1. Create A Group
The first step to engage with your community is of course to have one. Think about who your clients are, their interests and values, and then where to find them. Knowing the demographics of your customers can help you find them on social media. Nobody will join your Facebook group if it doesn’t reflect his or her interests. After you’ve drawn a picture of your audience, you can take the next step and establish a group. It doesn’t have to be a Facebook group. There is a multitude of options, LinkedIn and Google+ being two of them.
2. Welcome Members
Your online community should be a place where your members like to spend time. The best way to achieve this is by giving the people in your group the feeling that they are among friends or even family. Therefore, welcome new members personally by sending them a message or introducing them to the rest of the community. You can also have “older” members welcome new people and “show them around”. Setting clear guidelines on how to behave within the group can solve possible disputes between members.
3. Engage
Now that you have built your community and set the rules, make your members engage. There are several ways to interact with your community. You can run a contest, ask questions, ask for feedback, or ask for images of members with your product. There are many different options to make your fans participate and get involved. But keep it simple! You should make it easy for your members to contact you or leave you a comment. Very few people will jump through hoops to get in touch with you.
Having a lively social media community can help you grow your business substantially. Take advantage of the many different online networks and connect with your fans. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.
