5 Ways to Build Your Community Online

Whether you're trying to build engagement in a Facebook Group or on a Facebook page or just on Twitter or Instagram, there are a few things that are important to keep in mind to build community: 

1. Set the tone

Lead by example! You are the leader of your community. The way that you behave in that community, from the kind of support you give, to the language you use, to the amount that you're present in the group, is key. If you're not willing to demonstrate through your own behaviour how you want the group to look and feel, you can't be surprised if things go off course. 

In my group there is always a distinct drop in participation if I'm away too much. I need to participate a lot if I want others to participate a lot. Also I find that people are really helpful, respectful and follow the "rules" without having to be policed because they see what the group is meant to be like. 

2. Ask simple questions

People have short attention spans, you need to ask questions (at least some of the time) that are so easy to answer people don't even have to think.

Where are you from?

How many kids do you have?

What's your favourite colour? 

Questions like that seem like fluff but what you need to remember is that your goal is to get people to participate, even just once. Once they've commented on something, they'll be more likely to comment again another time. They'll also be more likely to see your content if you're building your community on a tool that operates with an algorithm.  

Even if you're going for something more complex than the questions above, keep the questions pretty simple so they don't have to think too long. If a person is required to think too long they often decide it's not worth the effort and move on. 

3. Always go first

People hate going first. If you ask them a question they worry that what they want to say might not be what you're actually asking for or they don't know how to share the information they want to share. 

When you ask a question or if someone in your community asks a question, do your best to answer it. You're taking away a lot of the anxiety of being the first to post and you're essentially providing them with a template for their own answer.

4. Be relatable

Share you. Share your realness. Let people see that you're human and not that different from them.

The more you can do that, the less intimidated they feel, and people don't engage in places they feel intimidated. It's why the idea of sharing messy realities works so well.  

The time I accidentally uploaded a draft version of my podcast to iTunes I was horrified. I shared that in my community and it was one of the most popular posts I've ever shared. Why? Because people like to know everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Because they like to know that I'm not that different than them. 

5. Make people feel important

When someone posts anything, like it. Even better comment on it. It's a lot of work but you're rewarding people for their participation. When you give them answers and make them feel like they are truly in a place that is there to support them, they will keep posting and commenting, and that's what you want.  

Creating an active online community is a lot of work, but it also can be really rewarding, fun and help you reach your sales and business goals. 

I hope these 5 tips were useful - and that you'll join me in the Biz Studio if you haven't already! 

My screen time has made me more social, not less

I’ve met a ton of people from online in “real life”One of my biggest pet peeves is that people think that all real life personal connections have been lost with the advent of new online social channels.  They believe that mass numbers simply hide behind a screen constantly, becoming anti-social.

While I will fully admit that most people are spending more time in front of a screen, I want to scream the following from the rooftops:

Social media builds relationships, it doesn’t remove the need for them! 

Online to offline

Twitter is especially amazing for this, as are Facebook (or LinkedIn or Google+) groups.  You meet new people, you have conversations about the subjects you have in common and then, whenever possible, you bring those relationships offline and build on them. 

Karen and I met on Twitter.

My core group of friends that I hang out with, I met on Twitter/online.

My kids’ friends are the kids of the people I met on Twitter/online.

Many of our current clients met us online.

People are eager to bring the relationship offline, and also maintain it offline. 

Offline to online

Whenever I meet someone “in real life”, at a conference, at a meeting, at a networking event, etc., I like to connect with them online later.  Perhaps we connect on LinkedIn, or I tweet them, or I friend them on Facebook. 

What could have been a really superficial meeting at a networking event just got taken to the next level of a relationship within the same day or two. What would have happened before? Perhaps an email would have been sent, or you would have waited until you ran into each other at a networking event and possibly remembered you met each other before.  

You are keeping top of mind on a regular basis with people you met in person by continuing that relationship online.

Communities of support

Whether I started a relationship online or offline, the online community I’ve built for myself supports in me in almost every part of my life.  Whether I have a business question or a parenting question, I know where I can go and ask people I trust for the answer.

I’ve never felt so connected to others in my life.

Has social media helped build your community?  Leave a comment and share how!

How do you cross-post content on different social platforms?

I shared my views about automated or scheduled posts a few weeks ago. A couple of days ago, I saw this post on Lara Wellman’s Facebook page that sparked a pretty in-depth conversation about linking posts or cross-posting to different platforms. This is a different type of automation that can turn off an audience fairly quickly.

Lara shared the tip that one shouldn’t link your Twitter feed to Facebook or LinkedIn, both of which are very easy to set up. Some people do so selectively and that’s okay because they’re consciously thinking about which tweets they want to share with their Facebook audience rather than indiscriminately posting them all. There is only one word for linking a twitter account to other platforms: annoying. If I follow someone on twitter, having them post those updates to LinkedIn and Facebook as well is a big turn off. I will generally hide (or unfollow) people who do this on Facebook. That means I miss any original content they happen to post.

In the process of discussing the practice of linking social networks, another controversial practice was brought up - posting identical content across several platforms. This is primarily an issue that is isolated to Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ since they allow long-form status updates. It can include Twitter, but I’ll come back to that.

When I shared my last Media Mesh post, here’s what happened:

• Facebook: Automatically updated when RSS Graffiti pulls my feed. (Side note: I’m considering discontinuing this particular automation due to the impact it has on engagement and Edge Rank. Even Facebook doesn’t like you to automate!) I try to remember to manually share the same post the next day when I don’t have a regular post scheduled.
• LinkedIn: I posted the link with this message - “Do you have a business or know of one that’s interested in starting a blog? Here’s a few suggestions on where to start.”
• Google+: Again, I posted the link, but with a different message - “This is just the first ten I thought of, but I’m sure there are more suggestions. What advice would you give to a business that wants to start a blog?”

