A lot of people think that in order to build engagement, you need to be in a big market – cities like New York, California or Washington DC. While this will guarantee you’ll have more people to reach – and traffic and people to compete against, it won’t guarantee that you’ll be able to engage better. In fact, your best opportunities are right around you and here’s why.
Engagement is not about having the biggest pond to fish in. Instead, it’s about plugging in and connecting with the people you have already built a relationship with and being genuine. If there’s one quote that sums this all up, it’s this one from Dale Carnegie.
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
What this means is that the best way to build engagement is to be engaging. I’m not talking about being bothersome and posting so many updates that you flood someones newsfeed to the point that they unfriend you. Instead, I’m referring to posting photos and videos of your adventures, posting status updates that are engaging that will get people talking, and most importantly, taking the time to not just carry on a one-sided conversation, but also being sure to engage with others by liking, sharing, commenting, retweeting and pinning someone’s content.
So the next time you’re wondering why you’re not gaining engagement, don’t think you have to move to a new city. Instead, look at the people you’re currently engaged with and engage back – online and in-person! By engaging, you’ll gain engagement in the process – from anywhere!