eye popping or simply just interesting tidbits that people might not know. Example: Did you know that lemons contain more sugar than strawberries?
Pictures
Share quotes or pictures that either inspire or revolve around your niche. For example, if your niche is food, sharing pictures of amazing food will draw a ton of responses. We all eat so people identify with great looking food.
Fill in the Blank
Again, with this conversation starter, make sure that it is a simple fill in the blank that makes it easy for people to respond to the prompt. One time I threw out this one…”Peanut butter and ________”. I received over 120 responses to this fill in the blank question!
Special Days of the Week
This has worked beautifully in my DIY Social Media for Small Business Inner Circle. We have Moovie Monday, Twitter Tuesday, Blog Wednesday, Facebook Friday, etc. My best advice is to stay consistent with this so that people know what day is what and they will be looking for these events.
Deal of the Day
You can share deal of the day's every so often on your page to increase engagement and generate sales if these deal's are you own products/services. Focus on things that your audience really needs and would find valuable enough; not only to comment on but ultimately to purchase. If there are other offers that you feel would be valuable to your audience, share them as well!
Consistency is the best long term tip to engagement
You have to show up daily and be there to interact with your audience. Do you have to be there every minute? Absolutely not! But ignoring your audience is the absolutely worst thing you can do. Once you start to get engagement make sure you are involved otherwise your new found engagement will walk away very quickly.
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Hello Kim Garst, really a good point of idea. I've been surfing and blogging, lots of articles and blog sites that have good content but not suitable for the daily events. Yes that is true that you must also now that really is happening. So that you may able to join the discussion and other matters.
Hi Kim, some excellent points and ideas here. Thanks for sharing this. I think that social media is amazing and fantastic for a small business like myself.
Love social media myself and you are right, it is an amazing tool for small business owners!
Worli,
Thank you! Yes, you are right you always need a plan it is what makes the difference in any business plan. Boom Care Squad – Aida
Thank you for your sharing, Madam! I really appreciate for your tip. Also it’s simple to follow.
Why be formal on social? Not sure I understand that?
AMEN, Shelley!