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    6 Ways to Improve Engagement With Social Media Content

    by Heidi Thompson / August 11, 2015

    social media how toDo you struggle to get your fans to engage?

    Interested in ideas to get people talking?

    Simple content ideas can give you something to talk about, even if you feel like you don't have anything new or original to say.

    In this article you'll discover six ways to create social media conversations with content.

    improve engagement with social media content
    Discover how to improve engagement with social media content.

    Listen to this article:

    Where to subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube | Amazon Music | RSS

    #1: Ask Your Audience Questions

    Everyone wants to be heard, so consider asking questions in your social media posts. This gives your audience the opportunity to chime in with their opinions, tips and wisdom.

    Inviting people to join the conversation makes them feel like your company cares about what they have to say. It also provides insights into your audience that can inform your marketing decisions.

    Prior to opening a new location, YO! Sushi asked their Facebook followers to guess where the new location would be, based on photos of local landmarks.

    yo! sushi facebook post
    Ask your audience to guess the answer to a question.

    Everything that Loot Crate does on social media pertains to the gamer and geek culture. In this Facebook post Shenron the dragon asks the audience a question from Anime Expo.

    loot crate facebook post
    Asking questions is an easy way to spark a conversation.

    Female Entrepreneur Association is all about inspiring and empowering female entrepreneurs and creating a community for them. The question posed below not only engages their audience, but also creates a sense of community among members who are planning to attend the same conference.

    female entrepreneur association facebook post
    Ask questions that foster community among your followers.

    Money Crashers, which provides expert information on personal finance, flips the script in this post and asks the audience to share their tips.

    money crashers facebook post
    Flip the script and ask the audience for tips.

    Asking a simple question like “Where in the world are you?” is an easy way to connect with people and find out more about them.

    the girls mean business facebook post
    Ask a simple question that's easy to respond to.

    This Facebook post from Sprouting Photographer provides an inspirational quote and then asks followers to share their favorite quotes.

    sprouting photographer facebook post
    Allow people to share what inspires them.

    #2: Post Lighthearted or Humorous Content

    If you're having a rough day, lighthearted or humorous social content can lighten your mood a bit. You can be that ray of sunshine for your followers, and at the same time, develop meaningful relationships.

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    The Honest Company, whose mission is to empower people to live happy and healthy lives, does a great job of using graphics. The brand is lighthearted, so this amusing post ties in perfectly.

    the honest company facebook post
    The Honest Company uses cheerful graphics in their social posts.

    If you see content that makes you smile, it will probably make your followers smile as well. In this post Save The Date Wedding Podcast shares a cute animal video from BuzzFeed.

    save the date wedding podcast facebook post
    Save The Date Wedding Podcast links to a cute animal video to brighten their followers' day.

    Headspace, a meditation app, posts graphics that people can identify with and asks followers to tag friends on Instagram who are like-minded.

    headspace instagram post
    Headspace celebrates meditation and has a great “one of us” community feel to their posts.

    Denise Duffield-Thomas has an audience of female entrepreneurs who work from home, so she knew this photo of a smartphone cover would make them laugh.

    denise d t instagram post
    Post a humorous photo to connect with your audience.

    #3: Show Off Your Personal Side

    The more people connect with you on a personal level, the more likely they are to do business with you. If you're a business owner, give people a glimpse into your personal life. If you're a marketer, show what it's like behind the scenes of your company.

    This post from business strategist Amber McCue reminds people that she, too, is juggling a family life and career. By sharing this post about her kids, she connects with other entrepreneurial moms.

    amber mccue facebook post
    Share a personal anecdote to connect with your audience.

    Fizzle focuses on helping people start businesses. They post behind-the-scenes photos of their staff spending time together, which helps them connect with their audience.

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    fizzle facebook post
    Show candid photos of your staff to humanize your brand.

    Even Oprah takes readers behind the scenes on her social accounts. In this Instagram post she's learning to make Tibetan dumplings for a lesson she showed on Periscope.

    oprah instagram post
    Post photos that take your audience behind the scenes.

    Natalie Sisson's followers are interested in her Suitcase Entrepreneur lifestyle, and this Facebook post gives them a taste.

    natalie sisson suitcase entrepreneur facebook post
    Share something about your life that would interest your audience.

    #4: Share Inspirational Quotes

    We all love to be inspired. That's why posts with quotes are so popular on social media. When choosing quotes, keep in mind the perspective of your customers and what they hope to achieve.

    DailyWorth, a personal finance site, shares quotes from successful people and quotes about money.

    daily worth facebook post
    DailyWorth uses quotes about finance to appeal to their audience.

    The Happy Wives Club Facebook page uses all of the post categories detailed in this article, but they're especially adept at creating and sharing inspirational graphics.

    happy wives club facebook post
    Happy Wives Club posts inspirational graphics.

    Reading Rainbow has an audience of avid readers, so they share quotes from authors and quotes about reading.

    reading rainbow facebook post
    Reading Rainbow shares quotes about reading.

    Foundr, a magazine for young entrepreneurs, has built a massive following of over 270,000 people on Instagram by sharing inspirational posts like these.

    foundr instagram post
    Foundr chooses quotes that will inspire young entrepreneurs.

    Foundr generates a lot of sales from their Instagram account, so it's possible that inspirational content could also benefit your bottom line.

    #5: Repost Evergreen Content

    Social media moves fast, so if you're sharing your evergreen content only when it's new, most people won't see it. If you have relevant content sitting in your archives, schedule social posts to promote it to a new audience.

    Claire Pelletreau, a Facebook ads expert, posts evergreen content that addresses common questions from her audience about Facebook ads.

    claire pelletreau facebook post
    Content that answers frequently asked questions can stay relevant over a long time period.

    An opt-in offer can be another type of evergreen content that's helpful to your audience.

    evolve your wedding business facebook post
    An opt-in offer can be another form of evergreen content.

    #6: Curate Relevant Content

    Curating content that your audience will love is an effective way to complement your own social content.

    Think about what blogs your ideal customer or prospect reads. Then share posts from those blogs or their social accounts. This way you're providing your audience with valuable content and building relationships with people who cater to your ideal client.

    When you see posts that you know will resonate with your audience, share them. In this Facebook post The Freelance to Freedom Project shares a relevant online marketing article with their fans.

    the freelance to freedom facebook post
    Link to relevant articles for your audience.

    There are lots of businesses that offer products and services that complement your brand. ThinkGeek knew that their audience would love these Mario-themed donuts, as well as the user's other creations.

    thinkgeek facebook post
    Post links to products that complement your own products and services.

    If you're not an expert on a particular topic, you can link to other people's content to provide information that your audience might benefit from, as Val Geisler did here.

    val geisler facebook post
    Link to valuable content that will appeal to your audience.

    If you want to learn more about curating amazing content for your audience, check out this podcast with Ian Cleary.

    Conclusion

    Sometimes you may feel like you don't have anything new or original to contribute on social media, and that can leave you feeling stuck. If you're not sure what to post, use the post ideas outlined in this article for inspiration.

    What do you think? What do you do when you have no idea what to post on social media and need good social media content? Have you tried some of these types of posts? What has worked best for you? Let us know in the comments below!

    ways to improve engagement with social media content
    Tips for improving engagement with social media content.
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    About the authorHeidi Thompson

    Heidi Thompson is the founder of Evolve Your Wedding Business. She helps wedding professionals book more weddings and make more money & she helps people manage their money better at Money Crashers .
    Other posts by Heidi Thompson »

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