Tag: engage

Social Media is for Connecting, Not Selling

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Randy Ingermanson’s post today linked to this article by Darren Rowse (Social Media Examiner calls him “one of the world’s leading experts on blogging”) about Darren’s research into where he was selling books.

It wasn’t social media.

The article goes into a bit more detail, but our short answer at Ausoma is that social media isn’t for selling. Social media is for connecting, engaging, and bringing people, the right people, back to read your blog and sign up for your newsletter. That article explains why that’s so important, echoing what we say all the time.

Ausoma helps you to be social and get noticed—like the research says you should be doing.

Taking 80/20 to the Next Level: Engagement Content

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

We’ve discussed that about 80% of your online posts and comments should be generous, giving useful and interesting information, with self-promotion only making up the other 20% or so.

Let’s take that to the next level: engagement content.

What is Engagement Content?

As nonfiction authors our impulse is to teach, to share practical and actionable content.

Guess what—the 80/20 principle can help here.

Yes, make 80% of your ‘giving’ posts usable tips, educational content.

The other 20%? Engagement content.

In other words, personal, friendly, sharing, about-you-but-not-self-centered content.

Your day at the beach. A great movie or band you saw or plan to see. A beautiful sunset. A kind act someone did for you.

Why?

Because your goal is to be social and get noticed.

Even at a business mixer or a client meeting, don’t you discuss Pat’s new puppy or Sawyer’s trip to wherever? Of course you do. We’re people, and we engage most with people we like.

Give your followers, not just something to learn, but something to like.

Math geek alert: this would make “engagement content” 20% of 80% or about 16% of your overall content. Don’t sweat the precision.