+1 (647) 905-6173 [email protected]

How to use social media to engage in-person and virtual audiences

by Dec 9, 2021Digital Marketing, Hybrid, Virtual

How to Use Social Media to Engage In-Person and Virtual Audiences

When we hear the words ‘social media’ – we instantly think of likes, pictures, influencers, Reels, followers, hashtags, and most importantly, engagement. 

But without engagement, social media is, well… just social media.

So then why is social media engagement important and who is it important for?

It can be important for your brand, your business, and yourself as an influencer. Having a strong digital presence is significant in the social media world today. Many people spend hours scrolling through social media on the daily, so it it important to catch their attention and engagement. 

Social media engagement is the measurement of comments, likes, and shares.

Engagement can also be measured by many other factors such as mentions, reposts, hashtags, and click-throughs.

 

How to Use Social Media to Engage More With Our Audience: Virtual and In-Person Events?

Know Your Target Audience

Know who your target audience is. Who your audience or followers are, who your content is aimed at, and who engages with it most. Is your audience geared towards men or women? Is it younger teens or individuals in their late 30’s? Is your audience located from all over the world or are they mostly Canadians? But who are you trying to target specifically?

These are the many factors that play into the role of analyzing who your target audience is to then figure out how to strategize your content and engagement based off of that. 

 Once you have your audience sorted out…

 

Plan Your Content

Structure and plan your content for which social media platform you’re using. Try to make your content as interesting and compelling for your audience. Make it humorous, and not too serious. Content that people will want to read and not just scroll by.

Social media has become the way many people choose to keep in touch with the world. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn may be three of the most widely used social media sites among professionals, bloggers, businesses – even celebrities and politicians.

There is an endless amount of topics that you can write about and post to social media. However, a good place to start would be by planning what type of information and content you want to post. Are you trying to sell something or inform your audience or have them participate in a contest? 

Having this goal in mind will help you determine what type of articles you need for each platform.

 

Virtual Events

Virtual events are done online, usually through platforms like Zoom, rather than physically attending an event in-person. 

Enhancing your audience’s engagement during a virtual event may seem tricky, but it could possibly be easier than you think!

Virtual events, if promoted well, can be a great way to expand your following and get people engaged in the subject matter you’re talking about. 

Virtual events come in all forms:

  • Conferences
  • Live Stream
  • Webinar
  • Workshops

Here is how you can utilize each type of virtual event to engage with your audience.

Live Streaming is definitely a useful and popular way to hold your virtual event, and can even be held on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.

 

In-Person Events

Also known as live events.

Prior to the pandemic, in-person events were the norm. However, we have been slowly transitioning back to in-person events. 

You can gain more out of social media by attending a live event in person. Live events are a great opportunity to strengthen your business relationships and also network with people.

Live Events Come In All Forms:

  • Workshops
  • Seminars
  • Retreats
  • Webinars

So how can we use social media to engage our audience at in-person events?

  • Create graphics
  • Share articles
  • Ask questions
  • Tell a story
  • Use social walls

Social media is a great tool for any business to grow, connect, and in many cases that’s exactly what you want. 

While the perks of social media are endless, the downfall is that there are no face-to-face interactions. This is why in-person events are so important especially when it comes to using social media!

Plus, if you’re using social media for your business and branding it’s important to share a bit about yourself. 

“I have been following your page for years now!”

Have you ever read a comment that says that on a post, or video?

Well, engagement comes from the idea of establishing a relationship via social media. Building engagement and trust through content is crucial to any social media strategy. 

We believe that the more valuable content you share with your audience, the longer they will engage with your content, and the more their trust will increase. 

Believe it or not, when creating interesting and compelling content, it adds value in allowing customers to maintain brand loyalty, and to also build a stronger relationship with your audience. With this, it’s also important to include your own brand values and goals, schedule your content, and to stay consistent and relevant with the information that you post on any social platform

A beneficial way to begin is by creating an event hashtag and encouraging attendees to use the hashtag during your events.

Here is a step-by-step on how to create a useful event hashtag.

There are many different ways you can engage with your audience with the help of social media:

Instagram Stories (built-in features)

  • Polls
  • Interactive Q&A
  • GIFs
  • Helpful information 
  • Giveaways/contests 
  • Repost customer reviews or experiences

LinkedIn

  • Explain your service using videos
  • Live Sessions
  • Use LinkedIn events Explain your achievements
  • Post a customer review
  • Introduce your team
  • Blogs/Articles
  • Post job openings

TikTok

  • Duets
  • Responding to comments/Interacting with followers
  • Hashtags