Do you ever find yourself at a loss of words?  You know you should say something but you don’t quite know how to go about it?  Some people find social media the same way. They know it’s important to get out there, but they struggle in regards to what and how to post.  It doesn’t have to be difficult.  Just remember to be open and include your customer as part of the process.

Keep your followers in the loop regarding the daily goings on in your business.

Ask them their opinions and bounce off ideas.  By maintaining contact with your base and hearing their feedback, you will stay in tune and ensure that you continually meet their needs in the market.

When reaching out to your base, make sure to use the correct style of engagement.

Simple or “yes/no” questions won’t do.  Instead, ask open-ended questions that elicit emotional responses.  Ask for stories or opinions.  Make it interesting and compel people to want to post.

Get people participating and interacting.

Post quotes or pictures that both reflect your values and provoke a response.  Shares and likes get your name spread.  Those who share similar values will follow you to find out more about you.  People like to know they are not alone and will connect with similar people who share congruent perspectives.

Your goal is to build a virtual community of friends who reciprocally visit each other online and provide support.

While you may not be geographically close to your fans, social media connects us through what we share.  So SHARE!  Get out there and share who you are and what you value.  Attract others and form a community of like-minded entrepreneurs who will build off of that energy and elevate your values to a whole new level.

Here are some other quick ideas to spark engagement on your social media platforms:

*Hold a contest.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.  Give a prize or shout-out to the best photo caption or answer to a fill-in-the-blank question (“I’d rather be _____”).

*Get trivial.  Ask people to guess at a daily or weekly trivia question and post the answer later

*Build a campaign for certain holidays/events.  How can you tie in what you do with what is going on?  Perhaps plan theme months and create a social media campaign around that.

*Post on threads and platforms relevant to your industry and target market.  You can’t just sit and wait for people to come to you.  The best way to get visitors is to be a visitor yourself so get out there and engage!

For more great tips:

For more great tips on engagement and bringing structure and automation to your marketing system please check out our free Hourglass Marketing System Brainstorming Guide.

As always, we welcome your comments and feedback so please feel free to ask questions or leave your tips to share as well. We plan to get all of our outlets involved so be sure to check us out not only here at the blog (or make it easier and sign up to get the posts as they go live!), but on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, and Google+…and YouTube!

Share your thoughts, stuck points, and successes!  We are here to Unbound you from the overwhelm online marketing presents!