Posted on: May 22, 2019
In the 19th episode of The PR Maven® Podcast, Nancy spoke to Cory Lee, a travel blogger for Curb Free with Cory Lee, and she described his online presence as being very accessible. This was particularly interesting since Cory writes about accessible travel for people with disabilities. Cory says he makes a huge effort to reply to comments and engage with his fans so that their interactions are more like those of friends and not just people who are randomly following him. This is great advice for anyone looking to grow their following on social media platforms.
Here are some more tips on how to be accessible online:
Respond in a timely manner: After you post something, be sure to schedule time over the next few days to read the comments and respond if necessary. There’s nothing more frustrating than asking a question on Facebook and never hearing a reply. If you can’t find time to reply to comments, it’s time to slow down on posting new content or you should hire someone to help you.
Show that you want to engage: By responding to messages and comments, you are demonstrating that you truly want to engage socially on these social platforms. While Facebook has become a major advertising venue for companies, it’s still ultimately a way for people to connect with each other online, from all around the world. By engaging with fans, you’re showing them you value their time spent on your page or Instagram account, etc., and that it isn’t all about you (it’s not.)
Value Fans’ Time: You can show your followers you value their time in more ways than just responding promptly to a question. If you write blog posts, give links in the beginning of each post that go directly to helpful links or key parts. A good example are food blogs that have a “skip to the recipe” link at the top of the post so if people don’t have time to read all about how you made Instant Pot spaghetti and see all the step-by-step photos, they can just pop down to the actual recipe and get cooking. You can also link to sites in your Facebook posts so people can click on them after reading it.
Overall, if you treat your fans with respect, and show them you value them, you will gain more followers.
The PR Maven® Podcast is presented by Marshall Communications, creator of The Marshall Plan® strategic process. The Marshall Plan is a fully customized document using our 65 proprietary steps and leads to playbook for your success. If you think your business or organization would be a candidate for a Marshall Plan, you can take our Marshall Plan quiz to find out. Visit Marshallpr.com/quiz.
