What is the engagement rate and what is its purpose?
First, let us discuss about defining engagement. There are several types of engagement in marketing, and today we will discuss your social media content engagement rate. Engagement is the tendency of social media users who interact with your content, whether with likes, shares, profile visits, etc.
But what is the purpose of having a good engagement rate? A good engagement rate is important because it allows you to be known more efficiently and build your community. Indeed, the more people interact with your content, the greater chance that the platform you use suggests it to other users. It is especially essential when platforms like Facebook only organically display your content to a small percentage of your audience.
Should you be active on all social platforms?
A frequently asked question is should I be on all social platforms? We think not! It is not mandatory to be active on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc. You only need to know where your audience is and what type of content you want to create.
If you are a professional cook and provide catering services, it could be relevant to publish content on social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest to film your recipes and share photos. It is also possible that your audience changes with time and decides to use another platform; consequently, you must follow its evolution. For example, at first, TikTok was mostly for Gen Z, but millennials managed to make it their own.
Let us now see a few tips on increasing your engagement rate.
6 ways to increase the engagement rate on social media
Choosing relevant social media platforms
Since we already mentioned it above, we will not talk about it for hours. Of course, choosing relevant platforms to share your content is essential. You do not want to manage more platforms than you need because it will require a lot of time to create. With time, you may feel burdened because of everything you need to do.
Indeed, there are platforms where you will get great results while others will not work at all. Therefore, if you see that you are not performing well on a social platform, it might be because you do not have to be active on it, and your audience is elsewhere.
Adapt your content according to the social media platform
Adapting your content according to the social platform may seem complicated since it requires time; however, you cannot publish a picture on YouTube or a simple text on Pinterest. You likely already know that. It is then vital to adapt your content, whether it is its purpose but also its format.
We must also remember that social media platforms evolve with time. Instagram was initially created to share photos, but it is now possible to publish videos. On the other hand, TikTok was mainly used to share videos, and now there are pictures. Offering original content for every social media platform while following trends takes work. Here is a tip: do not hesitate to reuse some past content you could update.
Plan your social media content
Another important thing to do is to plan your social media content. It will not necessarily help you to improve your engagement rate, but it will help you be more productive. An editorial calendar could help you gather all ideas about what needs to be created. Several tools are available, and most of them are not free. If you mainly use Facebook or Instagram, you could use Meta’s business manager, a simple and free option.
If you use multiple social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, it could be relevant to use a tool like Tailwind or Hootsuite if you have professional needs and a budget. Of course, there is also the good old method of preparing your editorial calendar on an Excel spreadsheet or a piece of paper.
Publish content when users are active
Planning everything is essential, but publishing everything at the right time is important too. In accordance with your audience and the social media platform, you might have to share your content at a specific time. Your followers may be active on Instagram in the mornings and YouTube in the evenings. They might also use TikTok on certain days or hours.
When you plan your content, do not hesitate to schedule it. To know when you need to publish your content, you can check many studies available online on every social media platform. Moreover, you can also consult the statistics of your accounts to know more about the right moment to publish and your audience in general.
Be active on social media
When we say to be active on social media, it is not attacking your followers with several posts every hour but to be constant. If you publish something every Friday to announce something, your followers expect you to share something on Fridays.
Otherwise, try to be active on social media. Take the time to see what interests your community and like, share, and comment on content that catches your attention. Try to discuss with other people!
Analyze your content and statistics
Whether you have created content that you are proud of or not, take the time to analyze it regularly. Why did this content work on Instagram instead of on Facebook? Sometimes, there is no clear answer. A post will work well, the second too, but the third one not at all, even if you changed nothing.
It is possible that your audience was not active that day. It is for this reason that you must analyze several publications.
Here are a few examples of content that can help your engagement rate
Let us now see some concrete examples of types of content you can publish on social media that can increase the engagement rate.
Share beautiful pictures
First, do not hesitate to share beautiful pictures that represent your business well. They can express the human side of your company, like photos during the creation process of a product. The most important thing to remember here is that there is a story behind the images.
Do surveys and ask questions
Why not do surveys from time to time? Your followers will feel listened to, and they can help you if you need to make an important decision. It also works for questions. Do not hesitate to ask for your followers' opinions.
Follow trends
Another tip would be to follow trends on social media. Be careful: trends come and go quickly. Moreover, you cannot use all trends; you need to use some relevant to your business. Do not hesitate to spend time on social media to see what others do and how you can be inspired.
Here are different tips to help you increase your engagement rate on social media. With time, it will be easier to understand what interests your audience and customers. You might need to try different types of content. If you need help, do not hesitate to take a look at WebSelf’s community manager tips regarding social media management. Good luck!