How to Increase Social Media Engagement
Social media- the wild west of online social spaces, from the bot farming bandits to the noble influencers, nearly everyone has a stake in these internet communities..
I was debating whether to even write such a taboo article as this one. The concept of social media and more specifically- social media engagement, invokes mixed responses from people. Some absolutely love the notion of acquiring cyber hearts from strangers and have found ways to commoditize them into real dollars through influencer content marketing programs, click through links with Google Adwords, marketing funnels (clickfunnels) and more. For this very reason, many people scorn the idea of social media and go to extreme lengths to let everyone know how much they hate it. Others yet attempt to disappear from the net entirely.
I for one believe that social media is an effective tool for content marketing, business development, mass communication and more. Like most other things in life, a great amount of discipline must be implemented to avoid social media's toxic side effects. These include emotional distress, anxiety, social pressure, depression and the ever hot topic of FOMO (fear of missing out).
Social medias strength (from a business standpoint) lies in its ability to reach and engage with large amounts of people. For this to be effective however, you need an abundance of followers who engage with your content, which is a difficult feat to achieve. So let's take a look at the three big social media networks, and how to get the most engagement possible on them.
“Content is king” hails true in this photo/video corner of the social internet. To amass an army of followers, you must post new content consistently and in ways that will catch people's attention in a moments notice. This is easily achievable with photography and video, which makes the platform an ideal starting place to grow engagement.
People will follow your Instagram account when the content you post intrigues or interests them in some way. Celebrity profiles are extremely successful on this platform because sharing photos of their lavish, millionaire lifestyles offers people a chance to step into their world. For music artists, this could mean sharing footage from last weeks shows, or selfies from the recording studio. Ask yourself, what content of your brand can you post that offers viewers a rare glimpse into your world? If it helps, you can also think of Instagram as a virtual red carpet where you put your best foot forward and show off to spectators. Evaluate the parts of your business/brands lifestyle that are worth sharing, and send it! Also, use a #bunch #of #hashtags.
Imagine saying all those random, embarrassing things that come to your mind out loud, for everyone to hear. That’s Twitter. With a hard limit of 280 characters, your posts have to be brief and concise yet engaging and unique. The most successful Twitter brands understand the lack of formality in tweets, and use it to their advantage in clever ways. If you’re tweeting as yourself, try getting personal in your posts- while still maintaining your image. Or if you’re a brand, you can get creative and create your own brand “character”, just take a look at the Moon Pies Twitter- it’s hilarious!
Of course, you have to be careful with what you say online, which is the catch-22 of Twitter. The best way I can explain Twitter is like this- share like you’re gossiping with a close friend, while not saying anything that would compromise your public image. The Moon Pies account is succesful because they’ve built their own unique character for the brand. Twitter also likes sad stuff, like this.
Tip: If you’re using Twitter for any sort of click through, funnel marketing, you should set up Twitter cards. Here's a guide for how to do this!
Facebook is like the Walmart of social media. Tons of distractions, always noisy, and highly convoluted with a variety of things you don’t really care about. But their user base is not to be underestimated. As of the 3rd QTR of 2018, Facebook reported 2.27 billion monthly users, which means an abundance of community engagement opportunity. Unlike Twitter and Instagram, Facebook focuses less on the post and more on the community. The company has made many public statements about how the platform is intended to stimulate community engagement, as opposed to spammy, self-marketing.
To get the most amount of engagement on Facebook, you should always be interacting with your followers. Ask them questions about what they think in regards to a topic relative to your niche, or do giveaways that require users to comment/like/share. Because Facebook's algorithm prioritizes community engagement, try asking your followers to share your stuff. Sharing content will spread your brand like a wildfire.
These are just three of the many social media networks nestled throughout the internet, each offering us a unique way to engage and grow followers. If you want to learn how to turn followers into customers of your business, I have a few guides on my website.
Are there any other engagement tips for Instagram, Twitter or Facebook that I forgot to mention? Drop me a comment on Twitter, and please consider sharing this article using the social media icons below.
Aleksey Weyman
Aleksey Weyman is a web designer, music artist and creator of Millennial Moderator
