Creative Ways to Engage Your Audience Online

Engagement is key when it comes to online audiences. With so many distractions in the digital world, keeping your customers engaged can prove to be difficult but it is crucial for success.

Why exactly does engagement matter? Engagement is a leading indicator of how strong your customer relationships are. It shows what your customers are interested in by their interactions with your business through comments, likes, clicks, shares, and more.

Without having customers who are actively seeing your content and paying attention to you, it can be a lot more difficult to convert sales. Rather than focusing on growing the number of followers on your social media or website, instead, think about growing your engagement with those followers.

Here are 7 ways to engage your audience online.

Be Visual

A customer is more likely to be drawn to and interact with a post that has a visual element to it. Add more photos and videos to your posts as it has been proven to be more effective and can improve your customer’s online experience. 

Go Live

Video is all the rage right now and with so many live video streaming features in the digital world right now, you’d be silly not to be using it. Take your business live using tools such as Facebook Live and give your audience an insight into your operations or behind-the-scene exclusives. Your audience will enjoy this because it’s authentic and it provides them with a direct line of communication to you. 

Read our blog on Instagram Reels, Stories and IGTV to find out how you can engage your audience through video.

Leverage Contests & Giveaways

Who doesn’t love free stuff? If you’re able to give away a gift to your audience, a contest is a fantastic incentive to encourage users to get involved and create a buzz about your business. Not only will the posts surrounding the contest be triggering engagement but you may also be able to generate some further content from your audience to share at a later date.

Build a Community

Create a place where your audience can come together and interact with one another. Whether it be on your posts, website or in an exclusive group or forum, encourage your audience to talk to each other and discuss matters of interest to your industry.

Offer Value & Exclusive Content

Show your audience that you appreciate them by sharing exclusive content with them in the form of a gift or a valuable online series.

Get your Customers Involved

Let fans contribute to your online presence with user-generated content. Ask your audience questions or to share images with a clear call to action. Share that content across the web – loyal fans will be happy that they are getting a mention from your brand.

Share News

Show that you are the leader in your industry by sharing any breaking news that may affect your audience and your industry. If the information is timely and relevant, the audience will be more likely to share and engage with the content.

Ready to build, nurture or evolve your brand?

Get in touch
Contents
I’ve always been fascinated by symbolism 🌀

By how a single mark, image, word or gesture can represent something far bigger than itself. Across cultures and civilisations, we’ve used symbols to communicate identity, beliefs, stories, belonging and ideas that sometimes go far beyond what words can explain.

And somewhere along the way, I realised that’s also how I’d started to see brands.

A logo can become a symbol of what a business stands for. A colour can carry years of recognition. A phrase can represent an entire belief. A story can become shorthand for where a business came from and why it exists. Iconography can represent services, philosophies, products or ideas.

What we see on the surface carries meaning because of everything sitting behind it.

Over nearly two decades of working in branding, I also began noticing the same themes appearing again and again in the businesses people really remembered.

Their past, beliefs, future, people, identity, expression, impact and longevity.

Eventually, I gave each of those ideas a symbolic form.

They became Oraco’s Eight Brand Marks, and today they give us a way to look at a business from eight different perspectives and uncover the stories, ideas and meaning that make it distinctly its own.

The strongest brands aren’t built by adding meaning that was never there. More often, the clues already exist.

You just need to know where to look.

Explore the Eight Brand Marks via the link in bio.
One of the hardest things about running a business is knowing what actually deserves your attention.

When you're inside it every day, everything can feel important. The website needs updating, content needs creating, marketing isn't quite working, the messaging feels off. Someone suggests a new platform, another campaign or a complete change in direction. But more activity isn't always the answer.

A big part of Jessica's work, both through Oraco and the business owners she mentors, is helping people step back far enough to see what's really going on.

– What are you actually trying to achieve?
– Who are you trying to reach?
– What's already working?
– Where is the real disconnect?
– And what can probably wait?

Sometimes the most valuable strategy isn't adding another thing to the list. It's creating enough clarity to know what matters now, what comes next and what doesn't need your attention at all.

