Social media platforms have provided the ultimate bridge between consumers and the brands that they love by providing real-time interactions, a variety of upload options, and the opportunity to finally see into the secret workings of even the most elusive companies.
Benefits including increased conversions and follower loyalty have seen countless brands lapping this more personalized social focus up. Yet, results here are really all about engagement.
This is hardly surprising seeing as opening the doors to your business on social media without engagement is a lot like hosting a house party that no one attends – it’s embarrassing, and let’s be honest, it’s a waste of everyone’s time.
By comparison, high follower engagement rates can far better spread your brand reach and bring the benefits of social media into your lap.
In this article, we make especially sure that your social media efforts are as lucrative as they can be by considering what ‘good’ engagement is, and how to measure engagement on social media to make sure that your efforts here are always moving in the right direction.
Read: How to grow your social media audience
What is social media engagement?
Social media engagement simply refers to the interactions that each of your social media uploads receives, most commonly in the form of things such as likes, comments, and shares.
While they don’t necessarily relate to sales, engagement metrics across social media platforms can prove beneficial for determining both the success of social campaigns, and the relevance of any followers received here.
Read: What is social media community
Why does Social Media Engagement Matter?
By measuring social media engagements across platforms, brands can more effectively determine a wide range of performance indicators, including –
- The most lucrative kinds of content
- How content performs over time
- How performance compares with competitors
- Which social media platform receives the highest level of engagement
- Etc.
When considered alongside other key social metrics like post reach and conversions, a better understanding of levels of engagement can result in social campaigns that are far more tailored to company goals.
Boosting engagement across relevant audiences can also enhance the value of the social media communities that are increasingly becoming essential for competitive advantage and reliable results across social media marketing in general.
Read: Social media KPIs you should be tracking
How to measure social media engagement?
Nearly all social media platforms provide reliable engagement metrics which means that measurements here can be surprisingly simple, and will most often revolve around simple analytics like –
- Likes and shares
- Audience growth
- Active fans
- Clicks per post
- And so on
It’s also possible to gain a comprehensive idea of engagement rates on individual content using simple calculations such as –
Engagement rate = Total engagement / Total followers x 100
In other words, you might want to consider the number of likes a post receives, divided by your number of followers.
This same sum applies to almost every kind of social media engagement and can provide at least an estimate of which percentage of your followers are engaging right now, and also how many people you’re currently failing to interest.
Read: Best social listening tools
How to increase social media engagement?
Once you understand your existing engagement rate, you’ll have a far better grasp on areas of improvement.
Luckily, there are some simple ways to increase social media engagement in light of this, such as –
- Being more social: To be truly engaging, you first need to engage with your social media niche by joining existing conversations, sharing relevant content, and, of course, interacting with your consumers when they interact with you.
- Building an authentic brand voice: Consumers don’t engage with robotic brands, which is why you need a dedicated social media team in your corner to create a human, consistent brand voice that makes followers feel like they’ve got a friend rather than a sales rep.
- Making your followers feel involved: Engagement is way less likely if you talk at your consumers instead of including them in the conversation, so make efforts towards things like hashtag challenges, Q&As, polls, etc. that put them at the heart of your content.
- Keeping things eye-catching: If your post is uninspiring or doesn’t catch the eyes of scrolling followers then engagement is unlikely, so make sure you’re posting eye-catching content like memes, bright pictures, and well-thought infographics which are way more likely to create a pause and engagement as a result.
Which social media platforms should I use for high engagement?
That depends on your business niche. Some businesses may have achieved social media success on Instagram but it might be a disaster for you to do. You need to be present on platforms, where your target audience is.
There are two very underrated platforms that people don’t talk about yet and engagement is one of the biggest strengths. Those platforms are Reddit and Quora.
Both Reddit and Quora should definitely be a part of your social media engagement strategy. In order to boost social media engagement, you need to interact with the audience, answer their questions, as well as ask other questions. Make them feel involved and important!
Consider using social media engagement tools to help you monitor your progress and get insightful information. Don’t worry, there are tools for all of your social media channels. Try to search for free social media sites with an option to upgrade to premium.
Typical platforms that companies choose to be present at are:
No wonder. They are known for their engaging social media posts and opportunities to really boost your engagement efforts.
However, These might not be suitable for every business and more importantly, trends are changing. Consumers want to be more involved with the process and they basically want to be a part of your social media accounts.
Try to get as much audience insights as you can, which should help you better understand their behavior and their needs.
The bottom line
Social media engagement matters, and that importance is only going to increase as more and more brands build a name for themselves here.
Building a name is also known as building a positive reputation. It means being present at online discussions, where your potential customers are hitting the decision making process.
Make sure you’re #bossingit by taking the time to engage in your engagement metrics as soon as possible!
Do you need help boosting your social media accounts? Reach out to us! We can grow and promote your channels, engage with your audience and build you a positive reputation online.
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