5 Ways to Boost Your Engagement Online for Your Small Business
Small businesses often struggle to get their name out there, especially when they’re up against so many competitors and only have a micro marketing budget to work with. What’s a brand to do?
You Improve your online engagement. Fostering an active audience increases your online presence, which can improve your sales. Not only will devoted customers revisit your brand, but they will be more inclined to share your content and recommend you to a friend.
Fortunately, boosting your engagement with your customer base doesn’t have to cost a thing. All you need is a solid strategy, a few social media accounts, and time. Here are five tips to help you get started.
Use Social Media Consistently
You may be surprised at how effective following best social media practices can be. By staying consistent, you provide your customers with a regular and reliable source in your niche–and you continuously remind them you’re the best solution to their needs.
There are multiple ways to go about this process, depending on the amount of time and resources you have. You can automate your content so you can batch and schedule it ahead of time, or you can log on regularly to make new posts and interact with your audience in real-time.
Regardless of which road you choose, you need to have a strategy in mind. This involves deciding when you are going to post and who, specifically, your audience is. It’s also important to determine your content pillars to help you stay in line with your brand personality.
One key to consistent social media use is hashtags. Using the same (or similar) hashtags for each post you make keeps you showing up for those who follow content related to your industry. It’s a simple and easy way to reach new customers on every platform.
2. Craft Helpful Blogs
Blogs not only help drive traffic to your website through SEO, but they also give your customers another reason to come back to your brand. Elevate your small business by going beyond selling and becoming a resource for the community.
Some examples of helpful blogs are how-tos, deep research dives, and stories of your product used in practice. You can also provide insights into your business by showing how and where your products are made or the team behind the screen.
If your small business specializes in sustainable hiking gear, for example, you can share both the process of creating a pair of boots and a story of a customer who wore them on an important journey.
Blogs also give you the opportunity to share your knowledge and passions with your customer base. It's one dynamic place where you can clearly show your values, history, and pursuits with people in your niche.
When you offer more than just your product or service, you increase your chances of sustaining an engaged and ever-growing customer base.
3. Use Email Marketing
Email marketing reminds your customers of what you offer and keeps them up-to-date on sales and new products. It allows you to consistently reach those in your customer base who aren’t active on social media.
Like blogs, newsletters can be an opportunity to share resources and drive traffic to your page. These can include everything from new item promotions to articles about your industry (such as the benefits of using your product or service!) You can also include recent blogs published on your website to push engagement to the work you’ve already put in.
Offering a small one-time discount often works as an incentive to get your audience to sign on, but you might also entice them with the promise of a sneak peek at what’s new with your brand.
If you choose to use email marketing, make sure you include the option to share, like, and comment!
4. Be Present
Being present looks like being a part of the conversation. You don’t have to be online all of the time, but stay up-to-date on discussions within or about your niche. Sharing your two cents not only reminds your customer base of your voice and values but also encourages them to offer their opinion too.
Follow hashtags or set up news alerts for relevant topics in your industry. It can also be helpful to follow industry leaders on websites on LinkedIn to see where trends are going ahead of time.
Being present also means being responsive to your audience. You can’t have an engaged customer base without being around to interact with them!
Check your social media accounts often, respond to comments on your blogs, and make sure you answer customer questions ASAP. Make sure your DM’s are open or your business’s contact information is clearly listed online. Don’t miss an opportunity to engage with your audience by overlooking small details.
5. Utilize Calls to Action
One of the best ways to increase engagement is to actively encourage it. A call to action (CTA) prompts your customer to move forward with the information you gave them. This can be as simple as asking them to comment and share, or as in-depth as asking them to sign the petition linked in your bio.
An easy CTA strategy is to include a thoughtful question at the end of a blog or social media post to prompt your audience to comment. This not only increases your visibility, but also sparks conversation, which helps you build community.
CTAs can also encourage your customers to visit your website You might tell them to go to your shop to redeem a discount or check out your newest item. You can drive them to your blog by adding a link they can follow to learn more, or ask them to sign up for your newsletter.
Online Engagement Takeaways
The most important thing to remember about boosting your online engagement is to be a consistent resource. When you provide more than just products or services, your small business can become its own community. Loyal engagement is long-term engagement.
Always In Your Corner,
The Content Queens
