You cannot expect your business to gain traction in social media by simply setting up a blog or a Facebook page. You have engage your audience by participating in the conversation, providing value, and reaching out to potential customers. On communities like Facebook, this is especially true – a good ongoing engagement commitment will go a long way to making your business successful with social media.

Engagement is all about interaction.  Your involvement in stimulating conversation, listening and learning from your audience will help your business be more valuable.  Keeping interaction flowing is the life blood  of social media.

Ways to Be Engaging:

Ask Questions

• Considering launching a new service?  Ask your customers what they think about it. Be creative with the questions and really listen by acknowledging the responses and taking the questions into more specific aspects of your service.
• Pay attention to the questions your customers are asking about your business / industry
• Discovery questions uncover challenges and unmet needs that your business potentially can fill.  By asking the right questions and being open to the wisdom within your audience new markets can be discovered.

Pay Attention and Respond Quickly

• The speed of engagement in social media is moving more and more toward a real time experience.  Your audience doesn’t want to wait around for you.  If you want to engage you need to be listening, be present in the conversation and keep the engagement flowing.  Attention is gained through building trust.  Listening and thoughtful responding  goes a lot way towards building trust.

Be Transparent

• The relationship between your business and your customers needs to be open and real.  Customers appreciate honesty.  Tell the truth.  Do not hide behind excuses.  If you keep your audience informed and show that you trust them they will be more likely to continue giving you their attention.

Be a Real Person

• People do business with people.  Be a real person with a personality.  In today’s world of social media is a good thing to blend you in with your business.  Your audience is more likely to engage with a person than a faceless corporation.  Let people know why you’re passionate about your business.  Let your audience in on your great triumphs and on your challenges.  You may find even more enthusiastic fans.

How do you use social media to keep your business engaging?