Gettin' Engaged 💍
We’re definitely talking about social media engagement, not diamond ring engagement, but guaranteed this post was inspired by the very shiny ring on my finger! We’re going back to basics, and talking about why social media engagement is important, but also how to increase your engagement on your social media profiles.
| social media engagement: the public shares, likes and comments for an online business' social media efforts. Engagement has historically been a common metric for evaluating social media performance but doesn't necessarily translate to sales.
The way that the algorithm (the order of posts on a timeline) works on almost all social media platforms is this: the more engagement a post or profile gets, the more it’ll show up in more people’s newsfeeds. Whilst engagement isn’t a tangible measurement of Return on Investment (ROI), engagement is the optimal tool to increase the amount of eyes that are seeing your content, and therefore increasing the amount of people who know about, understand, are familiar with, and ultimately will buy from your brand.
This is all good to know, but what if your brand is just starting out, or you do all the right things by posting consistently and replying to comments, but you just seem to only get a hand full of likes per post? This is often enough to convince people to give up on social media altogether - it’s just too hard.
Here’s some great insight into how to increase engagement with your audience on social media! Of course, there are plenty of ways to get people talking, liking, commenting, and sharing, but this is a great place to start!
[Get down on one knee] and ask!
It’s expected, right? When you think of a proposal, you think of someone getting down on one knee and ‘popping the question’, and we KNOW there’ll be a response.
We can use this idea when we want to increase engagement on social media. Ask all the questions, get opinions, ideas, and feedback, and start the conversation! You don’t necessarily have to get down on one knee, but definitely take the time to ask the questions, because that’s the first and main way you’ll get people responding and engaging.
Here’s some questions that could get you some great engagement on your next post:
Post a question that invites people to share their opinion or weigh in on something.
Test their knowledge, by using a quiz, poll, or game!
Utalise the polls! Facebook and Instagram stories have this feature, and they’re GREAT for increasing engagement
Tell people exactly what you want them to do “Respond to my email” “Click the link in our bio” “Comment below what your favourite product is”
Just ask any question! Asking your followers relevant, provocative, and timely questions creates some of the most engaging and thought-provoking social media activity of all.
Look nice!
When Mr Gabbi J Digital proposed, he was in his fanciest suit jacket, and he’d made sure I was in my nicest skirt with my nails and hair done so that I looked and felt my best!
Your social media should be no different! Putting your best foot forward, uploading the best quality content that you’ve got, and making sure that everything (down to the details) is nice can make a world of difference for your engagement! We’ve even talked about the importance of quality content here, if you need a reminder!
Appeal to your target audience
Our proposal happened on the Gold Coast, in a helicopter. You wouldn’t expect anything different from us though - we love a good adventure, and we spend every minute we can on the Gold Coast, so it was the perfect proposal. That didn’t just happen, though. Mr Gabbi J Digital spent months planning the perfect way to ask the big questions, because he knew it had to be something that we’d love.
When you’re creating content, the best way to ensure that you bump that engagement up is to make sure that your content is appealing to your target audience. We also talk about target audiences here, but if they aren’t drawn to your content, they’re not going to be inclined to engage with it in any way. Just like you wouldn’t propose to someone who is scared of heights in a helicopter, nor would you ask about your target audience’s kids if they’re 16-21 year olds, prompt them to have a conversation about university struggles when their 34-42 year olds, or ask them about their love for mountain climbing if they’re knee reconstruction patients. Knowing your audience really, really well is vital to encouraging and maintaining good engagement.
Have an incentive
Now, we’re not saying the diamond ring is the reason to say yes to a proposal… but dang, it’s pretty! You know the way it goes, he asks, there’s crying, you say yes, and the ring goes on the finger!
Similarly, when you offer something (whether it’s a prize, an offer, or anything in between) to your audience, you’re almost guaranteed to get a boost of engagement. Stuck on some incentive ideas? Here’s some you could adapt and use:
Prize (products, services, experiences, activities, anything that you can offer of value)
Prize pools (the only better than a singular prize is teaming up with a group of businesses and giving away a huuuuge prize)
Instagram/Facebook/Social media exclusive offers and deals (“Show this post to get a free upgrade”)
One on one time/mini-consultations (particularly if you’re a service based business)
Gift vouchers
Partnering brand prizes
Free ebook/membership/resource
Respond!
You’ve seen the movies - when the couple goes out for dinner, and he gets down on one knee and pulls out a ring… and she says nothing. No ‘yes’, no ‘no’, just silence (always with a packed restaurant watching on).
Don’t leave your audience waiting. When you get a response to your question, if people engage in a competition, share a photo of themselves with your product, comment on your post, or shoot you a DM, please please please respond. It often doesn’t have to be long (unless long response is warranted), but often an acknowledgement, a ‘thanks so much for coming into our restaurant’ or an aggreance with their opinion on your question can go a long way. Not only does it make them feel acknowledged (it’s ALWAYS exciting when a brand or individual you admire responds to you directly), but it also let’s Facebook know that you’re a real person, capable of real conversation, and that your content is worth engaging with. Social media is a two way street, remember? It’s social media - be social, and engage back with your audience!
Engagement is exciting, and when it’s done well, it can take your brand to a whole new level on social media. Ensuring that you’re asking questions, your content is high quality, you offer incentives, and you respond are all really important parts of engagement for your online brand.
