As community managers we’re usually knee deep in some kind of content.  It could be blog posts, content on social networks, or within bookmarking/community sities like Reddit & Digg.  Either way, we have to make sure that content gets seen and interacted with by our community members.  So the best of the best got together to discuss some of their tips and tricks and what works for them.

Q1) When publishing a blog post, what systems do you have on your site to share your content?

evanhamilton We have the standard Facebook and Twitter sharing buttons on our blog. But do people actually use those?

mbhahn Share this has a tracker and emails you weekly reports on what is shared

JPedde  We use @AddThis on our blog so everyone has an option. But I think commenting systems have a lot to do with sharing options too

abrosenthal I think @reddit is a good button to have too. But you have to know what sub-community to submit the content to

JessicaRMurray We have @addtoany on all of our pages. Works with nearly every social channel to allow for sharing everywhere

ottogrl I think the @StumbleUpon share button is underutilized-@StumbleUpon is a great way to drive website traffic

Q2) What aggregate sites like Digg or StumpleUpon do you use and do you see results? Best practices?

celivingston I only Digg or SU posts if they’re our “best” content. Not everything we publish

momnonstop Personally I have seen a ton of results when using StumbleUpon. I don’t submit my own information to SU directly though

NatashaKhan Stumbleupn is our #2 organic referrer, but we don’t have the button. People stumble through their toolbar.

sue_anne I’d have to look in to it deeper, but I don’t think we get a lot of engagement from people using Digg / SU buttons on our site

abrosenthal reddit is my favorite. I posted a@CampusBasement article on their Harry Potter page and everyone loved and commented.

Q3) Do you see a lot of traffic from the shared content? If so, how do you convert those users into fans/cmty members?

AdamBritten This is what I struggle with. The traffic is there, but it’s hard to identify the users. Anyone have tips

LovelyLu  Always engage with those who are sharing content and try to direct them back to blog for next post

celivingston Exactly. When you create a page, assume the visitor has never seen your brand before. Help them discover more.

celivingston: We have a simple sign up form with prompts to fill in more info later. Low barrier to entry

Q4) What writing tips do you have for more user engagement in the comments section of your post? Or on social channels?

shankell I like to post questions – that always starts a good discussion

makeshiftalisha study up on others’ call to action/mktg language for increased sign-ups and engagement, be playful, not forcefu

Shananigans5  Fill in the blank questions on Facebook are great for insight & engagement

NishaChittal we always have a clear call to action, to like / comment/ RT / tell us what they think. Raises engagement a lot

makeshiftalisha I also feel like asking Qs is the easy way out. sometimes I feel like I’m being talked to like a toddler, so I avoid participating

jennalanger Ask questions, respond thoughtfully to your commenters to spur more dialogue, get users talking to each other

andreipetrik make it simple for people to comment. remove unnecessary steps, ie register to comment. Use plugins like#disqus