You want to connect with your existing customers and build a community around your brand on social media because you know that’s a great way to gain long-term customer loyalty.
So you post great content, working hard to provide your audience with valuable knowledge, but unfortunately things aren’t quite going as planned – your posts/tweets get one or two likes/favorites and that’s it.
Why? It’s simple really – with the amount of competition on attention, getting social engagement isn’t just about posting good content.
Do these 5 things to quickly increase your social engagement:
1. Talk to your followers, not at your followers
It’s called social media for a reason, so don’t just broadcast to your audience, connect with them directly. Pose a question to your followers, respond to their comments, and make calls to action.
A conversation always raises visibility and draws more people to your content. The direct connection also makes your followers feel special, keeping them invested in your brand.
*Pro tip: When conversing on Twitter, move your @s to the end of the tweet so it shows up in your main feed, not hidden away in “Tweets & Replies.”
2. Be Consistent
To be noticed, you have to be present, and with the constant flood of content into all of our feeds, that means posting regularly. A consistent schedule lets your audience get to know you and guarantees you’re getting in front of them, not slipping from their mind.
3. Keep it current
Being a part of online conversations and keeping up with current events is a great way to increase your visibility and make your content feel more vital to your followers.
Supplement your planned social media schedule with posts on relevant breaking news, or even just the day’s trending conversations. It doesn’t need to be serious news, it just needs to be current.
And don’t forget to use hashtags to make sure your content can be found by everyone in the conversation.
4. Keep track of what’s working [and of what’s not]
Successful social engagement is more than just increased numbers, it’s building a relationship with your audience. Put social media listening tools (like Google Alerts or Mention) to work for you, so that you’re listening as much as you’re talking.
You want to know who’s talking about your brand and what they’re saying — and you might be surprised by what you find. Certain content that may not be the most viewed may be the most cherished, or users may be asking for different kinds of content altogether. But you’ll never know unless you’re paying attention.
5. Be visual
Content that includes visuals is by far the most successful on social media, with up to 94% greater engagement than posts lacking a visual element.
Video content is especially powerful, with greater organic reach and the highest social engagement on all the major networks.
Creating original video is a great way to reel in new audiences and provide increased value to your existing followers.
How often do you post videos on your social pages? Read our post on how to repurpose the content you already have into video to quickly increase your social engagement with video.
