online engagement Archives - Kurtz Digital Strategy

What Social Engagement Looks Like Today

January 28, 2021/0 Comments/in Research /by Jill Kurtz

Engagement has been the buzzword of social media marketing for some time. Getting your target audience involved with your brand is a worthy goal, but understanding how people engage is an important reality.

According to Hootsuite research, the average Facebook user only shared one post in the last 30 days. In fact, the number of people who actively share and comment on posts has decreased over time on all platforms. Most users have become more passive consumers of content.

This trend mirrors what has happened on blogs over time. In the early years, getting comments was the norm. Over time, readership has continued to remain strong, but comments have dwindled.

Metrics that Indicate Engagement

Reach and reaction are much more realistic engagement goals than mass participation. In fact, posts designed solely to mine for comments and/or shares are discouraged on social platforms.

Provide value for the people who see your content, rather than trying to get them to comment or share.

Assessing Engagement

In addition to reach and engagement metrics, social listening can give you your best insight into engagement on social media. Monitor for topics as well as brand mentions. Assess whether you are part of the conversations that matter most to you.

This approach also allows you to engage beyond your own channels. Become part of the conversations that are central to your brand and expertise. This authenticity and meeting users where they are at is central to creating relationship online.

Social Media for Lead Generation

January 19, 2021/0 Comments/in Online Marketing /by Jill Kurtz

More and more brands report that they use social media to generate leads and new business. Here are current best practices for using social media to boost business.

Use Multiple Social Platforms

Every social channel you use increases the potential for reach and effectiveness. Integrating and interconnecting those platforms also enhances connection with audiences online. Be sure to leverage all the platforms used by your target customers and clients.

Be Engaging

It’s not enough to post content and links to your website. Post interesting content that is useful to your customer. Bonus points for doing that in a fun way. Visuals and video are still great ways to capture attention if they are done well.

Be Interactive

Connect with customers on social beyond your own accounts. Comment and share their posts. Join groups and share ideas and help that aren’t direct sells. Businesses that effectively create positive impressions and beneficial relationships online are positioned to gain customers and reinforce relationships with existing customers.

How to Connect Your Target Reader with Your Blog

January 7, 2021/0 Comments/in Communication, Online Marketing /by Jill Kurtz

Blogging is an important online marketing tactic for most businesses. Blogs create a stream of fresh content that people crave and that search engines love. As with all online marketing, just pushing content out is not enough. You have to be intentional to connect with your reader.

Getting People to Engage with Your Blog

There are several ways people can interact with posts on your blog. They can leave a comment directly on the blog if you have that feature enabled. Or, they can comment when you share blog posts on social media and other channels.

Other options include:

Sharing your post on social media
Mentioning your post in their content
Subscribing to your blog or following your social media to get more content

Keep these signs of engagement in mind. Make sure your blog and social media set up makes it easy for people to engage. Make sure each post is compelling enough for your target audience to care and want to share your content.

Gaining Search Engine Love

Blog engagement helps you connect with your audience. It also helps your visibility in search engines. Comments and shares are a signal to search engines that your content is valuable. Valuable content appears in the top of search results.

How to Connect with Readers

Posting a steady stream of new content is great. Writing each post with the goal of engagement in mind is even better.

Here are elements to keep in mind as you compose your posts:

Speak to the needs of your audience. Connect with their problems and questions and provide insightful answers and solutions.
Says something valuable. Your content should be informative, relevant, and worthwhile.
Have a schedule. Publish new posts on a regular basis. You don’t have to blog every day to create engagement, but make sure the intervals are predictable.
Be authentic. Post content that you care about. Infuse it with your unique point of view and expertise.
Stand out. Don;t shy away from saying something that’s controversial or unpopular. People tend to respond to something when they disagree. To get people to share their point of view, start an interesting discussion.
Invite engagement. Ask people for their thoughts and comments and respond when they take time to do that.

Next Steps

As you write content for your blog, make sure you follow these tips to better connect with your readers. Post awesome and original content and share your unique expertise and point of view. Ask for ideas and thoughts and respond to them.

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