For businesses with an online presence, social media engagement can be a great way to build on the relationships you have with your customers. Whilst increasing your following is important, the greatest measure of social media success is an engaged audience, not just a big one. Increasing social media engagement can be tricky, so we’ve created a simple guide on how to do it.
How is social media engagement measured?
Social media engagement is the way in which followers are interacting with your content and is measured by a range of metrics that may include:
- Comments
- Likes
- Reactions (stories and likes)
- Followers and audience growth
- Inspiring an action (click-throughs)
- Mentions (either tagged or untagged)
- Using branded hashtags
- Shares or retweets
- Revenue attribution
Activity and engagement are crucial across all social platforms. Depending on your business, these platforms may be:
Some brands may also be using:
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- Club House
There is no hard and fast rule on which platforms your business should be using, it all depends on what platforms are best going to reach your target audience. This brings us to the next step!
Know your audience
First things first, you need to know who you’re speaking to before you start driving engagement. Understanding your audience allows you to decide on what social media platforms are best going to generate engagement.
For example, if your business is marketed at an older demographic, you may want to steer clear of using Snapchat, as the 2021 Snapchat demographics found that only 4% of people that are 56+ are using it. In comparison the 2021 Facebook demographic found that 51% of people aged 50-65 are using the app, so Facebook would be your better bet!
Understanding your audience also allows you to decide on a tone of voice and the language you will use, which will further invite people to engage with your content.
Select your strategy
Since every business is different, the social media engagement strategy will differ too. You need to identify what your motivations are, as this will drive the content you put out there. Depending on what your business is aiming to achieve, your social media engagement goals might include:
- Showcasing your product
- Create new customer leads
- Changing peoples understanding of your brand
Now you have identified your audience, what platforms are suitable and why you want to reach them, you’re ready to post your content!
Create and publish valuable content
While it may be hard because your business is SOO spectacular, don’t get stuck on talking about how great your brand is.
The content you post should be helpful to your audience, it should address their needs and also be a bit of fun!
A great way to engage your audience in the content you post is to ask them a question. While it may seem pretty straightforward, the trick is to have no right or wrong answer. For example- in the post below, from asking their audience what breakfast option they prefer, they not only encouraged engagement but also used this as an opportunity to showcase their variety of offerings.
It’s a win, win!
Other ways to drive engagement can include:
- Contests (everyone loves a free prize!)
- Instagram Polls
- Encouraging your audience to ask your business questions (try an “Ask Me Anything About Our Winter Menu” session)
- Animated gifs/ Custom stickers for Instagram
- Having a personalised hashtag and geotag
- Test their knowledge (What night is our famous Schnitty Night?)
The best way to figure out what content is working for your social media engagement is to observe. Watch, learn, tweak and repeat!
Respond to engagement
The quickest way to end the engagement progress you’ve made is to stop replying. When people start commenting on your posts or messaging you directly show them that you care and respond in a timely matter. This helps to build meaningful relationships with your customers and will not only encourage them to engage again online but will also push them to support and buy from your business.
Lastly, show yourself!
Don’t be shy, the best way to drive engagement is to show who is behind the business or brand. Adding a personal element to your social media will help to build stronger, more meaningful relationships with your audience as they see the smiling face behind the screen. (Or in this case, the cute doggo’s and who can resist liking that!)
Social media engagement is more than just having a big following. It's about the connections you build with your audience that will serve to benefit your business both on and offline.
Looking for more social media marketing, trends & resources? Click the button above to subscribe to our blog!
