Getting readers to view and share your content via social media is a “must” these days.

So much so that if you are able to write great material that people rave about, 75% of them are somewhat or highly likely to share content they like online with friends, co-workers or family.

If you are new to social media marketing or have been using social platforms but are getting mediocre results, then it’s probably time to change your marketing approach and focus on encouraging people in your target audience to interact more and get engaged in the conversation with you using social media.

Here are seven ways to accomplish that very goal.

Top tips on using social media to increase readership and engagement

#1. Use the right tools to spread your content

Creating individual content for your different social media profiles can help extend your reach.

However, you have to remember that the majority of your content is going to be shared from your blog or your website.

That’s why it’s important to implement and use the most efficient content sharing tools such as:

• Shareaholic – lets your readers share and bookmark your content from up to.
• Twitterfeed – automatically shares a link to your blog post from your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts.
• Buffer – allows you to share and schedule your posts in up to 12 social networks at once.
• SocialOomph – helps you schedule posts and monitor social media activity.
• Related Posts – displays relevant content and posts from your site which keeps your readers engaged by looking at other material that you have published.

#2 Create content that people want to read and share with others via social sharing tools

Great content that people rave about and recommend to others provides value to readers, is thought provoking, educational and informative.

Before publishing your content, always research and proofread your posts, and add relevant images and videos to make them more appealing.

#3 Get your messages out to Influential People in Social Media

Following influential leaders on social networks can have a big payoff.

By networking on Twitter, Facebook, and other popular social platforms and sharing the best content from your blog, you could catch the attention of individuals who are respected in your industry and have a large following that could share your content with their audience.

#4 Join in on the Conversation Using Linkedin Groups, Google Plus, and other online communities

Interacting with groups focused on your industry will help you get closer to your target audience, and help you better understand and provide solutions (with your content, of course) to problems they are facing in your industry.

#5 Use Hashtags in your social media content

Hashtags have become a crucial feature on social media networks for linking to popular content.

They allow people to chime in on the discussion of a trending topic in your industry and are a great way to keep readers engaged.

To use them, you simply write a few words or phrases that are preceded by a (#) sign to create a clickable link to content that you want people to link to and read via social media networks.

For example, if you have created a post entitled  “10 Marketing Blogs You Should Read”, and wanted to tweet this post, you can add a hashtag to #MarketingBlogs in your tweet to link to your blog post so that when people are searching for marketing blogs on twitter, your tweet will show up their search results.

#6 Get your followers involved through social media

Social media platforms give your readers the opportunity to connect with you on a more personable and intimate level.

For this reason, you don’t always have to be the one bringing up topics.

Instead, you can give your readers the spotlight – and get them involved and engaged by holding question-and- answer sessions, running polls asking your viewers what content you should publish your next blog posts, or asking them how they feel about a particular problem in your industry.

Your readers will love that you value their opinions, and you will, in turn, get more ideas for content that you can create.

#7 Run social media promotions

It can be a simple social media contest where you give away a report or a free ticket to a teleseminar that you are hosting.

You can ask your participants to visit your website and leave a comment to any of your recent posts.

If you follow tip #2, you can rest assured that visitors participating in your contests will become new fans.

Wrapping up

With so many brands and other organizations using social media, standing out, attracting your target audience’s attention, and keeping them engaged can be tough.

Nonetheless, with passion, patience, and the tips I shared with you above, you can definitely get a head start towards increasing readership and engagement through social media platforms.

Now go and make something happen.

Additional reading: For more tips on increasing readership to your blog and growing your community, check out the following recommended reading on TopRankBlog: How to Increase Business Blog Traffic, Readership, & Community

About the Author

Kim George is the founder of Your Chic Geek, a personal brand blog where she enjoys sharing online branding tips, tech tutorials, and digital marketing tips. You can find out more about her at www.yourchicgeek.com or follow her on Twitter @SmallBizSense81