In the first part of our series on social media engagement, we talked about the qualities that highly-engaging social networking posts often have – others-focused, humorous, and entertaining. Today, we’re going to talk about how to conduct yourself as a business on social media in order to receive increased rates of engagement.

Social media isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it tool.  You can have the greatest posting schedule in the world, but if you aren’t paying attention to the people talking back to you or engaging with others yourself, you’re treating your social media outlets just like the one-way advertising systems of old.  Social media is a two-way communication street. So here are some ways to make sure you’re engaging in it yourself:

• Reply to people who are talking to you.  If someone comments on a post you’ve made, asks you a question, or otherwise makes contact with you, respond to them! Don’t leave them hanging. Having a reputation for replying to commenters on social media encourages other people to join in the conversation.
• Comment on other people’s/businesses’ activities. The internet is a big place. Don’t confine all your activities to your own pages. Seek out fans or businesses with which you have commonalities and comment on their activities, just like you hope people will comment on yours. People are always drawn to the social butterfly, so be one!
• Don’t ignore or delete negative comments. Haters gonna hate. It’s a truism of life, especially if you’re a brand or business on the internet.   Your business will need a plan of action to address negativity thrown in your direction, and it should start with “don’t engage in a public war of the words, ignore that it exists, or delete it.” Instead, calmly and politely address the commenter and try to start a private conversation.
• Don’t SPAM people. We all have days where there’s a lot going on and there’s lots to say. However, you don’t want to fill up your Fans/Followers’ feeds with too many posts in a day as that tends to annoy people and encourage unsubscribes. If you have a lot to say, it’s better to put it all in a blog post instead of splitting it all up and invading your fans’ feeds.
• Make time for it. I cannot stress this enough. Social media takes time. To do it correctly, you must be willing to invest the time and effort to be “social”. Doing it half-heartedly is a mistake you don’t want to make, because your followers and fans can tell.