I had originally titled this blog “talking with your audience instead of TO them” but this seems to encompass that thought as well. Are we engaging with our readers or simply throwing information into the WWWW (the 4th W is for WIND).

Do you want to be more well-known online? You have to start engaging the right people. No matter where you focus your energy; Twitter, Facebook, ActiveRain, LinkedIn, Digg, Etc.. you can connect with people by answering their questions. If we are so focused on what we are putting out into the Internet, we don’t read what’s coming in and then how are we to connect with any of those people?

Want more Facebook followers?

FIND more Facebookers and connect with them. Write an article about a place that has a Facebook Page. I wrote an article for a Santa Fe real estate brokerage that included a link to the local Children’s Museum, then I posted that link on their Facebook page and “liked” the page as well. They responded with “Wow! Thanks so much Coldwell Banker!” This created a connection, a response and perhaps when they need real estate services, they will contact the local Coldwell Banker agency.

Want more Twitter Followers?

Read some tweets from similar industries or localities and reply, or retweet them. Your followers may like more information for their area and that Tweeter will have a better connection with you. Find 5 people a day to respond to and then if there is a response back, don’t let it die. Use Hash Tags to notify them you’re talking about their tweet or them personally ( # and @)Cultivate that connection and stay in front of your readers without always selling them something.

 

Want more connections on LinkedIn?

This is a great resource for groups, discussions and questions. Browse through a few groups, join groups that would be helpful and answer questions that are posed. Remember to include a link to other areas if appropriate such as your Twitter account, Facebook or Website.

Want more Blog Subscribers?

Be their first responder. Find someone that has no comments or maybe a newbie. This is a great way to help get them started, answer questions they may have and find new subscribers. Check back through a newbies first few posts and see if they have issues that were left unresolved. Relate to them on their level, whether it’s a buyers agent, listing agent, inspector, home contractor or stager. Find something they know and run with it. This is also a great way for you to ask questions in return and see if you get a response. Make sure you tweet links back to your blog often for more interest all over the social board.

No matter what social platform you use, you can organize them all in hootsuite. This free program combines all your social media accounts into one place and lets you comment once to all. It also allows you to set up custom feeds for specifics such as column just for “How do I…” Questions on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin. These can be helpful to sift out non-essential posts and go for the questions directly. By answering these throughout the day you can build a relationship with those asking the question.

How do you get more connections? Meet a need, then cultivate that for long-lasting networking and leads.

Visit my associates and references here: Las Cruces Real Estate / San Angelo Realtors / Kirkland WA Homes Experts