Six Things You Can Do Today to Connect on Social Media

How many social media accounts do you have?

If you’re running a business, you’ve probably got several: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, or any one of a dozen more.

How much good are they doing you?

Social media is a great way to connect with customers and other industry professionals… but only if you actually do connect. Otherwise, you’re just sending your posts out into space and not getting any result.

So how exactly do you connect on social media?

Six Things You Can Do (Today) to Connect on Social Media

1. Schedule posts for the week

Scheduling posts is awesome. It helps you be consistent (the key to building a following) and gives new followers or visitors reliable, interesting information popping up in their feed. (It is not a substitute for actual interaction, though, so make sure to set aside a few minutes to actually be there in person too.)

There are lots of programs out there that allow you to schedule your posts, and most of them have a version that lets you do so for free! Most free versions, though, limit the number of accounts that you can link so you may end up needing to pay for the pro version if you have a lot of social media platforms to schedule. I use Hootsuite, but Buffer and Edgar are also popular.

2. Share expert information

Know who the big names are in your industry or niche? Then you can use them to get in front of an even bigger audience.

Find an article written by an expert that you think your audience would really benefit from reading (or a pretty blog post, or statistics, or whatever is relevant.) Share the link with a little commentary (like I did here) and tag the expert in the post. The odds are high that the person you tagged will share the post on their own feed, which will put dozens of eyes on your account and net you a few more followers.

3. Ask a question

You know that old conversation trick about asking questions to get the other person talking? It works on social media too!

Every few posts, pose a question to your followers. Include something interesting with it — a photo, a quote, a link to an article. You’ll get people thinking, but most of all, you’ll get people responding. And of course, if you get any responses, be sure to write back! I’ve had conversations last for days, and it also gives you a great reason to check back in at a later date.

4. Respond to someone else

In spite of the “social” part of social media, it can often feel like a sad, lonely, one-way street. You put your content out there, and you hope other people are seeing and clicking it… but you’re not actually sure.

You’re not the only one feeling that way, so put yourself in someone else’s shoes and do what you’d like them to do for you! Share their content. Answer their question. Respond to a post. You’ll not only start a dialogue with that person (and likely gain another follower) you’ll put yourself in front of their audience as well. Plus, you’ll be banking some good social media karma, which is never a bad thing. =)

5. Be strategic with your hashtags

Sure, it’s funny to use cute hashtags sometimes. (#ivebeenknowntodoitmyself) But those don’t actually help you connect with anyone who isn’t already following your account.

You may be surprised how many people can find your posts (and your whole account) through relevant hashtags. They’re not just there for commentary — hashtags act like labels for your posts so non-followers can find them and hopefully become followers! Take some time to see what’s trending in your niche. What hashtags are other people using? What sort of conversations are going on? What other hashtags have you used that have been popular? What are you searching for yourself?

Don’t overload your posts, or use hashtags just for the sake of having them there. Pick 1-3 relevant, strategic labels per post, and see how much easier it becomes for other users to find you.

6. Post something

Seriously, be honest with yourself. When was the last time you posted something real on social media?

Not a follower count. Not an auto-post of your latest blog post that actually cuts off half the title. A real post, with thought-out words, an image, and relevant hashtags.

If it’s been a while, then you’re never going to get anywhere with your social media strategy. There are a lot of social media accounts out there for people to follow, so start out by giving them a good reason to follow yours. Post something awesome today. And tomorrow. And the next day. And… well, I’m sure you get it.