Why you should engage with your audience

Have you wondered why you should be engaging with your audience? Audience engagement looks different in each industry. But with the increase of social networking and brand interactions - the need for the same has increased.

Find out why you should encourage your readers to talk in the comment section. Learn to manage your comment section - how it works and why you should be participating as well. Audience feedback can help you with content goals as well as long-term strategies. The only way to cater to your target audience better is by listening to what they want.

When you start a conversation with your target audience, as a publisher you show that you care about the individual's concerns, experiences, and opinions. This helps form a connection that makes them loyal to your brand and open to receive information and content you want to share.

The internet allows you to have a platform that is distinct from a TV show. You’re not the only one speaking on the internet - value your audience feedback. Have communications directed between them and you and not only at them. With a solid authentic connection with your readers, you have more to gain than lose.

Having interactions with your readers give you input that can be used to your benefit. It helps you understand where they stand. When you seek to understand their context and where they’re coming from - it can help you frame topics that cater to them with content that affects them in reality.

You have a highly aware audience that has multiple points of information sources. It’s important to understand their level of exposure and knowledge. This will help with your content quality and depth. Audience feedback gives you insight like no other.

As the content creator, it’s easy to assume a hierarchy. The internet works to balance. As much as you’ve spent time and effort researching a topic/ event, you must acknowledge that you aren’t talking to screens. Involving your audience is a way of harvesting collective intelligence in your space. With active participation from your readers, you can find depth and branches to your story. It brings in a new perspective and while it can be complicated and cumbersome, it adds some level of value to your story extending its scope.

People tend to present the best parts. You can address your mistakes and acknowledge the errors with your audience. This doesn’t take away the quality of your content - it shows that you keep room for feedback and take action. It adds value to reader interactions and encourages them to participate. They associate human nature with the brand - this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Having an active website helps your reader-base stay intrigued. Be it a response to their comment or an acknowledgment of their reaction - it gives them a reason to come back to the story and spend time on your site. They’re more likely to interact with other stories. Keeping an active interaction needs participation from both ends. Push them enough to get them talking.

It’s silly to stick to a single content format. Try interactive content formats. A video, vlog, live footage, behind the scene of interviews - are examples to show your audience the dimension of your content. Be present on as many platforms as possible. Give your readers the options they need - always cater to the mobile-first audience.

While there is an opportunity to influence or lead readers, one can’t assume that content alone is enough. Once you know what to communicate, you need to think of ways to engage with your readers to keep them engaged for a prolonged time. This could be through polls, reactions, or social media posts.

The need to be deliberate about engaging and keeping their attention is significant.

Without engagement, social media is just media.

Netizens don't use social networks for a one-way experience. They're actively seeking connections with brands and people. Don’t shy away from reaching out to an accepting audience.

Brands can engage with meaningful conversations and get users to their website/app. Use the followers to aid your relevance in the space.

And social media engagement has a major impact on newer brands, affecting everything from brand awareness to customer loyalty.

How do you engage with your audience? We’ve made an audience engagement tool that can help you bring a platform where readers can have conversations and interact with your content.

Metype integrates with all the popular platforms to provide publishers a safe and flexible platform to manage their audience feedback.

1. Engage with readers - Set up Metype and allow conversations across the website. Allow people to participate actively and add their suggestions. This will help publishers engage with readers and cater to their needs effectively.

2. No time for toxicity - the AI-driven moderations help manage the toxicity levels of readers in the comment section. Publishers can set it up easily and then enjoy a positive discussion platform.

3. Customize freely - Publishers can make changes to the website. This is why, with Metype, one can configure and customize Metype widgets to suit the brand.

To learn more about how you can improve your audience engagement schedule a free demo today!