3 Tips for Better Engagement on Social Media

by Bethany Jett @BetJett

1. Use Visuals
Why are photos important?

“When people hear information, they're likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later” (Medina, 2017). 

Thankfully, graphics are easier than ever to create. There are plenty of free tools at our disposal. PicMonkey and Canva are extremely user friendly when utilized via your computer. If you’re prone to use your smartphone, the WordSwag app lets you easily add text to your images.

2. Crowdsource
People LOVE to share their thoughts and opinions, so give them a reason to do so! Host a contest to get users involved. “Asking for our input helps create a personal connection, which in turn leads to greater brand loyalty” (Speier, 2016). You can do this via polls (Instagram now has this feature in Stories and it’s awesome!) or posing a question as a status on Facebook or Twitter.

Some creatives will let their audience choose which design they like best or help decide which headshot to use. As part of marketing process for Through the Eyes of Hope, the publisher held a contest and Lacey Buchanan’s audience chose the book cover.

Build engagement by asking your audience questions that are pertinent to your field. Take that information and use it create new content. Win-win.

3. Share Other People’s Content
Content curation is a fact of life for a writer. Instead of always creating new content (which is important), give yourself a break and share someone else’s material. By keeping your readers and audience informed about what’s happening in your genre, topic, or world. You look more like an expert when you’re sharing other people’s content because it shows that you keep up with the happenings in your industry.

Constant Contact has a great article on how to properly share other people’s content, because yes, there is a proper way to do it! “Sharing someone else’s content can be a great way to start a relationship” (Paquet, 2017). Your audience trusts you to keep them current, so they come back to you. This is a beautiful place to be, so nurture your audience and give them great information.

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Bethany Jett is the Co-Owner of Serious Writer, Inc., and Vice President of Platinum Literary Services where she specializes in marketing, nonfiction proposal creation, ghostwriting, and developmental editing. Her love for email funnels and social media led to her pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree in Communication: New Media and Marketing.

Bethany is a military spouse, momma-of-boys, suspense-novel junkie who describes herself as “mid-maintenance” and loves cute shoes and all things girly. She blogs at BethanyJett.com on living a brilliant life. Check out her “21 Trade Secrets and Best Practices” course over at SeriousWriterAcademy.com.

References

Medina, J. (2017). Brain rules. Retrieved from http://www.brainrules.net/vision. 

Paquet, M. (2017, May 30). Are you sharing other people’s content? Here’s how to do it right. Business Tips. Constant Contact. Retrieved from https://blogs.constantcontact.com/how-to-curate-content/. 

Speier, K. (2016, January 7). 4 examples of clever crowdsourcing campaigns. Blog. Mainstreethost. Retrieved from https://www.mainstreethost.com/blog/four-examples-of-clever-crowdsourcing-campaigns/.