Fed Up with Organic Social Media? Try These Smart Tips to Increase Engagement

Fed up with your social media efforts not generating the engagement you want? 

Feeling like you're putting in all the hard work for nothing? 

It might be time to try something new. 

Read on about how to increase engagement and get your social media on track the smart way!

Have a clear goal

Make sure you have a clear goal in mind before you start posting content on social media.  

All your social media efforts should be working towards achieving that goal. 

If you're not sure what your goals should be, take a step back and think about what you're trying to achieve with your social media. 

Are you trying to build brand awareness? Drive traffic to your website? Increase sales? 

Once you have a goal in mind, start working to achieve that.

Be authentic and meaningfully engage your audience

Step away from calculated tactics and start engaging meaningfully (read: a genuine, social approach to social media).  

People are on social media to be entertained; not to be sold to.

If all of your social media posts are overly promotional and inviting people to buy your products, you will end up losing your audience’s attention.

Instead, use wit and humor regularly in your social media posts to entertain your followers and improve social media engagement.

Spark curiosity

Focus on the value you can deliver to your audience, which can vary from inspiration to education to entertainment. 

Make the audience the hero, not your company. 

If they can walk away with an inspiration, a smile, or a tip that they can use to enhance their lives or their business, you’ve done your job well.

Make posts relatable

Make the social post relatable to your audience. 

Spend less time on your own company and more about the business problem or outcome they are trying to solve. 

Understand the audience and then create compelling and dynamic content that increases the value being delivered. 

Your social media followers are not going to be interested in every single thing you post. 

That's why it's important to post relevant and interesting content that they will actually want to see and engage with. 

Get your audience working for you

Turn your audience into brand advocates. 

One of the most effective ways to increase social media engagement is to feature your customers and turn them into brand advocates. 

When you share user-generated content on social media, you achieve huge benefit.

First of all, you’re providing followers with proof that your existing customers love your products. 

And you’re also winning the loyalty of the fans whose posts you share by making them feel appreciated.

Stop selling

Focusing on what your audience needs and values is the only way forward. 

So listen first, observe and then provide them with value.

To increase social media engagement, you need to be social too. 

When customers send you a message or leave a comment on a post, they’re giving you an opportunity to talk to them. 

Whether they leave a positive or negative message, you should be responding to each customer. You can show appreciation for positive messages and suggest a resolution for negative ones. 

Don’t just wait for people to come to you

Dedicate some time every week to look for new relevant users to engage with. This is especially important for small businesses who are just starting to build their social media presence.

Look for social media users who share similar interests as you and engage with their posts. 

Over time, you will develop a loyal following of social media users who will appreciate your content and be more likely to engage with it.

Watch your stats

At the beginning of this article I said have a clear goal. 

Now, is the time to check whether you are achieving that goal or not. 

Ask yourself questions like: Which posts get the highest numbers of engagement?Which posts get the best type of engagement? Which ones go completely ignored? Are there any platforms where your engagement rates remain really low? Are your efforts are paying off.

If not, adjust your strategy. 

Don’t forget to look at Google Analytics. This will give you an idea of how your social media activity is impacting your website traffic. 

If you see a significant increase in web traffic (and conversions) after implementing a new social media tactic, then you know you’re on the right track!

It can be tough to break through the noise of social media, but with a clear goal and authentic engagement, you can spark interest in your audience and turn them into your best brand advocates. Try implementing some or all of the tips I've shared, and watch your engagement rates soar. And don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter so you can stay ahead of the curve when it comes to social media marketing!

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