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How to REALLY Engage Your Audience

April 27, 2020

You may be using a variety of techniques to communicate and keep in touch with your audience, but what does it take to REALLY engage your audience, ensuring that your efforts bring great results — leads, sales, referrals, etc.?

  • Get Your Timing Right.
    • What are the best times to engage your audience for each platform chosen?
    • Ensure consistency by scheduling dedicated time to the creation and delivery of content, as well as time needed on the channels interacting with the audience.
    • Commit to a minimum time to respond to any questions, enquiries, etc. If more than 24 hours, ensure that you have and communicate a good reason for this.
  • Offer content that is focused on the needs of your audience as relevant to your business.
    • If you are using the words “We” or “I” at the start of your message, look at reframing to make the focus on “You”, the audience for better engagement.
  • Ensure there is value in the eyes of the audience.
    • Ask yourself, “Why would a person want to take the time to listen to my message?” 
  • Listen to what your audience is saying and interact accordingly to show that you have heard and, if appropriate, how you will respond to what is said.
    • Don’t be afraid of negative feedback. We all know that sometimes things go wrong or aren’t suited to everyone. How you respond will show that you listen and respond to concerns that come up and can still build engagement, trust and loyalty.
    • Offer surveys, questionnaires, etc. as a way to get valuable feedback from your audience and show that you are listening and value their input.
    • Include a Q&A section at the end of a live webinar.
    • Ask questions in your social media posts and have users respond in the comments.
  • Give your audience an “inside advantage” with exclusive access to:
    • new products/services – maybe with a free sample or trial
    • branded merchandise
    • “breaking” news relevant to the business and to the audience
    • special offers
    • make them feel like part of the team/family but, as noted above, as it meets their needs
  • Include insights into your business that are relevant to the audience’s needs:
    • profiles of staff, suppliers
    • behind the scenes videos, “virtual tour”, etc.
    • how you have changed the way to do business to better meet your customers’ needs
    • ways to use, or get the most out of, your products or services that a customer may not have realized before
  • Make it entertaining, as is relevant and appropriate to your audience and your business.
    • Tell a story, rather than give a lecture.
    • Use humor, satire and sarcasm – just keep it inline with the taste of your audience.
  • Ensure the look and message you are conveying is consistent with your brand.
    • To make this easier, create templates for each type of content you generate with all of your branding elements.
  • Personalize your message as much as possible and in a way that doesn’t appear like you are stalking or infringing on privacy.
    • When you gather emails, also obtain at least the first name so that you can personally address your messages, even include in the subject line. This is known to increase open rates.
    • If you gather more relevant data, you can include recent products/services viewed/purchased, location, etc. that will convey relevancy and more likely to engage the reader.
  • Team up with relevant businesses to offer your audience more value, but also expand your reach.
    • Identify individuals from outside your business that can provide content that is complementary to yours and provide value to your audience.
    • Interview an “influencer”, someone high profile that is followed by your audience, and build your own influence.
  • Don’t be afraid to try something new, as long as you can maintain a level of professionalism.
    • Videos are a great way to increase audience engagement, yet many are reluctant to use them. You don’t need a professionally shot video, but make sure that the quality is good enough to be seen, heard and won’t put off customers.

Use these techniques to ensure that time spent communicating and interacting is not wasted, but will REALLY engage your audience to bring great results.

Filed Under: Sales & Marketing Tips

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What My Clients Say…

She will help you maximize your results and help you increase your ranking organically

Trident Holiday Homes Ireland

We found Ann to be very approachable and friendly, she even took time out of her vacation in Ireland to visit our office. Ann was available at the end of a phone to answer any queries we had. All in all, I would recommend Ann to anyone who is looking for a digital marketing consultant and coach, she will help you maximize your results and help you increase your ranking organically.

Eilís McDermott, Senior Marketing Executive
Trident Holiday Homes

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When I joined Sarah Leather and Ann Donnelly’s course, “How to Make Money Online and Become an Entrepreneurial Goddess”, I had a seed of an idea that at some point I thought I might need a website and this course could help with that. I was right about that, but what the course showed me was so much more. It was like a light was turned on for me. Being shown the simple online tools that can assist in researching, setting up, monetising and promoting your site has been invaluable (and all without the boring tech jargon that just numbs any creativity one might have had). I have gone from seed of an idea to completed website in 5 months, and yes I am proud of that! Anyone with an entrepreneurial side and wanting to do something new needs to do this course, without a doubt.

Lisa Lillywhite
The Smart Happy Project

Without a doubt the best course I’ve ever done

glyniss trinder
“How to Make Money Online and Become an Entrepreneurial Goddess” is without doubt the best course I’ve ever done. The sessions had so much content and were made really interesting by Sarah Leather and Ann Donnelly’s well thought out presentation. I was aware how marketing on the internet was so powerful but had no idea how to draw people to my website. Now with all I’ve learnt I’m so amazed by how much my profile has lifted. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to make more money online.
Glynnis Trinder
GlynissTrinder.com

A great speaker and a knowledgeable advisor

Greg Mulcahy

While filming Ann’s talk at a Business of Social Media Conference, I was distracted by her highly creative manner of explaining social media and internet marketing for business. Her knowledge on the subject is vast, and her skills in re-producing that knowledge are plentiful. A great speaker and a knowledgeable advisor.

Greg Mulcahy
Video Producer and Owner of Vale Media Video Production Services

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The website Ann created for us has been the single most important marketing tool we have used these past 14 years of operation. Better than social media and brochures combined I would say! It’s stunning position when whale watching is searched for has been a significant part of that success and, without a doubt, our position on search engines was achieved quickly and efficiently as a result of Ann’s detailed understanding of the issues that faced a start up company wanting to achieve a meaningful and valuable internet presence. Easy to work with, proficient and detailed.

Nic Slocum
Whale Watch West Cork

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flor mccarthy

Ann has been instrumental in developing our use of social media for our business and our online marketing. I have found Ann great to work with, very knowledgeable and most importantly: she gets results.

Flor McCarthy
McCarthy & Co.

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Tony Cantwell, The Baby Greeting Company

Can’t recommend Ann Donnelly highly enough. There are people who talk about web solutions and it is evident they don’t have much hands on experience; but Ann has been trying, testing and expanding her work experience for many years and it is refreshing and reassuring to work with someone who knows what they are talking about.

She is a great web designer, who takes time to listen to what you want and to understand your business. She applies this knowledge then to her work and end product. She is creative and inventive and has offered plenty of suggestions to improve our website in terms of efficiency and customer service. Ann is trustworthy and reliable and I would have no hesitation is recommending her for any web project.

Tony Cantwell
The Baby Greeting Card Company

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imagination attic

Ann is a very easy person to talk to; and she talks to you with a no jargon attitude which is of great help to someone who doesn’t know that much about web sites. She is a well versed person in her line of work and guides you through everything. She is a very trustworthy person and can be relied on to give you her honest opinion.

Caroline Jennings
Imagination Attic
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