Building a community is key to your success. I’ve shared with you recently the benefit of connecting in-person and I’ve talked about the best methods to maximize your online efforts.
Today, I want to share with you four platforms that you can use to connect with your audience and why each will help you to build relationships and, in turn, grow your business.
For many people, Facebook is a go-to networking tool that is used almost daily. Whether you find yourself on the platform to connect with others socially or you’re a powerhouse user that generates regular content for your business community, Facebook can help you achieve your goals.
There are two areas on Facebook that are particularly helpful when taking the steps to connect with your audience: groups and the “close friend” feature.
Groups are a fantastic way to engage with your audience. Since group notifications show up in a user’s notifications panel, this means that your message cuts through the noise and gets seen by more people than that same message would if posted on a page or profile.
Also, most groups allow everyone to post to the group’s wall, which alleviates some of the content creation effort from your end and invites your audience to create rich and engaging discussions — with or without your leadership.
The “close friend” feature can help you keep up-to-date with your most beloved audience members. By flagging your friends with the “close friend” option, you’ll receive a notification in your profile each and every time they post something new.
Use the “close friend” feature to tag your family, close friends, VIP clients, and mentors. This will allow you to stay more engaged with the people that are key members of your tribe and ensures you don’t miss anything important.
Most of us now know that Twitter is a fantastic tool for real-time connection but understanding a few of the features, especially those that are useful for community engagement, can take your Twitter usage to the next level.
Engaging with your audience starts with reducing the overwhelm that comes with the sheer volume of people that you can potentially connect with. Lists are a great way to categorize people so that engagement and “listening” become much easier. Consider segregating your followers into lists that are easy-to-manage so that you don’t miss anything important.
Twitter’s search function is also a great way to connect with like-minded people, those users who may live in your geographical area and even potential clients. Use the search option to look up keywords for your industry, your city and your interests to find and connect with new audience members.
Do you know which #SocialMedia platform is the best for connecting and engaging with your audience? Click To TweetLinkedIn is the professional profile that everyone needs. While not as glamorous as the other tools mentioned, it is a critical platform to build your credibility and connect with other professionals. It is an invaluable resource and can be extremely effective for growing your business and meeting new people.
LinkedIn has an entire tab of their site dedicated to building and creating community. Under the “Interests” tab, you’ll find the ability to create or be a part of Groups. Groups are hubs of people who are gathering on LinkedIn around a specific topic. This allows like-minded people to connect and communicate around something they are passionate about.
If you’re looking to create more engagement, LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform is the way to go. Using the platform, you can post long-form content that will encourage comments, elicit conversation and prompt your audience to engage with each other in a way that they wouldn’t otherwise use the platform for.
Periscope
Periscope is a relatively new tool but is definitely one that is making waves on the social media scene. It’s hot, happening and a lot of people are finding immense value in the real-time aspect of the tool and the ability to repurpose the content. Including me! You can join them by simply following me on Periscope at @LisaLarter.
Periscope’s premise is simple. You download the app, flip it on and instantly stream live to anyone who is following you or who is a part of the Periscope community. While people watch, they can “heart” your broadcast (essentially liking your feed) and they can chat with you. The real-time nature of the tool allows for a more seamless sharing experience and you can do it from just about anywhere and at any time.
Periscope also saves your broadcasts to your profile for 24 hours and you can download it to your mobile device and share it on other platforms. This is particularly useful because people can go back and watch your past broadcasts and catch up on anything they may have missed. If you’re streaming and providing rich content, this is a fantastic way to build a content library that your community will find useful.
Your Homework
Choose one social network this week and spend some time connecting with your audience. Whether that is categorizing some people into the “close friends” list on Facebook or giving Periscope a try, you won’t regret pouring some energy and effort into building and growing your community.
Tell me: which social network have you found to be the best for connecting and engaging with your audience? Leave your response in the comments below.
