Top Dog Words

No. 

Well, not a total no. It’s a little more complicated than that…

One of the strongest communities I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of is the writing community. Whether you’re a fiction writer, content writer or even an academic, many businesses (large and small) offer spaces for us all to come together and work. 

Of course, there is a huge writing community on social media, particularly Threads, X and anything word focused, but I’ve seen first hand that social media is not the most important way to build audience engagement. Here’s what I’ve learnt.

Why is audience engagement important?

Engaging with your audience means understanding them as they are when you start your business, and where they go as you continue to develop. No community is static. People are constantly changing, ebbing and flowing with new trends, technologies and ideas. To engage with your audience is to be a part of this movement and, in some instances, influencing it. 

When you become a part of an engaged community you also build loyalty. This, obviously, can increase customer retention, build your brand reputation and help gain new customers organically through word of mouth and recommendations. 

That’s why I firmly believe that if you want a sustainable business, you need a strong audience engagement strategy. 

Building solid foundations

Most people hear ‘audience engagement’ and immediately think of social media. Engagement = likes, clicks and shares. But, that’s not the whole story.

When I first began to take writing seriously as a profession, I turned to social media to find a community. It was there and it was strong but I found it hard to break in. Every interaction felt hollow. My solution? I turned to Google to find a writing group. Now I attend one online every morning for an hour. People join from all over the world and we write together and inspire each other. 

The lesson here is that social media didn’t help me, a consumer. What helped me was SEO, clear onsite information and lots of customer reviews raving how this morning meeting helped them build a productive writing habit. You see what I’m getting at?

People value authority within communities and a strong social media strategy wont give you that without a solid foundation to back it up. That’s where your website content comes into play. 

If you want to establish yourself, you need a website that is optimised for your community’s key words, details clearly how you meet your audience’s needs and demonstrates the impact you’ve had on individuals. 

Understanding your community

In order to build your amazing website, you’re going to need to understand who you want to reach. 

Think of your business as an iceberg. Peaking out of the sea is your output. This includes your services, thought leadership and audience engagement. Underneath is a huge, seemingly never ending, pile of research. 

If I’ve learnt anything from switching from academia to industry is that more could be accomplished if people took the time to actually understand what they are doing, why and how. 

To truly understand your community, you’re going to need to know: 

• Where it came from
• Current trends
• Demographics
• Key needs and pain points
• How individuals already engage with each other
• Their values
• Who, within the existing community, your business will resonate best with
• Which companies they already engage with and why
• Keywords and community jargon

And that’s just the start. Many of these areas will need continuous monitoring (which will always get easier the more your audience engages with you).

For some, this will mean an effective social media strategy is the next port of call. For others, you might have more success with advertisement, newsletters or building relationships with community leaders. The key is to marry up what works for you with what will work best for them. 

If you want them to come to you, you have to go to them

If and when you decide to utilise social media for audience engagement, I find it helps to think of it like a playground. 

The kid who stands in the middle and shouts might attract a crowd, but that crowd will likely disband after some time (unless you’re really entertaining, which few are). Instead, if you’re going to make friends, you need to approach people. 

Many people get bogged down in algorithms. Post more = more discovery = larger audience. But a larger audience does not mean a loyal audience. 

My partner loves the game Factorio. It’s a niche game but with a fierce community. He often talks about how the creators regularly communicate with their fans on Reddit, answering questions and asking for feedback. They also talk openly and honestly about the reasons for their updates, new features or timelines. By doing this my partner feels respected, like he is more than just a sales number. Rather than shouting from the rooftops, Factorio are successful because they converse with their audience. 

Engagement is a two way street. If you want the clicks, shares, and comments, you have to give something in return. So, prioritise going to them before you ask them to come to you. With a bit of respect and a dash of understanding, it’s likely people will want to stick around.