Gabriel Marinescu said
1 year, 4 months ago: When it comes to community management, there’s no doubt size does matter. But size, without engagement, means nothing. So what tricks do we, community managers, have in our bags to keep the fans interacting with us? The following is a compilation of methods that could help improve the user engagement level. If you know any other “tricks”, please share 
Work with your content
Content is king. It’s been said so many times it sounds boring. But how do you get people interact and share your content?
1. Aggregate fan posts. Publish a list of best comments from your fans. Or choose two opposing comments and make a poll.
2. Suggest activities to your fans. Let them know about events (training, webinars etc – yours or from other companies). Invite them to join you in an activity.
3. Use polls. A poll is an easy and quick way for the fans to give their input, also allowing for a more detailed opinion in the comment section.
4. Use video and infographics. The data is presented in a great looking format and people love to share it.
5. Post useful content (even if it’s not yours). Don’t spam your fans. Publish only what is of interest. Also, share interesting news from other players in your field, or linked with it.
6. “Fill in the gap” posts. Start sentences and let your users finish them. Here’s an example: “A best practice in social media is to _______.” It depends on the statement you are asking your fans to complete, but it will attract interaction.
7. Let’s have some fun also. For fun, do some caption contests. Or play a game.
Campaigns and Events
We all love getting gifts, we all love competing and we all love being a part of something. A campaign or event can motivate your users to get involved with your content.
8. Stage an event (on your Facebook wall, on Twitter). For example, one a week hold a live Q&A session with an expert in your field. Or have someone come and tell his/hers personal experiences.
9. Hold a webinar. Webinars offer valuable information to your users. They are likely to sign up, providing you with their e-mail and, if encouraged, share the information.
10. Make a stand. Choose a cause related to your field and get involved. This will also show to your human face.
11. Partner up. Find a brand suited for you and join your social marketing efforts. Hold events together and you will both benefit from it.
12. Come up with an unique event. For example hold an auction for your product. Offer some samples to you most loyal fans. Hold a contest and give an online internship to a fan.
13. Give exclusive offers to your fans, based on them engaging with your brand.
14. And the winner is… We all love prizes. So hold as many contest as you can. Don’t go for big prizes, small is better. And don’t give an iPad just because it is trendy. The best prize is something related to your brand (after all, they are fans of your brand) or to the occasion (Christmas, Easter etc).
Socialize
It is called social media for a good reason… because it is social. If you are not, you are missing the point. Don’t be afraid to let your fans know you are human. They will better resonate with you.
15. Let them see behind the curtain. A beautiful picture from outside the office window, a pic with the team working or just a problem you’ve been working all day on solving. Your users will love that they can see you working.
16. Promote your fans. Many brands have a “Fan of the week/month award”. You should try it. Or, if a user came up with something useful to you, don’t forget to mention him and credit his efforts.
17. If your fans love your products, let the world see this. Ask your fans to send you pics with them using your products. Or maybe they can send some great chart/ infographics with what your product has done for them. It’s a win/win (you could offer them something in return).
18. Surprise your users. Your fans are not just numbers, so don’t treat them like it. For example, is it their birthday? Send them a short Happy Birthday message. Mabe even a gift? (and it can be branded) Or maybe, it is the perfect time for them to use your product (are they going on a holyday?), so send them a little something.
19. Did they order something? Find out a little more about them and send them a personalized package. Maybe they could benefit from some other service you offer, maybe they mentioned it on social media.
20. Say Thank you. Find a nice way to say thank you. Make a video and post it. Sing a song, decorate a wall, mention them in a meeting (anything you can think of).
21. Go offline. Don’t be afraid to take your relationship to the next level (I mean offline). Send them a mail or give them a call. Say thank you and ask if you can hap them with anything or if they have a suggestion. They will like that you care and that they are important to you.
22. Post something unrelated to business. Post a link to a great recipe, maybe a trick to get a special offer on something. They will appreciate the effort.
TIPS
23. Link your accounts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus etc are all part of the same media. So link them. Send your users from one platform to the other and then to your website. Off course, don’t make them work to hard. But if an interesting discussion is going on on Twitter, let them know on Facebook, maybe they want to join. Or, if you have an event on Facebook, send an invite on Twitter.
24. Use pictures not links. You are probably posting quite a few link go generate traffic to your website. A better approach is to post a picture and put the text and link in the “About” section. You will get a lot more engagement.
25. Don’t post the same thing. You probable have accounts on a few social media platforms. Don’t post the same text for a link on all accounts. It is likely your fans follow you across multiple platforms and they will see the same message. Come up with different copy.
If you have other tips please share. I am thinking at puting all these in a blog article. If I’ll use your tips you will be credited.