It’s my view that these three tools are unique in features, audience, reach and engagement.

I’m just getting started using LinkedIn to promote my content, but for now I’m going with a business angle because that seems to make the most sense. I also don’t see a lot of engagement on LinkedIn, so a call to action may not be appropriate. With Google+ I do get a lot of feedback from the audience, so I tend to ask their opinion and give them the option of adding to my thoughts. With Facebook I might do something similar, but I might ask users what their top DOs and DON’Ts are for starting a blog.

These are subtle differences that will create a different conversation on each platform - ideally - and engage users/followers in a way that works best on the platform. That’s a strategic decision that I’ve made for my content.

But does it work to post the identical message and call to action on all three? Sometimes, but it’s not always a good idea. It’s important to know your audience with each platform. If you have a lot of overlap, tailor your messaging or change the time you post so that you don’t look as if you’re blatantly copying and pasting. It’s really worth it to take a few extra seconds to actively engage in a more personalized, audience-specific way.

Social 101: The 5 Ws of Facebook

Everyone has a different opinion on Facebook. These days, with changes on the horizon, many users are once again resistant and pushing back against further changes. So, if it’s so bad, why do we keep logging in? What keeps us coming back to this Web site that inspires such frustration?

Our friends. Our business. Our interests.

What?

Facebook is the quintessential social network. It started out as a two-way connection - reciprocity required. This is still the primary focus of the network, though they have since added Pages, Groups and most recently Subscribers which are not reciprocal connections.

Who?

From a personal perspective, I think that anyone who wants to connect with other people can get value out of Facebook. From a business or entity perspective, it’s a marketing tool that packs quite a punch. 845 million active accounts to spread your message to - what marketer can resist that concentration of audience? (Side note: I refuse to say “users” as I know - and you probably do too - that not all of those 845M accounts are unique users.)

When?

Post at least daily, but not too often. There’s a fine line on the slower-paced Facebook (as compared to Twitter) that some cross regularly. Rule of thumb? No more than two to three status updates per day and make sure you space them out. Facebook users will “unlike” your page if you annoy them. I know I have.

Where?

Facebook’s mobile apps keep getting better, but it’s still a better experience in a Web browser. For quick status updates, check-ins or mobile photo uploads, mobile is great. If you’re considering live-Facebooking an event? I’d recommend against it. Twitter is a much better venue for that kind of discourse.

Why?

Recently, I’ve noticed a lot of my friends looking back at their first Facebook status. I didn’t use an app, but I did scroll down my timeline to see what my first update was. It took me four months to say anything after I joined and I think the primary reason is that I didn’t really know what I wanted to say to these people who were not exactly a part of my daily life. I’ve since caught on to the power of those connections, interacting with other people and getting a glimpse into their daily lives. Seeing what brands and other entities are doing for their customers. It can be a pretty heady experience to be in-the-know.

What would you add to the 5 Ws of Facebook?

Social 101: 5 Tips for Facebook Engagement

This post is the second in a two-part series on Facebook that originally appeared on LaraWellman.com. You can read the first part here. I thought it was a great way to kick of this month of Facebook posts. 

*****

In my first post for Lara, I talked about the big question of whether to use Facebook pages or groups for your community. Now that you’ve set up your Page or Group, here are five strategies that you can use to make your content professional, useful and promote engagement with your followers:

1) Watch other pages.

Are they good at engaging? Do they have engaged followers? What are they doing that works well? What doesn’t work as well? You can get ideas for your own Facebook strategy by watching what works for others. One size doesn’t fit all, so if a technique doesn’t work, move on and try something else.

2) Link to Content

Here’s a little secret - the content doesn’t have to be yours every time! In fact, you should share others’ content. Do you have a question or opinion based on something you read? Link to it! Make sure your FB followers can see what prompted your query so they get the full context. If you want people to give opinions about something, link to it so they don’t have to go looking for it. The easier you make it for your followers to engage, the more likely they are to jump into the conversation.

3) Post to your page daily.

If you’re wondering when, you might be interested in this article from Mashable. Or this one from Social Times. All I get from these, and countless other similar articles, is that the perfect time is a moving target and probably depends on your audience anyway. Who are you targeting? When are they most likely to be on Facebook? Answer those questions and then do your own research of the trial and error variety.

4) Don’t spam your fans.

The average lifespan of a post on twitter is 10 minutes (this can vary a great deal based on how many people you’re following). Facebook doesn’t move nearly as fast - the lifespan is roughly 3 hours for a single post. Some Facebook pages can get away with quite a few posts by updating followers with up-to-the-minute information (news organizations). Most other pages don’t need to post updates more than two or three times a day - more than once in three hours can be a turn-off for some users.

5) Ask questions.

What’s the best way to start a conversation? Ask questions:

• Input about products and services.


• How your fans’ day is going.


• How they spent their long weekend.


• Topics, current events or news items relevant to your page’s purpose.

But whatever you ask, be sure to show an interest in the answers. Interact with your audience and be engaged.

There is no magic formula for growing your page following. Pages grow at different rates, but having good content and an actively engaged page will go a long way toward growing your audience.

What are some innovative ways that you’ve seen pages successfully engage with followers?