Welcome to episode 30 of the Branding With Jade podcast. This week I’ll be talking about how to cultivate a more engaged audience.
Recently I did some market research for my course and I asked if I could wave a magic wand, what would be one thing people would want me to create for them. A lot of responses were along the lines of “more engagement”, “more followers”, “a more engaged audience.” etc.
This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about and this week I really started to change my approach to my content. And in the few days since doing so I’ve been getting so many messages and comments about how my content has inspired people to show up differently.
So I thought it was really perfect timing to talk about the topic of engagement. And share all the strategies, as well as my top tips for creating engaging content.
Let’s dig in, shall we.
In this episode I’ll be sharing:
- The changes I recently made to my content that have seen far more engagement.
- The way I believe real engagement should be measured.
- Some strategies for getting more engagement.
- How to create content that cultivates a more engaged audience.
Before we get into the show. Let me just be very clear on one thing here as I forgot to bring this up in the episode. When we talk about engagement, we’re talking about the genuine stuff. None of this bought engagement. No bots, no engagement pods.
Ok, real life, human to human interaction.
Great, now that’s cleared up, let’s get into the show…
HERE’S WHERE YOU’LL FIND SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:
>> [6:26] – first let’s break down, what does an engaged audience actually mean? And what actually matters the most. To me the most important metric is how many people are actually taking action on what I say. Are they clicking my links, DM’ing me etc.? To me that’s most important.
>> [9:03] – instead of chasing more followers and likes, take the time to connect with every person that follows you. The more effort you put into connecting with your current audience, the more engagement you’ll get.
>> [9:42] – ok, now let’s look at the ways to create a more engaged audience. Start by connecting with other people by searching niche hashtags and liking, commenting and following people that could potentially be your ideal client.
>> [11:13] – take time to message the people that follow you and thank them for doing so. Instagram now even allows you to save templates to make this even easier.
>> [12:02] – don’t just drop your post and run. Spend some time going back through previous posts and engage on people that have engaged with your content.
>> [12:30] – spend time responding to people’s stories because this starts up DM’s where you can get to know people better. And make sure you actually take the time to respond to all your DM’s.
>> [14:49] – don’t outsource your engagement/content creation. This is one area where it really pays to show up yourself. No-one can be you. No-one can connect with people the way you can. If you want to really cultivate an engaged audience, it’s up to you to do this.
>> [16:39] – use the right kinds of hashtags. Choose ones that are relevant to your posts, aren’t too big, and do the research before posting.
>> [17:42] – strategy is good, but it all means nothing if the fundamental thing is missing. The most important thing is quality, engaging content. Content that is real, inspired, and has the right energy behind it.
>> [18:50] – share your stories, share what makes you feel inspired and passionate. Don’t share if it feels forced or if you feel like you have to. It all comes back to the energy.
>> [19:27] – get rid of the self imposed rules you set. Share what you want to share. Post as much as you want, post as little as you want. Do what feels right and aligned for YOU!
>> [22:57] – stop hiding, speak your truth, share passionately and authentically. Real, authentic content always wins. Release the pressure on yourself. Don’t fixate on the likes and comments. The right posts will hit the mark. Don’t let fear stop you from sharing your important message.
>> [24:33] – value every single follower and appreciate that they are allowing you to share your message with them in one of the most personal places, their phone. They are giving you permission to show up. Be grateful for that, show up for them, and create the content you want to create for them. When you get in flow you’ll just keep sharing inspiring messages.
>> [26:21] – whatever is coming up for you is usually being felt by your audience too. So the more you share what’s actually going on, instead of trying to share what you think you have to share, the more you’ll hit the mark and get a better response.
>> [29:02] – we don’t need more viral content, we need more real content.
So there you have it, my top advice on how to cultivate a more engaged audience. Primarily focusing on Instagram. But the same concepts apply in most places.
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LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Social Media Audit Freebie – Get It Here
- Create Your Magical Life Facebook Community – Join Here
- Details about Hiding to Shining – Learn More Here
Thanks for listening!
