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Social media has come a long way since it was first introduced around the Y2K scare. Once a corner of the internet reserved for blogs, digital yearbooks, and top 8s, it has had a rather impressive #glowup lately.
Today, social media has become a cornerstone for small businesses aiming to build their brand, connect with customers, and drive growth with organic posts, paid ads, and international engagement. And despite what most boomer comedians will have you believe, mastering social media engagement is no small feat. It requires a strategic approach, creative content, and a genuine connection with your audience.
Here’s a guide to help small businesses - like you - harness the power of social media engagement.
What do we mean by 'Social Media Engagement'
Social media engagement refers to the interactions between your business and its audience on social media platforms.
Simple enough! These interactions typically include things like....well likes, comments, shares, retweets, and direct messages.
High engagement indicates that your audience finds your content valuable and interesting, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and conversions.
But, high engagement rates don't happen by themselves. We have to give them a reason to engage with us!
Why Social Media Engagement Matters
Social media is invaluable for a load of reasons, but here are my top 5!
Builds Relationships: Engagement fosters a sense of community and connection with your audience, turning followers into loyal customers.
Increases Visibility: High engagement can boost your content's visibility on social media algorithms, leading to more exposure.
Drives Traffic: Engaging content encourages followers to visit your website or online store.
Gathers Insights: Interactions with your audience provide valuable feedback and insights into their preferences and behaviors.
Strengthens your other efforts: If you're taking the time and/or spending the money to post organic social media content - to me it makes sense to ensure that content is being seen. Engagement is a great way to supplement what you are already doing.
So, how do we do it.....
Strategies for Effective Social Media Engagement
1. Know Your Audience
This is so so so so so important! Understanding your target audience is crucial for creating content that resonates with them. Conduct market research to gather data on your audience’s demographics, interests, and online behaviors. Use this information to tailor your content to their preferences.
For example, let's say your main demographic is new moms. Find what platforms, hashtags, groups, and communities they are active in and meet them there.
2. Create Valuable Content
Content is the backbone of social media engagement, and by content, we're not talking about additional social media posts. We're talking about the substance of your interaction.
There is a big difference between giving a thumbs up and leaving a personal comment. Your interaction content should be:
Relevant: Address topics that matter to your audience.
Informative: Provide valuable information that solves problems or answers questions.
Entertaining: Use humor, stories, and visuals to make your content enjoyable.
Inspirational: Share motivational quotes, success stories, and positive messages.
You'll notice that I didn't mention promoting your products and services. Promoting is not the goal of engagement. The goal is to build a community and relationships.
In our example with the new mom demographic, you may comment on all the adorable new baby photos, share helpful mom advice, and/or offer support.
3. Be Authentic
Authenticity builds trust and relatability - and is exceedingly rare in 2024! Show the human side of your business by sharing behind-the-scenes content, employee stories, and personal comments. Be transparent and honest in your communications.
4. Engage in Conversations
Social media requires more than broadcasting content. It requires engaging in two-way conversations. That's the social part! Respond to comments and messages promptly and join relevant discussions. Acknowledge your followers' contributions to show appreciation.
5. Leverage Hashtags
You already know that hashtags can increase the discoverability of your posts. But did you know those same hashtags can be great places for you to engage with your potential audience? Added Bonus: It also helps you gauge if your content belongs, and these feeds help to inspire you to create new content.
6. Analyze and Adapt
You are likely already regularly analyzing your social media performance to understand what works and what doesn't. You can do the same with engagement. Watch and see what's working and what isn't, and play with new approaches and experiences until you fight for what's working for you.
You can do this on the analytics on each of your platforms or via your scheduler.
Putting it all together: What does this look like in practice?
Now, this all sounds just a tad more complicated than it actually is in practice. In practice, you've already engaged in social media. You likely do it every time you open your social media apps, which, according to recent data, is OFTEN.
Sure, this is a bit different because you're doing it through the lens of your profession, business, and way of life, but at its core, it's largely the same. You are just engaging with other humans on social media.
To systemize it a bit, I set a weekly target of 2 hours a week that I spend intentionally engaging with my social media feeds and the feeds of others. I split this up into a few different days, and I will sit outside in the sun or on my couch with the news in the background and get it done.
I also love to sneak it into dead times, like while waiting for my daughter to get her braces tightened or while standing at the stove pushing veggies around in the pan. The beauty is that you can engage for as little as 10 minutes daily to see results!
And you can pay other people to engage for you! Unsurprisingly we offer social media engagement and recommend it to anyone on a social media plan. For just $30/hour, we engage from your socials in an authentic, brand-centered way for the duration of time you select. We also report back on how this engagement is translating into your metrics.
There are also loads of cheaper social media managers that can help, or you can try outsourcing the task to a VA. The choice is yours, and whichever method of engagement you choose to use - your socials will thank you!
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