Millions of people across the globe use social media for different reasons. This is an important detail to be aware of when looking at ways to connect with your community, especially in times when staying engaged is critical. If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters have shown us that being able to get information to and from your community, in a manner that they can trust, can save lives. Over and above that, having accessible channels of engagement allow organisations to respond to concerns and needs that they know are pressing, therefore making the most of time and value offered.

Here are four ways you can use social media to stay engaged with your community.

Facebook Groups

Still the most popular social media platform across the globe, Facebook offers engagement functionalities that can help you enjoy two-way communication with your community. Facebook Groups are great for hosting topic-driven discussions where group members are provided with guiding tools that assist with engagement.

Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn Polls

Polls are helpful tools to engage current community members and attract new members too. By posing a series of questions that are relevant to a topic that impacts the group and offering response options that the community can relate to, you can gain sentiment insights that will help you nurture your network.

Pinterest boards

While still a very niche platform, Pinterest is a great way to connect to active community members when needing to gauge responses to ideas. By creating a board and asking your community to respond to the pins and encouraging them to invite you to their boards, you create a bidirectional means of ideation that is not limited to time or location.

Opened DMs

In the context of cyberbullying, the option of privacy matters. Whether a community member needs to express their frustration or respond to a call to action, enabling a one-on-one channel that responds timeously will build trust & credibility between members and your organisation.