Are you a business owner, or even an intending influencer, and you’re stuck on methods to build engagements, that actually work? Then continue reading for the following tips on how to build your social media engagement.
1. Grow your Followers
Social media engagement is a numbers game—the more followers you have, the more interaction you will see with your social media posts, so getting more followers should be one of your goals.
When it comes to increasing engagement, keep in mind that you don’t just want any followers.
You want quality followers who are interested in your brand and will interact meaningfully with your social media content.
Not only will this increase your engagement, but it may also convert followers into customers.
2. Be Original, Be authentic
Because 90% of customers say that originality and authenticity influences which companies they like and support, being more authentic is one of the best ways to increase social media engagement.
Find a social media marketing voice that represents your brand and use it whenever you interact with your audience online.
Because the majority of users prefer humorous content, you should consider using humor as a strategy to increase your shares, comments, or likes.
Another strategy you could employ is to be truthful.
Whether it’s admitting mistakes or sharing your company values, honesty can go a long way toward building trust and keeping your audience interested in your brand online.
3. Engage in Proactive Participation
Proactive social media engagement strategies necessitate initiating the conversation.
Fortunately, 85% of consumers prefer to be reached proactively online, and social media provides the best platform for brands to engage with their audiences on a daily basis.
Proactive participation can include:
Administration of branded groups with active forums
Creating and tracking branded hashtags
Using Instagram link stickers, filters, or polls to create social media stories
Hosting Instagram Reels in Collaboration
AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions
4. Actively respond to your followers
A conversation requires participation from both parties, and social media interactions are no exception!
Responding to incoming mentions, comments, and direct messages shows your followers that your brand cares about them and wants to continue the conversation.
This will almost certainly result in more mentions, comments, and direct messages.
When responding to followers, make sure to address both positive and negative feedback within 24 hours, if possible.
And don’t be afraid to move the conversation to direct messages for a more responsive and personalized interaction.
5. Let your content be Engaging/Interesting
Creating unique, relevant social media content is not only a great way to attract new followers, but it also keeps existing followers engaged.
Follow the 80/20 rule when creating content for your social media channels: 80% of your social media posts should either educate, entertain, or help followers solve a problem, while the remaining 20% should directly promote your business.
This will allow you to concentrate on creating high-quality content that your audience will enjoy.
Responding to social media mentions
Creating posts that include open-ended questions
6. Ensure your post is effective
When sharing social media content, understanding the anatomy of a social media post is beneficial.
Nobody will read your content, no matter how unique it is, if your headlines aren’t engaging.
In fact, eight out of ten people only read the headline of a post, so good headlines can be a deciding factor in engagement.
Furthermore, if you want your audience to take additional action after engaging with your social media post, such as visiting your website or signing up for a giveaway, you’ll need strong calls-to-action (CTAs)
7. Use Hashtags Strategically
Hashtags help your target audience find your social media channels and content.
Some platforms, such as LinkedIn and Instagram, allow users to follow hashtags, allowing you to participate in ongoing conversations and become more visible to users other than your followers.
Consider combining popular and branded hashtags to broaden your reach, gain more followers, and increase social media engagement with your content.
8. Incorporate Visual Assets
When your audience is scrolling through their social media feed, you only have about three seconds to catch their attention before they move on to the next post in their feed.
Visual assets such as videos, photos, and infographics are more likely to stand out in the feed and capture the attention of your followers, which can lead to increased engagement overall.
Twitter posts with videos, for example, receive ten times the engagement of Facebook posts with images, which receive 2.3 times the engagement.
Examine how you can incorporate more visual posts into your social media content calendar.
9. Maintain a Posting Schedule
When and how frequently you post on social media has an effect on the level of engagement you see.
Your posting schedule should be adjusted based on when your audience is most active online and which platform they are using.
There is, of course, a general sweet spot for how frequently to post on social media platforms.
Instagram posts three to seven times per week, Facebook posts once or twice daily, and Twitter posts one to five times per day.
Having said that, you should still monitor your audience metrics and make adjustments as needed to ensure that you’re targeting followers when they’re online.
10. Conduct Social Media Contests
Organizing a social media contest or giveaway gets people talking and interacting!
Giveaways are short-term promotions that can increase social media reach, generate new leads, and increase business sales.
Social media contests should be designed to entice your audience with a desirable prize and to encourage them to interact with your content by following, liking, sharing, commenting, or tagging.
For instance, you could hold an Instagram contest in which participants must follow the main account and refer a friend in order to be eligible for prizes.
