7 Surefire Tips to Keep Your Social Media Followers Engaged
Your business’ page may have thousands of followers, but do they interact with your content? Imagine performing in front of a large audience and getting no response. A page with a low engagement rate tells a different story.
Luckily, there are things you can do to ensure both your business page and content get that customer interaction. In this blog, we’ll share seven tips to help you keep your followers engaged and ensure they don’t just scroll past your posts.
What’s a Good Engagement Rate?
Before we get to the tips, let’s quickly cover a reasonable engagement rate. Many businesses use the average engagement rate of their industry as a benchmark for success. Generally, experts say that an engagement rate of around 1% to 5% is good—but it always varies depending on your playing field.
Thus, before setting your KPIs and target goals, grab hold of your competitors’ engagement rate and use it as a reference point. Try to up the ante a bit and aim for something higher—meeting or even exceeding your competitors’ engagement rate is always a plus.
What Counts as Engagement?
Hmm, but what exactly counts as engagement? Well, there are several ways in which your content can be engaging, and it all boils down to how your followers interact with it.
Engagement can be measured by likes, shares, comments, reactions, clicks, and even the direct messages sent to your page. If a follower takes the time to hit a particular button or respond, then it does count as engagement.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dive into the seven surefire tips to make your followers hit those like, share, and comment buttons.
Tip #1: Provide Value
Consumer-centered marketing is all about providing value and relevance. Think about it: why would your targeted market interact with content that doesn’t offer anything of real value to them?
While posting eye-catching content is excellent, giving followers something they can use will be more effective in terms of engagement. This could mean sharing valuable articles, teaching DIY tricks, or giving away discounts and promos. Not only does you care about customers, but it also gives them something to look forward to from your page. Plus, you establish your reputation as a reliable source of information in your industry.
Tip #2: Don’t Give Everything In One Go
Yes, providing helpful content with real value is surely a great way to engage your followers. However, don’t just give away everything in one go. Doing so will only leave them with nothing to look forward to from your page, and they’ll eventually lose interest.
Instead, try to spread out your content by providing them with information in bits and pieces. For example, when talking about a particular topic, break it down into separate posts covering specific points. As a result, you’ll have more content that your followers can engage with, and they’ll be more likely to come back for more. The key is finding the right balance between giving away too little and too much information.
Tip #3: Find the Right Timing
Timing will always be a key factor when engaging followers. Posting content too often will appear spammy and drive away supporters. Social media users are not in the mood for online content on certain days and time slots. So, it’s best to identify and avoid these periods when scheduling your posts.
To give you some reference, data shows that the best days to post on Facebook are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The ideal time slots vary depending on the day you’re publishing content, but generally, content posted between 1 to 4 pm on weekdays are found to have high engagement rates.
You can check this out for other platforms’ ideal posting schedules.
Tip #4: Ask Questions and Encourage Conversations
Engagement isn’t only about getting likes and shares. It’s also about fostering conversations between you and your followers.
Asking questions or even having a poll is a great way to get the ball rolling. This can be something as simple as asking your followers’ opinions or having them share their experiences on a specific topic. This will give you insight and show your followers that you value their opinion and care about what they have to say. You can even create branded hashtags for your topics and make it a point to follow up on conversations.
Here is a sample question post we did for one of our clients:
Check out the Reach, Engagmenent, Comments & Shares
Tip #5: Repost User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is an effective way to engage with your followers. After all, it’s more likely that other users will interact with content created by someone else. So, why not feature them on your page and give the original creator a shoutout?
Reposting UGC can be a great way to show appreciation for your supporters while giving your page fresh content regularly. Plus, it encourages non-followers to interact with your page and gives followers an incentive to create content of their own. Having a good number of UGC also shows that your shoppers or followers are enthusiastic about your brand, which is a great way to build trust within your existing audience and potential customers.
Tip #6: Keep Tabs on What Your Followers are Up To
When crafting posts and content, it’s important to keep in mind the interests of your followers. This includes staying up-to-date with what they’re into and the trending topics in your industry.
Make sure to check out what kind of content they’re sharing, the hashtags they use, and the conversations they’re having. This can help you determine what type of content to post and give you ideas on keeping up with current trends. Doing this will also show your followers that you’re in tune with their interests, which gives them the incentive to keep engaging with your page.
Tip #7: Track Your Stats and Know When to Re-think Your Strategies
Finally, tracking your social media engagement can help you identify what works and what doesn’t. This includes taking note of the type of content that drives more engagement as well as the times and days when your posts receive the most attention.
Having this data can help you adjust your strategies accordingly and be more effective in engaging your followers. Remember that stepping up your marketing strategies is more than just a one-time big-time thing. It involves continuous tinkering and testing to get it just right, so don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas and tactics. This will foolproof your strategies in the long run and help you stay ahead of the game.
Here’s to More Likes, Shares, and Comments!
And that’s a wrap! We hope these tips boost your social media engagement and get more users talking about your brand. Take the time to craft content that resonates with your followers and keep them in the loop of discussions and updates. You’ll be surprised by how much your engagement rate can improve when you make an effort to listen and engage with your followers.
And in case you need help creating valuable, share-worthy content on a regular basis, Voila! Media Group is your go-to partner. We’ll work closely with you to craft posts that get your target audience talking so you can boost engagement, drive conversions, and take your business to the next level. Check out our social media services, and let’s have a quick chat about making your business a success!