16th Jan 2020
Give and take
It's all about the chain reaction - liking a customer's post or responding back in a positive manner will more than likely result in them doing the same to you. Your customers will feel compelled to return the favour and you'll receive engagement. It's a win-win.
Curiosity killed the cat
It's always the simplest action that can be the most effective. Everyone loves a teaser. Something quick and easy, like posting little glimpses of your latest product launch in a series of Tweets over a relatively short period of time can generate enough excitement to give you that precious engagement.
Promote belongingness
Everyone wants to belong to something, and your social media accounts could be their answer. Little things such as liking and replying to your audience's comments can make them feel like they are part of an exclusive group, and in return, you'll receive that necessary engagement boost.
Make it emotional
Don't make the mistake of just broadcasting about your latest product launch or newest offer - use the content sandwich method. Post something entertaining when people first get into work, value-driven for your company around lunchtime, and a bit of inspirational content for your audience towards the end of the working day. It's a foolproof technique.
Be responsive, and be fast
If you're in a customer service-based industry, chances are your audience is more than likely turning to social media to air their complaints or questions, rather than emailing - it's just easier. But with this comes the expectation of a quick response. Keep your customers sweet with a swift acknowledgement. But above all, make sure you reply - you don't want them feeling neglected.
Engagement = loyalty
Similar to point 3, customer advocacy is a must for better social media engagement. If you're courteous and friendly to your customers, they're more than likely going to recommend your business to other people. Also, if you stand out amongst the crowd of your competitors, through word of mouth, more people will follow your accounts. Just look at the Gregg's Twitter account. Nobody's following them to keep up-to-date with their sausage rolls.
Relevant conversations only, please
What's the point of poking your nose in a subject that you know nothing about? And why detract from your brand? Just stick to what you know and what people recognise you for. Plus, you can show off your expertise and give people genuinely useful advice if the opportunity ever arises.
Show a bit of personality
Make sure that your voice on your social media platforms is personable. Be bold, but not arrogant - you want your audience to relate to you and form a positive connection, and keep them coming back. Plus, social media algorithms will put positive posts first - quite frankly, bland and indifferent posts won't get you any engagement.
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You can't be #relatable to your audience if you don't use a GIF or emoji in your post. Any little thing that can divert the audience towards your post is sacred - companies who use GIFs to communicate with their followers can expect 10 times the amount of comments they would've received with a regular post. It all leads to the golden goal of more organic engagement.
Audience participation
The whole purpose of social media is interaction. People secretly love to talk about themselves, so ask your audience some questions. Keep it light-hearted and upbeat. It doesn't have to be business-centred - ask them silly things, like their favourite coffee or where they're next going on holiday. Not only are people naturally engaging with your post, it's also improving your organic reach.
Know the trends
The best way to get engagement? Jumping on viral trends. Whether it's the Vans challenge or FaceApp's frighteningly realistic age filter, hop to it and post about it. Ultimately, stay relevant to what's happening on social media, but make sure it doesn't dominate your feeds. You don't want to become annoying.
Make a move
In order to get better engagement, you've got to be reactive. Comments, x@x mentions, messages - every time your business has been mentioned, react to it. Like, reply or repost it, whatever floats your boat, just make sure that you're acknowledging every post about you. Even search your company's name within the platforms - be proactive and seek out any new and potential engagement opportunities to widen your social media circle.
A cynic would say that this is all pretty subjective and you've got to work out what is best for your company and social media audience. But you never know until you try it - just one of these tips could help boost your online presence. So what are you waiting for?
