Guest Post: Doug Weiss shares tips about how to increase engagement on social media.

Posting is not enough

When my team started doing Social Media for The JESUS Film Project in 2010 we would post on and off every month.  We would get a few comments and messages here and there.  The Likes and interactions to The JESUS Film Page on Facebook grew slow and steady. Then in 2013, we began to post on a consistent basis and, as a result, through this year we’ve experienced great growth in our social media reach. However, posting is not enough.  Here are five ways to increase engagement in your social media.

1. Respond to almost everyone-  We often get simple one word comments like Amen, Cool, etc.  You don’t need to respond to those, but if someone takes the time to leave a thoughtful response then it’s good to respond back.
2. Answer your messages-  If you have messages turned on, be sure to keep an eye on those and answer them.
3. Reward your advocates or super fans-  You probably have a group of people that respond and comment on a regular basis to your posts.  Find out more about them and reward them… like sending them a gift.
4. Monitor and act-  Be sure to keep an eye on comments and take action in hiding or deleting them if they don’t fit your community or contribute to it.
5. Respond and have a conversation-  Don’t make your responses and interactions formal.  Keep them conversational.

If you follow these engagement principles, you’ll find that your overall social media will grow and become more effective.

Guest Post from Doug, the Social Media Manager for The JESUS Film Project. Doug has been on staff for 19 years and married to Karen for 14 years. They both enjoy traveling the world with the ministry.  You can find Doug online on Facebook and Twitter and at his blog, Outside The Box Ministry.