It’s no secret that creating engagement on social media is not as easy as it used to be, and even those who are successfully sparking quality engagement on social may be missing out on key strategies that could increase engagement further.
Whether they're posting high-quality content or not, it’s common for brands to distribute organic content and see little to no social engagement as a result. As more businesses turn to Facebook and Instagram for social media marketing, it's becoming more difficult to spark engagement (likes, shares, comments, saves, direct messages, etc.) with your accounts.
Drawing on my experience with social media advertising, here are three powerful ways to increase engagement going into 2021.
1. Create Compelling Contests
Holding a contest in the form of a giveaway with a cheerful narrative and appropriate call to action is an effective method to instantly increase engagement on social media. The goal is to spark engagement by directing users to take action in order to be entered to win the prize. For example, you could direct users to tag friends in the comment section, share the post on their personal news feed and, finally, follow your page, which opts them in to staying connected with your brand and viewing content that you publish in the future.
The reason contests work so well is because those participating are obviously interested in the product or service being offered, and they are most likely in a position to redeem the offer, emotionally and geographically.
2. Run Engagement Campaigns
Running paid engagement campaigns on Facebook and Instagram is a sure way to increase engagement on social media. By running campaigns with the engagement objective, you can target your ideal clients based on their niche-specific interests, demographics and behaviors and consistently get qualified users to engage with your page, content or ads. Best of all, you can do this for just cents per engagement. We often get qualified engagements for less than 10 cents per unique engagement.
3. Leverage Influencers
Collaborating with notable influencers is another way to trigger social media engagement. Local influencers — especially those who have a genuine community of interested and niche-specific followers — work great. Many people believe that influencers are more helpful and trustworthy than brands, which is a compelling reason to use influencers to cross-promote your product or service. Not only are influencers a great tool to help increase overall client engagement, but they also can help boost opt-ins and, most importantly, sales and profit.
Compensation normally depends on the size of the influencer's following and how well known they are. Some solely exchange products or services for promotion, and others charge high prices.
At our agency, we aim to partner with influencers who we believe will help drive meaningful engagements for our clients. To get started on this yourself, reach out to influencers and be clear about the opportunity you're offering, and establish an agreement on collaborating that mutually benefits both parties.
So there you have it: three effective ways to increase engagement on social media. If you want to attract attention and spark engagement on your pages, consider employing these strategies in your upcoming marketing campaigns. Creating compelling contests, running engagement campaigns and leveraging influencers can all help increase quality engagement on social media.