If you're looking for strategic advice, a fresh perspective and someone to keep you accountable to actually doing the things you said you were going to do, Jessica offers one-on-one business strategy and mentoring sessions. Shoot us a DM to find out more.
Last week, we lost someone very special.

Sean was a former Principal of Mannix College, a longstanding client of Oraco's, and someone I was lucky to get to know over many years.

I first met Sean in 2012 through my work with Mannix, and I remember instantly clicking with him. He was incredibly kind, funny, super organised and genuinely caring. He made working together easy, but he was also someone who took the time to get to know you beyond the work itself.

Every year, without fail, Sean would send me a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year message, always accompanied by a quirky little Bitmoji of himself. Even after he finished as Principal and we were no longer working together regularly, those messages continued. It's such a small thing, but I think it says a lot about the kind of person he was.

I've worked with Mannix since 2009, a relationship that now spans close to two decades, and Sean sits right in the middle of so many of those memories. He was there through an important chapter in my career and Oraco's growth, trusting us with Mannix for many years, and still making the effort to stay in touch long after our working relationship changed.

Looking back, it means a lot that such a longstanding professional relationship also brought someone like Sean into my life.

As the Mannix community gathers today to celebrate Sean's life, I'll be joining the service from home and thinking of his family, friends and everyone at Mannix. I had hoped to be there in person, but I'm glad I'll still be able to join everyone in remembering him.

Thank you, Sean, for your kindness, your humour and for always finding a way to put a smile on people's faces. You made a difference to so many people, myself included, and I'm very grateful our paths crossed.

Leanne x

Photo courtesy of Mannix College.
One year of @twobayslaundry 🤎

A year ago, Two Bays Laundry opened its doors with a brand we’d had the pleasure of helping Liz and Kirill bring to life from the very beginning.

From strategy through to the visual identity, we wanted to create a brand that felt fresh, organic and full of personality, but most importantly, one that felt like it belonged here on the Mornington Peninsula.

That sense of place became part of the identity itself. The curves within the logo draw on the movement of water and our coastline, while the stylised ‘B’ represents the two bays that gave the business its name, Western Port and Port Phillip. The coastal palette, natural textures and broader identity carried that story through the space (shout out to @saint.design.interiors), signage, uniforms, vehicles and everything in between.

It’s always pretty special seeing a brand move from ideas on a page into a real business, but even more so watching it become part of the local community.

A huge congratulations to Liz, Kirill and the whole Two Bays Laundry team on your first birthday. It’s been such a pleasure working alongside you from those early ideas through to launch and everything that has followed.

Happy first birthday! Here’s to everything still to come 🥂
We don’t believe the best brand stories are invented.

They’re found in the reasons a business began, the decisions made along the way and the people behind it. The things they care about, do differently, and perhaps don’t even realise are interesting anymore.

Often, you’re too close to your own business to see what someone else might find remarkable.

That’s why we ask questions, listen and look a little closer.

The story is already there. You just have to know where to look.
At the heart of @joannaphotography.au’s new identity is a refined wordmark designed to balance timeless elegance with a sense of movement and connection.

A sophisticated serif typeface was chosen for its enduring quality, warmth and understated premium feel. The letterforms evoke a sense of craftsmanship and longevity, reflecting the brand’s focus on creating imagery that grows in meaning over time.

Connection between the A and N introduces a sense of movement and continuity, symbolising the relationships, stories and moments that unfold throughout life.

This is why we start with your story. It’s often where the most distinctive part of a brand identity is hiding.

•

Filed by: Oraco Agency
Reference: PF-4165
Photo source: @joannaphotography.au 
Filed under: #ProjectFile #BrandStrategist #Branding #BrandDesign #LogoDesign

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Picture of Oraco

Oraco

We are designers, strategists, storytellers, coders, animal lovers, travellers, adventurers, yogis, gig-goers and coffee, tea & wine enthusiasts. We are for culture that fuels progressive and imaginative thoughts. We value positive change and believe in equality. We expect accountability. We aspire to create a work-life balance. We enjoy teamwork and contribution.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Branding Agency

Join the Oraco Passage

Build, nurture and evolve your brand with our actionable tips and insights delivered straight to your inbox.