Engage With Facebook Fans (At The Kid’s Table)

Today we’re thrilled to introduce our guest awesomepreneur and social media muse, Kim Leamer Maleski, who writes about engaging with Facebook fans (at the kid’s table).

The kid’s table…punishment or engagement lesson?

I always hated sitting at the kid’s table at family celebrations. The food offerings were the same, but, the juicy tidbits of family stories and gossip would only be shared at the “grown-up” table…and I hated being left out!

Instinctively, I knew that the skeletons in the family closet would inevitably spill out of some relative’s mouth as they passed the mashed potatoes and gravy.

Nevertheless, I dutifully went to Grandma’s kitchen table with the others…to eat and be entertained by the selected relative.

Many years later however, I realize that my experiences in being “banished to the kid’s table” taught me valuable lessons in how to create engaging relationships that can be applied to your Facebook Business Pages. How?

Be patient and pay attention to the other whisperings in the room

While sitting at the kid’s table watching the antics of siblings and cousins, I would be straining to hear the conversations going on the dining room…paying real close attention when the voices grew very quiet or when there were fits of laughter. Eavesdropping on these conversations yielded juicy bits of information.

So what about you, do you really pay attention and listen to your fans on Facebook? What types of posts do they LIKE, comment on or share with others?

Being patient and paying attention to these actions yields you information you need to be able to form better relationships with them and engage them in your business.

Follow up with questions on the car ride home

Before even finishing waving “goodbye” to Grandma, I peppered Mom & Dad with questions about the pieces of family gossip overheard from the kid’s table. Much to their credit, they answered truthfully, in age-appropriate language, to the laundry list of questions I batted from the car’s back seat.

Do you ask questions when your fans make comments or share information with you on your Facebook Page?

Following up by asking your fan base relevant questions are a great way to deepen your relationship with them. Not only does it make them feel valued, but also, you can obtain insights into their desires and problems. It also reveals more about who you are and how you and your business can improve fan’s daily lives.

Interpret the “family secrets”

After Mom & Dad answered my questions about the stuff I overheard whispered at dinner, I would sit quietly in the back seat trying to puzzle out what all of it meant.

Thoughts swirled through my mind: “So, Uncle Tony and Aunt Ethel are Cousin Timmy’s grandparents? Not his parents? Who are his parents? Do I know them?”

These childish musings never led to concrete answers; only more questions, which led to even more questions.

But, this is exactly what happens when you start engaging with your fans on Facebook. The things you learn from your following will lead you to ask more pointed questions and will help you to provide better services and information to help your clients.

The next time you log onto your Facebook Page, pay attention to how your fans are interacting with you, be prepared to ask follow up questions, and remember to interpret the responses you get.

It can be very valuable for your business to take a seat at the kid’s table. Try it and see if it makes a difference in your engagement.

Kim Leamer Maleski

Social Media Fan, Information Junkie, Married, Mother of 3 College Students, Top StrengthsFinder Themes: Strategic, Input, Ideation, Maximizer, Intellection, Empathy. Looking forward to helping you develop your business.