Don't Be a Bore: 4 Ways to Engage Your Audience in a Meaningful Way
Let's ban basic together now.
We all know how integral it is to have a following. To have an audience. Whether those people are reading your blog, buying your products, or double tapping your pictures, in order to have a brand or business you must have an audience.
However, if there’s one thing potentially more important than the size of your audience, it’s how likely that audience is to engage with you. Do they convert? Will they buy? Are they sharing insights? Are they so invested in what you’re building that they tell everyone they know? If they’re engaged, they’ll do all of the above.
So while it’s important to build that audience, it’s equally as important to engage with them. Here’s four valuable (and easy!) ways to do that:
STORYTELLING. STORYTELLING. STORYTELLING.
Even the most perfect shot won’t mean high engagement. So if you feel like your images, blog posts, or messages aren't nailing it, think about how often you’re sharing relatable stories. You can close the delta between your beautiful brand and meaningful engagement that adds to your audience's lives via storytelling. It’s in your stories, which naturally communicate trials and rumbles and victories, that someone will feel more connected and engaged to you. No, you don’t have to get all existential about the details of your morning in order to tell a good story, but don’t forget to open up about the life behind the brand. The message. Or the service. Through storytelling, you’ll build trust – which is the north star of any well-executed brand and business.
“Open up about the life behind the brand. The message.”
SWIPE RIGHT...TO 'VIDEO'
Ain’t nothing hotter right now than hot sauce in your bag, and video. Everything, all the stats, point to video. I could source and quote a million articles that make the point that we already know intuitively (“is video engaging?”). The better question to ask regarding the topic is... how. No, you don’t need to hire a full production team, yet. No, you don’t have to invest thousands of dollars in equipment. But you should try getting a feel for how video best integrates with your goals. Maybe in blog format? Swipe right in your iPhone to change from photo to video and get rolling. Or maybe you want to show your audience what’s going down at the event? Hi, SnapChat and Instagram stories. Or maybe you’re having lunch and an epic convo with your fellow boss biz woman of a friend, go live on Facebook and give audiences an insight into your problem-solving. Video rocks engagement like no other, and the barrier to entry is the lowest it’s ever been, both financially and in effort.
Example: Easiest of easy? Facebook videos shot on your iPhone in Bali. #justsaying
TWO WAYS WILL GO A LONG WAY
Think about your most avid readers, buyers, followers, share-ers… Have you followed them back? These ambassadors of your work are the entire reason you likely do what you do. It seems so simple but treating your audience and being there in return to follow what they are up to can go a crazy long way. Do you need to follow every single person that follows you? No and no. Always follow back your biggest supporters. Nothing encourages engagement and loyalty like treating your biggest supporter with a little support back.
Example: Take a cue from Sophia Macks of @beyondthemag. She does this. And I do say it’s workingggggg.
HAVE A CONVERSATION. LIKE, A REAL ONE.
If you had a friend, advisor, boss, or sibling who was always giving her opinion, thoughts, and ideas but never asked for yours, how would you feel? If engagement with your audience isn’t where you want it to be, consider the opportunities that you’re giving your audience to ask. Have you opened up the space for them to do so, whether it’s with a final question before the comment section on your blog, or in the comments of your Instagram? Have you given your audience permission to chime in? Often, that’s all it takes.
Example: Take a look at this post from Amy Locurto. Lesson 101 on how to do this well. She not only asked, she demanded!
At the end of the day, engage with your online audience in the same way you would if they were sitting right in front of you. Which reminds me, if they ARE sitting right in front of you, share your energy and love. Show up as that fine person you are. Ask questions. Tell stories. Give hugs and high fives. Engagement goes a very long way in garnering support and business.
Maxie McCoy is the energy designer of Maxie, where she shares soul wisdom on the digital video series #maxie and her weekly writings. If you want your spiritual and emotional IQ shooting to the stars, Maxie is the place to be.
Let Maxie be your guide to unlocking your brilliance by following along at maxiemccoy.com. Maxie offers soul sessions, workshops, one-on-one coaching, and words of wisdom you really shouldn't miss.
MORE ON THE BLOG
4 Steps to Keeping Your Voice in the Online World
If you use it, don't lose it.
photo credit: Irida Mete
By Alisa Nelson
What’s the difference between copying an idea and stealing it?
I was taught by a math professor but the deeper concept holds true across the board. The difference between copying someone’s idea and stealing it is that stealing involves your own creativity and voice as you adapt the idea into your specific context. When we are copying, we are trying to fit the pieces of someone else's life into our own. The result is commonly to give up or lose momentum and I believe it happens for two reasons:
1. Since it wasn’t your goal or vision to begin with, you don’t really know why you’re going after it so when the road gets a bit bumpy, you don’t have that deep soul drive that helps you keep going and you don’t know what you’re supposed to do next. It's like following step-by-step instructions that don't account for your specific situation.
2. You get a little ways down this new path and realize you lost your own voice. Creativity stalls because you aren’t speaking (or living) in a way that shows who you are.
It’s difficult to be vulnerable when they aren’t your words and as Brené Brown has shown us, vulnerability is crucial for creativity and innovation. Copying someone else’s vulnerability - even if they are a close match - will leave you feeling dried up in the end.
"Copying someone else’s vulnerability will leave you feeling dried up in the end."
Tweet this.
I write on this from the perspective of a newer online entrepreneur who struggles to stay focused on my own brand as I try to reach my own audience. Maybe you can relate? Our own uniqueness means that we can do similar things and yet speak from a totally different perspective. But we like lists. We want someone to come alongside us and tell us how to turn who we are into a business - or at least a cohesive message. Remember what I said about vulnerability? Bringing who you are, including your need for growth and maturation of your brand, is the best way to spark your creativity and this allows you to actually reach the people you want to reach and influence their lives. From experience, simply copying how other people use Instagram or their writing style won’t get you their results.
So how do you go about staying focused on your brand amidst the overstimulation of the online business world?
1. Write a clear and specific mission statement that includes your target audience and what you are trying to inspire them to do
2. Filter every new idea - blog post, product, social media theme, etc - through that mission statement.
3. Look for the principles behind the success of your online peers - rather than copying their method, identify the bigger ideas that fuel their success. Do they have killer headlines? Do they share personal stories? What kind of value do they offer to their audience? Once you spot the bigger concept, seek to grow your own capability in that area so you can apply it to your brand without losing what makes you unique.
4. Go back to your personal WHY. Why did you start your blog? Why do you love what you do? Remind yourself frequently and let your creativity flow from your confidence in the message you are standing behind.
These steps can seem silly when you’re “on” - you know, when you’re motivated, brainstorming, and getting tons of engagement from your audience. The advantage to having a written out mission statement is for the moments when you aren’t getting engagement. When ideas aren’t coming and you feel like you’re floundering for inspiration. Rather than reaching for social media and looking at what everyone else is doing, dare to take a step back. Go outside, let your mind wander, and get back in touch with your WHY. For me, that has occasionally meant dropping the direction I had been moving in so I can do a course correction. Other times, it’s just staying quiet on social media for a brief period as I refocus. In the end, consistency is only valuable if it is bringing you closer to your desired outcome.
What do you do when you start to lose vision? What habits do you use to stay consistent while maintaining your voice and personal creativity? Share in the comments below.
An original version of this article appeared on Blog Society.