The success of a social media account is measured through engagement. This represents how frequently people interact with your content through different actions like sharing, commenting, liking, clicking a link, or watching a video. When people engage with your content, it’s usually because it resonates with them in some way. People are more likely to become paid customers when they feel that a brand truly understands them as individuals.
If people aren’t interacting with your posts, it’s probably because your social media strategy is falling short in at least two areas. One, you aren’t communicating a clear understanding of your audience’s interests, and two, you aren’t taking enough action to solicit engagement.
With this in mind, here are a few ways to correct these shortcomings and create a social media strategy that works:
Be Social!
People don’t visit social networks to see what they should buy next. They want to see content that makes them laugh, think, or feel validated. If most of your posts are thinly-veiled sales pitches, people are going to be turned off and scroll past them.
Fostering engagement is more about socializing than selling. Let’s say you’ve just been introduced to a potential customer. Would you immediately launch into a sales pitch? No, because you want them to like you. So, instead of trying to sell something, you’d try to make them laugh, or tell them something they’d find interesting.
The same concept applies to social media. To be engaging, focus on creating posts that educate and entertain. This will make your brand seem more human, and that’s the kind of brand people want to interact with.
Engage with Your Followers
A successful social media account is a two-way street. The brand is an active part of the conversation, constantly responding to comments and questions from their audience. When you see the amount of effort the brand devotes to initiating and maintaining meaningful conversations, the high engagement rate makes sense.
The point is, you can’t expect your audience to engage with your account if you don’t put yourself out there. People like to speak to the human beings behind their favorite brands. Replying to incoming mentions, comments, and direct messages also gives your account more reach. Why? Because people like seeing brands interacting with their audiences. Social networks know this, and their job is giving people what they like to see.
Create Interactive Content
Another popular tactic for facilitating engagement is through interactive content like polls, quizzes, or trivia. Think about what kind of questions you could ask your audience that would really spark their curiosity and make them want to participate in the conversation.
To that end, many brands also encourage engagement through contests and giveaways. People have to fill out an entry form to participate in either activity, and that counts as engagement! Besides, people love free stuff. Hosting a contest or a giveaway is a great way to create buzz around your products or services. Just make sure to clearly explain how to enter the contest so customers can easily engage.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags make it easier for your audience to find social media content containing a specific topic. When you use relevant hashtags in your content, your posts are more likely to seen by social media users who have displayed interested in this topic, making them more likely to engage with your content.
Generally speaking, hashtags should be short, specific, and reflective of the content of your post. They shouldn’t be generic or broad because that won’t make your content stand out. You may also consider researching trending topics to ensure your hashtags align with your audience’s current interests and concerns.
All in all, the key to turning your social media strategy around isn’t necessarily being aggressive and posting lots of content. It’s more about presenting yourself as a good-natured human being who genuinely wants to start a conversation with some new friends.
For more advice on how to boost engagement on social media, contact the team at The Found Gen today.