by Crystal Girgenti
Many small business owners dive into social media when they begin to promote their business online. They see the value that others have placed on using the sites to grow a business and gain new clients, but after a while they begin to form doubts.
When using social media, the likes, shares, and comments on your posts are what help drive traffic and expand your reach. If a fan comments on your posts, all of their friends see the comment and a link to your page. That is the real power of using social media. In addition, when people are interested in your content, you become more motivated to share and help them further. It makes you feel wanted. You can make a difference.
You may get a few likes here and there from that super loyal fan, but you want and need more. So what happens when you’re posting, but not getting any feedback or engagement? You begin to feel like you’re talking to a wall. It’s natural to become discouraged, think social media is a waste of your time, and give up.
But not so fast!
Try these three strategies to get people liking, commenting, and sharing your posts and pages:
1. Start with a targeted group of individuals and offer information and solutions geared towards their needs. For example, if you’re in the fitness industry, offer tips and tricks specifically for women trying to lose weight before their wedding. Don’t worry. You won’t miss out on helping your other fans. In fact, your post will most likely be shared more often because your audience can think of someone off the top of their head that this information can serve. You’re following will become more interested because the content resonates with them. They can comment because they know what you’re talking about and will even ask questions to see if you can help further. Imagine clients coming to you for help instead of you finding them? Change it up every week or so and offer solutions to a different group. Find out what their hobbies or interests are and get them talking!
2. Ask your audience a question. By simply posting information and promotions, you are having a monologue. The goal of using social media is to engage in a dialogue, where both parties are talking to each other. If you get in the habit of simply pushing information to your audience, they will not be offered a chance to provide their comments or opinions. Perhaps you have a product that comes in blue or purple. You can ask their opinions on which color they prefer. Or you can ask them what they need help with. Involve your audience in your business decisions. Not only will you gain valuable market research at no cost, but you’ll gain a following who sees that their opinions are valued.
3. Lastly, reaching all of your fans can be difficult when posting once or twice per day, especially with Facebook’s ever changing algorithm which determines how many of your fans are shown your posts. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen a steady decline in the number of fans who see your posts because of these changes. A quick fix for this is to post more often and increase the number of posts you send out per day. You won’t bother people if you are sending out valuable, usable, and interesting content that encourages conversation. Many small business owners will use the “I don’t have time” excuse when told to post more often. You’ll need to decide for yourself what is important to your business. In my opinion, it is always worth your time to engage in conversations with the people that pay you!
Take action using these strategies one at time and you should begin to see a steady increase in the engagement on your pages. Let your audience know that you genuinely care about them and you will be rewarded with increased revenues.
————————————————————————————————————-
Crystal Girgenti is a small business consultant who helps start ups, non-techies, and beginners grow their business with the use of online marketing and technology. As a statistician in the past, her knowledge of technology and measuring success, along with her enthusiasm in helping individuals share their passions, has made her a sought after advisor to small business owners. You can grab a copy of her FREE report “100 Things Every Business Must Do To Succeed Online” at http://www.social-strategist.com
She Owns It accepts guest post submissions at https://sheownsit.com/guest-post-submissions/. If you have an article that would be of value to our community, please submit for approval.
All posts will be screened, links checked (limited to 3 and must be relevant), and author must be verifiable through a website and social media accounts.
