Getting engagement on social media can be challenging especially when starting out. It can feel like you are just posting to yourself at times, but you just have to stick with it and know it takes time to grow an audience. I’m sharing 5 super simple tips to make it easier to make connections as you build your audience on social media.
Tag authors of posts shared on Twitter
If you are sharing curated content (ie other people’s articles) on Twitter, you should absolutely take the extra time and tag the author/source of those articles in your tweets. It will let the person know that you A.) Enjoyed/found their work useful and B.) You are supporting them. This is an easy way to foster at least an introductory level of engagement. Also, the author may retweet your tweet, so that give your profile further exposure to an audience you might not have access to.
Tagging works both ways too. I can honestly say I’ve come across great resources because someone shared and tagged a post from me, which prompted me to check out their profile.
Set up a Facebook page & authorship
If you are posting in Facebook Groups for your business you need a Facebook page, and you need to link that page to your personal profile. Not taking this step is a hard stop for potential clients because they can’t figure out what your business is.
If you are sharing blog posts in FB groups you should also set up authorship which makes it easier for people to find your business. You can read this post for more details on setting both of these steps up.
When you are giving great knowledge and engaging in Facebook groups you want people to be able to find your business.
Tag businesses and resources that you use
If you are sharing something you utilize in your business with your audience, you should tag that company/provider. When you tag the provider, it’s a positive testimonial for their brand, and they are likely to share your positive review with their audience. Again, this share can be a great way to reach a wider audience and gain potential followers. This can be done on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Make sure to always link back to collaborators
Anytime you partner with someone else whether, in a guest post, podcast, joint venture, etc. make sure to tag that person in your promotions of that item. Also if someone else features you, make sure to share on all your channels and tag them. You should promote that post, as you would your own content (so don’t do it once and forget it). If you do a roundup type post make sure to tag those people you are highlighting when promoting the post.
Set up a Feedly or other RSS feed to be consistent
Setting up a Feedly or other RSS feed, can be a great way to consistently share content from those you respect and/or want to make a connection with. Having all their materials in one easy place can help you more consistently share that content, which means if you are doing the steps above my tagging them on Twitter or on Facebook they will know you are a fan/supporter. Letting people know you appreciate their work is a great first step in establishing a relationship. If you are using Pinterest, a great strategy for this is to actually repin articles from their profile boards.
One word of warning on tagging. While I do think it is a great practice and not something you should shy away from, don’t go overboard. And by overboard, I mean, don’t share more than one article in a row tagging them. Play it cool, space out content, don’t go stalker level 🙂
Want more ideas on how to make connections in your business? Grab 25 Ways To Get Started With Networking 👇