Whether you are the new kid on the block on social media or if you’ve been a social “guru” for a while, you understand how difficult it could be to increase engagement on your social platforms. One thing that many marketers still don’t understand is that engagement will come from a community – and it takes time and effort to build a community through social media. Unless you are a well known brand, no one knows you are online and if you are not concentrating on engagement and the importance of it, your social strategy will turn out to be a complete fail. Have some patience, produce great content that your audience wants and use these 6 tips to help you boom your engagement rates.
Images
Use an image in EVERY post. Would you rather view an image or read a paragraph of gibberish? Images have an 87% interaction rate from fans and this proves how important it is to use visuals in your content strategy. On Twitter, tweets that include photos receive more retweets than a tweet with just text or a link. Use images to generate more interactions and boost engagement from your fans.
Reciprocate the Love
Whenever I get a like on Instagram, I make sure I go to each person’s profile and give back the love. I’ll find 1 to 3 photos that caught my attention and that I genuinely like, and I’ll give it a like or a comment. This will push the user to continue to show love and engage with your posts. You can do the same on every social platform.
Ask Questions
Talk WITH your audience by asking them questions. They have even more of a reason to leave a comment or tweet you back. When asking questions, make sure not to go overboard and personal. Ask questions like, “What are your plans for this weekend? What are your traditions around the holidays? What’s your favorite wine?” Ask and you shall receive.
Trivia
Much like asking questions, trivia posts are always fun and can encourage your audience to participate. Post trivia games like “true or false,” “fill in the blank,” or “pick one.”
Contests
One of the main reasons an individual follows a brand online is to have access to coupon codes or participate in contests. A free giveaway of a product or a gift certificate to a local store will not make or break your business. It’s a great way to not only give back to your community or let your audience take part in something that’s related to your brand, but it helps to increase engagement. Who wouldn’t want something that’s free?
Listen
If you don’t think people are talking about your brand online, sorry to break it to you, but you are WRONG! If you are a small startup, it may be hard to find something that specifically says your business’ name – however, every industry is talked about online. Listen using social media management tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite and bud into a conversation. Say hi, build a relationship and create engagement.
If you’re struggling to increase engagement on your social feeds, follow these 7 tips, remain consistent and be patient. You’ll have great engagement rates in no time. What other tactics are important to increase engagement? Drop a comment below and let us know!
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