If you own a business you can’t really afford to ignore social media. It’s a way for people to find your business and to get to know more about it, so it’s important that if you are on a social media platform then you are active on it. But how do you get more engagement on social media? What is it that makes people stop and take notice of your brand?
For me the principles of engagement are very similar on all platforms if you want to get people talking to you, taking notice of you and seeing you as an expert in your field.
Hi! My name is Kate and I am the owner of an amazing membership community for Pet Biz Owners – where I help them market their business, stand out from their competition and add new customers to their business every month! Find out more about the Membership Community and if you have questions Get In Touch.
8 Ways To Get More Engagement On Social Media
#1. Ask Questions
In order for you to get people talking you need to ask questions to prompt a conversation. This is something that I enjoy doing as it allows people to interact with us rather than just being broadcast to.
By asking a question you are actually inviting people to contribute to what you want to start a conversation about – rather than leaving it to chance that people will comment on your content.
Examples:
- Do you let your dogs in the bed? Yes or No
- Should you feed your dog from your plate? Always or Never
- Do you feed your cat dry food or wet food? Wet or Dry
- Should you walk your cat on the lead or not? Always or Never
#2. Be Informative
People are looking for information about what you have to offer so make sure that you are being informative. This doesn’t need to be articles all the time about your services, in fact it should be the opposite. Educate them on pet care and give them tips and tricks about caring for a pet.
People will naturally share interesting articles and some will even have further information to add in the form of Facebook or Blog comments.
Examples:
- You can look for tips about pet care on google or follow your favourite pet blog
- You could write your own blog posts about pet care, for example dog training tips, cat toys you can make at home
#3. Stop Talking About Yourself
There is nothing more boring than someone who talks about themselves non stop. Make it all about your customers and their pets – not about you and how amazing your company is.
Remember you are there to help your potential customers as well as selling to them.
Examples
- Why not invite people to share pictures of their pets
- Ask them to tell you where their favourite place is to walk their dog, shop for treats for their cat etc.
#4. Find Out What Your Customer Love Talking About
There is no point talking all about pet food if your ideal customer is interested in pet toys. Find out what they are interested in by asking questions. You can do this on social media, through surveys or just by talking to people.
The main thing is that you are meeting the needs of your customers.
Examples
- The best way to do this is to keep asking questions about monitor the results. See what gets the most engagement and do more of that
- You can also look at social media pages with similar audiences and see what is working for them
You might also enjoy reading: Facebook Hacks You Might Not Know
#5. Share The News
Being up to date on what is happening in the pet world is really important. Make sure you check the news and keep your social media followers up to date.
It’s important that you are seen as someone that is up to date on what is happening in the world of pets. It will give potential customers confidence in your ability if they feel that you are a pet expert.
Examples
- You could share pet product recalls
- News about events happening in your local area
- The latest information on pet care technology
#6. Entertain People
People are on social media to be social, so it’s important to make sure that your posts are fun, inspiring and entertaining. You can be entertaining while still representing your brand well.
Think of things that will make your followers smile, laugh or be inspired.
Examples:
- Share trending fun memes
- Create your own funny quotes
#7. Be Personal
Don’t be afraid to share some behind the scenes information about your business and let people see the people behind the company and what you stand for.
It’s ok to have boundaries with how much personal information you share – but people do enjoy seeing how a company is run.
Examples
- Share behind the scenes of events you hold
- Share pictures of your own pets
You might also enjoy reading: How To Add More Personality To Your Marketing
#8. Be Consistent
Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Pick social channels your ideal customers are on, ones that you enjoy and don’t do too many unless you can do them all very well.
Less is more and consistency is key!
What are your tips for being awesome on Social Media?
