You’ve read a bunch of blog posts and have done everything they recommended for increasing your business’s social media presence. You developed a social media strategy and scheduled your posts, only to find that you’re getting little to no engagement from your audience. Why is that?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Engagement on social media is something that many brands struggle with. Here are some of our tips to help you increase engagement and boost brand awareness on your social media channels.
Don’t just sell your products or services
On social media, you’re competing with all the other content that is in your audience’s social media feeds. How are you setting yourself apart from their friends recent trip to Cabo or all the cute cat photos?
Make sure you’re sharing content that is of value to your audience. It’s also critical that you make sure this content is not salesy, easy to digest, and uses engaging images – not just stock photos.
A good recommendation is to post content that will spark a conversion on your page. You can also incorporate polls or surveys, which allow you to gain user insight and cater your future posts accordingly.
Share User-Generated Content (UGC)
Your users are your best advocates!
Despite our best efforts, consumers still believe that brand content is untrustworthy. That’s because we want to position our products and services in the best light.
User-generated content helps build brand authenticity because, quite frankly, it’s not coming from us. According to a recent survey, consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created by brands.
User-generated content also leads to more purchases. According to the same survey, 79% of people said UGC highly impacted their purchasing decision. It makes sense – most people want to hear from “real users” about a product or service before purchasing.
Spark Conversations
Your audience expects social media to be a two-way conversation. When you post content on your social media channels, always be prepared to respond (in a timely fashion) to people who are engaging with your content. These responses can be simply liking their engagement, following-up their responses to continue a conversation, or addressing any questions or concerns the user may have about your product or services.
Showcase your Brand’s Personality
Wendy’s is the queen of this on Twitter. Showcasing your brand’s personality helps build your likeability and trust with your audience. It also makes your brand way more relatable.
You can show your brand’s personality by engaging with your audience creatively, talking about hot topics in your industry, and being sure to show emotion in your posts.
What’s Working and What Isn’t?
Make sure you’re keeping an eye on your analytics for each social media channel to determine what content is working and what content isn’t. Here are some key analytics you should be watching and optimizing.
- Reach and engagement – How many people are seeing your posts? Are these people engaging with your posts?
- People – What does your audience demographic look like? Does your content cater to this audience? Is this your target audience or do you need to update your strategy?
- Views – How many people are viewing your page? Is certain content increasing page views?
- Posts – How are your posts performing? Is there a specific time of day that your posts perform better than others?
These analytics will offer an insight into what content is working for your audience and what content isn’t. This data will also help you determine if you’re reaching your ideal audience.
When you’re developing or revisiting your social media strategy, make sure to review these tips. Ask yourself if you’re showcasing your brand’s personality in your content or if you’re incorporating enough UGC into your content strategy? If you’re not, you may want to adjust your strategy accordingly.
