Repost: Thanking your Blog Audience & Social Media Fans

This article was originally posted in November 2014.  The topic and content are both still very relevant.

The holiday season is the perfect time for bloggers and marketers to reflect on their online audience engagement strategy.

It's generally accepted that thanking your blog visitors and social media fans is the key to building an active online community which can add valuable content and credibility to your marketing efforts.

In her blog post When Should You Thank Your Social Media Fans? Julie Neidlinger of Todaymade writes:

"Without letting your fans know you’re thankful for their participation and for even being an audience, it’s easy for you to be forgotten without another thought." 

Julie further points out the importance of not being a "robot".

"Telling your fans thank-you should be automatic, but it shouldn’t be automatic. That is, you should have an automatic reaction of being thankful, but not use automation to carry it out. If you’re going to thank your fans for a retweet, don’t turn into a robot. Take the time to do it personally. Make sure you come up with a way that is a personal thank-you when possible."

So while there is no argument from most bloggers and marketers that their online audience is vitally important. The challenge is how to thank blog readers and social media fans in a personal AND cost effective manner.

That's where txtMovies can be a great resource. Bloggers and marketers use txtMovies to send a personal, custom message with an Amazon or Redbox digital gift codes by text message, email or tweet.  Here are a few examples:

• You want to increase the number of comments on your posts. Offer a $5 Amazon gift card for the best comment. 
• You want to encourage email newsletter signups. Offer a free Redbox Movie to the next 50 people who sign up. 
• You want to increase comments on a Facebook timeline. Offer a $5 Amazon gift card to the person who made the comment with the most "LIKES".

By engaging visitors and fans with personal outreach and a valued gift, you stand a greater chance of creating "word of mouth" and an enduring positive association with your blog and brand.

As Julie Neidlinger points out:

"Genuine thanks directed to specific people rather than a generic audience is not the trend; it’s expected right now."

Happy Thanksgiving!  Please share with us the most creative ways you engage and thank your blog readers and social media fans. We'll send Redbox movies to each person that knocks our socks off!

About txtMovies
txtMovies is a leader in delivering Redbox and Amazon digital codes as a form of appreciation. Current clients include major universities (Ohio State, University of Michigan, University of Iowa), nonprofits (Livestrong Foundation, Code for America, Lifewater), healthcare organizations/professionals (Children's Hospital of Orange County, Kaiser Permanente, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, family physicians), religious institutions, restaurants and market research companies.