How to Boost your Social Media Engagement

Social media can be a game-changer for your business, but it often feels time-consuming and can lead to disappointment. You pour hours into crafting a post only to receive a mere 15 likes.

We’re going to be brutally honest: People don’t care. The reality is that people are inundated with ads and simply do not want to be sold to. Instead, they seek entertainment and a sense of connection. It’s this genuine engagement that fosters brand loyalty and makes them care about your business.

To help boost your social media engagement, here are 11 effective techniques:

1. Understand Your Audience

Customise your content for each platform, ensuring it resonates with the interests and preferences of your target demographic.

2. Use Creative and High-Quality Visuals

Striking images and videos capture attention, and employing imaginative visual hooks will keep your audience engaged. But please…steer clear of corporate-looking content. If you have to post it, post it on LinkedIn. Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are looking for more real and organic content.

3. Ask Questions and Encourage Interaction

Stimulate conversations by posing open-ended questions, conducting polls, or hosting Q&A sessions.

4. Respond to Comments

Actively engage with your audience by replying to their comments and responding to DMs also helps boost your engagement. Your social media is a tool to build relationships and should be treated as such.

5. Utilise Relevant Hashtags

Research and incorporate popular hashtags related to your niche to enhance your visibility. The rules change quite often, but we find that between 2-5 hashtags is your best bet. 80% of those hashtags should have over 1 million uses, and the other 20% can be more niche. Example: For a Reel about Southsea Seafront, the hashtags we’d use are – #beach #seaside #sea #portsmouth #southsea

The first 3 are the 80%, and the last two are more niche.

6. Post Consistently

Establish a regular posting schedule to maintain visibility among your followers. You don’t need to post multiple times daily; three quality posts per week per platform is effective and manageable.

7. Optimise Posting Times

Analyse your insights to determine when your audience is most active online, and schedule your posts accordingly for maximum impact.

8. Run Contests and Giveaways

Incentivising engagement through free products or experiences can significantly boost engagement. However, be aware not to ask for too much from people. We’ve seen competitions before that require people to follow multiple accounts, share to story and tag 5 friends. If your goal is to increase your following, then ask people to follow and tag a friend. Done, simple.

9. Encourage User-Generated Content

Initiate campaigns or create specific hashtags to motivate your followers to share their own content. Remember to credit contributors appropriately.

10. Collaborate with Influencers

Partnering with relevant influencers can expand your audience reach. Always ensure they are compensated fairly; curating an audience and creating quality content is a time-consuming endeavour. Read our blog on working with influencers here.

11. Leverage Trends

Keep up to date with current trends and incorporate them into your content when appropriate.

By implementing these techniques, you can cultivate a deeper connection with your audience and enhance your social media engagement.

If you still need help figuring out where to start, explore our tailored social media packages, and we’ll help you.