STEMxchange: The Six E’s of Engagement
When STEMx was launched, we chose three words to sum up the goals of the organization: Educate. Engage. Exchange.
As STEM learning professionals, we do the first every day. At STEMxchange 2016, we exchanged ideas from across the country. But how do we engage with the broader community? And how do we engage effectively?
In Dallas, Anthony Shop of Social Driver spoke on the engaging use of social media to drive each partner organization’s visibility and online presence. STEMx has worked closely with Social Driver to enhance the approach to communications that STEMx has taken over the years.
Shop emphasized that organizations don’t need to generate interest and energy from scratch. Instead, we only have to create a channel to harness the energy that is already there, engaging our audience:
“Our role is to be a conduit.”
Shop shared six easy ways to engage your target audience, whether they are students, parents, educators, policymakers, or even STEMx partners. He calls these “The Six E’s of Engagement.”
Elevate: This is very often overlooked by users of social media. The idea of elevating is, I make you look good to your peers. You are getting some sort of extrinsic response, and that’s why you do it. If you’re showing off the great work that someone did, you’re elevating them.
Empower: You make people feel good through an intrinsic type of motivation, giving people the tools they need get involved in the conversation. This can be as easy as giving them a certain hashtag to use.
Ease: What’s a problem, or a concern, or an issue someone’s dealing with, and how can you help them solve that? Think about what problems people can have and how you can help them solve that problem. This content should make it easier for your audience to find information or useful materials.
Entertain: How do you catch someone’s attention? How do you make them smile? How do you make something enjoyable? By creating fun content that people will remember!
Entice: What is something that would be irresistible to get that person to take an action? Sometimes that’s a discount, or a special VIP offer. Sometimes, it’s by not giving them the answer so their curiosity forces them to click. This should drive your audience to take an action so they can get something in return.
Educate: How can I take information that people want to know, put it in a context that matters to them, and how do I make it digestible? Give your audience facts or information to that they don’t already have.
Do these Six E’s change how you see online engagement? How would this change how you share a video like this one from Washington STEM?
Check out Social Driver’s quick Mini-Masterclass on the Six E’s of Engagement if you want to learn more.
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The STEMx Network is managed by Battelle as part of the company's commitment to inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators.
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