Want to know the best way to engage your audience?
Email! Joe Casabona as a podcaster, course-creator and developer and his weekly newsletter is still the most effective means of engagement. Other options include live chats, forums and discussion boards but consistent emails are the best.
He concludes each email newsletter with a question, which helps his audience know that there is a human on the other side of the computer. What are your thoughts? How are you handling {a certain issue}?
Build that email list and use it!