This month I’m focussing on engagement in The Social Flock and what better way to get engagement on your social media posts than a conversation starter that encourages your followers to leave a comment?
Why is engagement so important for social media?
Without engagement your social media posts aren’t going to be seen by their intended audience. Did you know that the moment you press ‘send’, the social media platform will only forward your post to a very small percentage of your connections or followers? And if no-one interacts with it then it won’t be shared in the newsfeed of any more of your followers.
Every interaction with a post is engagement. This could be in the form of a like, comment, share, the clicking of the ‘read more’ prompt, or the clicking of the image to enlarge it.
When the social media algorithm robots notice that a post is attracting engagement, they know that the post is worthy of reaching more people, so the post will be forwarded to a larger percentage of your followers and connections.
It really is a ripple effect. The more people that engage, the more people get to see the post. Plus, friends and connections of those who are interacting with your post may get to see it too and want to get involved. That’s when posts can go viral!
How can I get people to interact with my social media post?
Here are some conversation starter tips to encourage comments, which is the best form of engagement out there:
- Ask an open-ended question. Avoid ones that can be answered with a simple yes or no.
- Be relevant to your audience. You’ll want the question to resonate and to be of interest.
- Don’t be tempted to put out a question simply to get visibility. You will always get good levels of engagement by asking something like, ‘what’s your favourite pet’, but unless you own a pet shop, this isn’t going to add any value to your business.
- Make the question easy to answer. Remember, we’re a busy bunch, so if your question is a head-scratcher or too complicated, then you’re unlikely to get much engagement.
- Ask questions that really anyone can answer, but especially your target audience.
Now, let’s think of some good social media conversation starter examples
Obviously, you’ll need to adapt these to your sector, but you could consider going along the lines of:
What have you created that you are most proud of?
- What do you love most about what you do?
- Tell me something that you never seem to get finished?
- What’s the one job that you keep putting off?
Or, if you want to ask a question just for fun, ask whether you should buy your team pizza or cake this Friday! Then follow this up with a behind-the-scenes picture of your team with the chosen treat.
Social media conversation starters for a B2C (business to consumer)
To simplify this example, imagine that I’m writing content for a food company. I could ask questions like these:
- What would you think if we added chilli to our desserts?
- Should our new packaging be 100% recycled or sourced from a local supplier?
- Let’s talk chips – how do you like yours?
The answers will give the business owner an idea of whether their customers are adventurous, or more traditional in their tastes. And they’ll discover more about their values too and what’s important to them.
It’s time to think about your social media engagement strategy
Ok, so now, we’ve looked at the type of questions you could ask, it’s time for you to come up with some of your own. To help you do this and to keep you on the right track, have a look at your business objectives. Nail down exactly what you want to achieve by being on social media.
You can frame the questions to really help you get a better understanding of your target audience and to discover what they want to see from you.
To find out more about how to smash your strategy, here’s a link to a Livestream I did with Paula Taylor, a business coach. How to set your business up for social media success.
Are you ready to engage?
To really nail your content on social media come and join The Social Flock! You’ll become a valued member of an inspiring and supportive community where everyone has one thing in common – a desire to grow their business with social media.
This exclusive group provides accountability to get your social media posts written, social media content tips, advice and access to industry experts, and a calendar full of events.
Join today for just £45 per month.
As ever, if you have any questions, get in touch. I’m here to help you succeed with social media!
Bye for now,
Becs
