Increasing engagement online is one of the most problematic goals for online entrepreneurs. The internet is full of chatter. Many of these are useful, and many are also nothing more than useless banter.
So, is your message cutting through the noise? If not, what should you do?
Today, I will show you several ways of increasing engagement online. By the end of this tutorial, you should be armed with steps to improve your credibility and increase audience loyalty.
1. Create high-quality content
The very first step to creating a buzz is providing content that is of high quality. This is not negotiable. If your content is just so-so, no one will bother.
If you want people to engage, you have to provide content that is helpful—content that benefits the users. Believe me, they will thank you for it.
So, what characterizes high-quality content?
Here are some guidelines:
- Must be useful – the goal of each content you publish is to make people learn something. This does not have to be new. Publish content about things that people need or want to learn, like steps on how to do something, things not to do, how-to videos and blog posts, and other types of materials that will pass knowledge to the user.
- Must have demonstrations – it is not enough to write content or talk about it on YouTube. You have to demonstrate what you are talking about. If you teach people how to integrate software, like Elementor and Mailchimp, you need to show screenshots because it is easier to understand.
- Must be accurate – accuracy is not just about grammar; it also has something to do with the accuracy of the information. If you are teaching people about the prices of software, your numbers must be correct. The same thing goes for if you are reviewing products.
You can also make the content entertaining if you want to. This is completely up to you, but this is not necessary. You cannot force jokes on your content if you do not know how to, as it will only make people cringe.
2. Use different media to share your content
No matter what business you have, you must share your content on social media. You can use the same content, but you have to choose which social media to use.
Here are some tips on how to do that:
- Instagram – best for products that are tangible or have tangible results. Examples are products in the health and fitness industry, food, toys, fashion, and clothing.
- Facebook – great for everything. Any business can benefit from Facebook.
- Twitter – great for services and products that are political in nature. You can also sell physical products here, but they must belong to hot issues like movies, games, politics, religion, social movements, etc.
Choose the right social media platform for you and share your content there. Social media is pretty much where you will get a lot of engagement because it is easier for people to respond to your content.
The two main areas where you will publish your post is on YouTube or your blog. From there, share your content on the appropriate social media channel.
Ensure that your social media post has an attractive thumbnail and headline and that the message is clear without having the person read the whole blog or watch the whole video. Do not forget to include a link to your content so you can drive traffic from the engagement.
3. Be responsive to user engagement
Increasing engagement online can happen if you engage with your users. If you publish materials on YouTube or your blog, some people will like and comment on your post.
Make it a habit to engage these users. If they left a negative comment, show them your appreciation for their feedback. If they thanked you for the content, tell them you appreciate it.
If they provided a long positive comment, like the comment or “heart.” Make sure that you do this. The thing with many content creators is that they publish content, and then they just leave it like that.
If a user has a question, take the time to answer that question. If other users see that you are responsive, they will know that you care, and they will not hesitate to ask questions. Thus, your own actions will increase user engagement.
4. Ask for feedback from your users
One of the best ways to increase user engagement is to ask them for things. There are many ways you can do this, and below are some examples.
Ask for feedback – people on YouTube and bloggers usually do this; they encourage users to point out their mistakes or provide tips for the community. Not only will this increase your engagement, but it will also make your channel or blog a thriving place for like-minded people.
Do surveys – you can create polls on social media. While this is also a feedback mechanism, you are specifically asking people to make a choice. You can use this to decide what kind of content to make next, or which of your products are better.
Run a contest – there are many ways to run a contest. My advice is that you run it on your website. If you run it on social media, there are many rules that you have to abide by. These rules can stifle your contest. Make sure that you offer a prize that is worth the users’ time.
Feedback is crucial for engagement. You want to create chatter in your channel, blog, or social media post. Think of the best way to attract user engagement according to your industry, and then plan it carefully.
5. Focus on the topic, not your brand
The last method I will recommend for increasing engagement online is to focus on your topic or industry of writing materials for your brand, create content that will help your users.
What this means is that you should not always attempt to make sales. Find ways to help your users, and then they will eventually buy your product or service.
The key to engagement is to provide free and useful content. Product placement and blatant promotions tend to send people away. Why? Because they are not getting value.
Your user engagement will only increase over time if you build a community—if you show that you care about your audience’s lives. They will trust you more if your content is focused on what is best for them, not about your brand and its merits.
Summary: Increasing Engagement Online
Engagement takes a lot of work. It all starts with creating useful content. Take your time in planning your content. You must have a content strategy to make your content marketing even better.
Understand what your audience wants, and more importantly, what they need. It is alright to create content that is already found on YouTube or other blogs, but make sure you create something better, something more accurate, and something more useful.
If you must, get the services of an affordable freelance writer who can create the content for you. All you need to do is create the content plan and then have this writer execute your plan. This way, you can free up a lot of your time and focus on other marketing campaigns.
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