The Magic of Engagement
Engagement is the powerhouse of social media growth. Whether you are just starting out with social media for business, or you’ve amassed thousands of followers, it’s essential to engage with your audience in order to grow your brand. Being engaging on your social media platforms can have a great impact and make you stand out as a business that cares. Think about your own user experience. There are hundreds of businesses that all do the same thing. Are you going to remember the one that posts and ghosts, or the business that replies to your DMs, reshares tagged stories and responds to comments?
Engagement is a crucial aspect of the customer experience. It’s what brings the “social” to social media. Being active with engagement shows that you are effectively managing your account, have a consistent brand voice, and are authentic. It demonstrates to your followers that you genuinely care about and appreciate them.
If engagement is something you’re struggling with, keep reading for some information and tips.
What Counts as Engagement?
Engagement is any form of response to a page, follower, or message. This includes many different actions, but the most common are:
Remember: engagement doesn’t just mean replying to accounts that engage with you. It also requires taking the initiative to interact with other accounts and start the conversation.
There is no “right” way to engage with your audience. You have to do it in a way that makes sense for you and fits into your already packed schedule. We recommend setting aside
10-20 minutes per day and creating guidelines for yourself. These can include how many accounts you’ll follow, the number of comments you’ll leave and the number of posts you’ll like or react to. Whatever you decide, it’s important to show up on social media and demonstrate that you’re active, beyond simply posting your own content.
Why Should You Care About Engagement?
There are a couple of layers to this. Let’s unpack the technical one. Remember a few years ago when Instagram was all about having a visually appealing grid? If you did that, you typically had a lot of likes and comments, which meant your content was being seen. Then Meta changed the algorithm. The update created a shift that meant accounts that were responding to comments, replying to DMs, and engaging with other accounts were more visible than the ones that were simply posting and ghosting. Engagement meant growth, and even visually stunning posts or buying followers no longer yielded meaningful results without that social component.
The second layer to this is authenticity and connection. Engagement makes your business human. It shows you’re active in your business and you care about your customers. When your business takes the time to answer questions, respond to comments or concerns, or simply interact with your followers, it builds a level of trust that makes you memorable. Trust us, the customer who sees their story reshared by their favourite brand will always remember, and they’ll tell people about it. Bonus: you might get some really great UGC out of it.
Engagement Is Reciprocal
When you engage with other accounts on social media, you show you are present with your audience and the wider community. This is usually reciprocated by the accounts you engage with. People are more likely to follow, comment, and reach out to brands and businesses that have a strong, active online presence. Followers on those accounts you’re engaging with will see you commenting on the content and might explore your account too. If you tag an account in stories and they share your content, that’s more exposure for you and the potential to grow your audience increases. It’s a win-win.
Looking for Support?
We know that as a business owner, making time to engage with your audience on social media is another thing you’re trying to squeeze into your already packed schedule. What if you could have a partner to take it off your plate?
At The Small Social, we have a team of stellar social media managers who can help you ensure your profiles stand out and get the engagement you’re looking for. We are well versed in growing social media audiences, making connections, and representing brands from a variety of industries.
Does this sound like something you’re looking for? Reach out to us at hello@thesmallsocial.com to book a discovery call. We can’t wait to hear from you.
