Marketing is as much about the dialogue between brand and customer as it is about simply conveying a message. And that applies more than ever on social media. Brands that tap into social media engagement don’t just passively post in the hopes their campaigns find the right people - they initiate and facilitate interactions.
What is Social Media Engagement?
Social media engagement refers to the interactions between a brand and its audience on social media platforms. These interactions can include likes, comments, shares, retweets, and direct messages. These interactions are all about building relationships with customers that turn into brand loyalty.
Why is Engagement Important for Ad Campaigns?
Authenticity
When a customer feels they are being reached out to directly, or can see other people being interacted with positively, it adds a layer of authenticity and trust towards that business. This can involve answering questions directly on social media, responding to reviews and feedback (both positive and negative), liking organic posts and comments that mention the brand, and engaging with customers over live streams.
If a brand doesn’t show that they are engaged with their customers, this can raise suspicion and doubt about the trustworthiness of a brand, prompting the question: “If they don’t care about their other customers, why would they care about me?”
Real-Time Feedback
The reverse of the first point is also true - if people aren’t engaging, then it’s harder to gauge whether your marketing is helping you acquire customers who will stick with you in the long run. Looking at engagement metrics on your posts, whether paid social ads or organic social media, can be an easy indicator of what people want to see.
Some of the key engagement metrics you can focus on, depending on your content, include likes/reactions, average watch time, click-through rate, and cost per click.
Cost-Effectiveness
For algorithms on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, social media engagement is one of the key indicators of how relevant an ad is. High engagement on a post, also known as social proof, informs the algorithm that the post is relevant to the audience seeing it, increasing the likelihood of it being shown to more people at a lower cost.
Gathering engagement on organic posts can also benefit your paid ads campaigns. By creating an ad using the Post ID function by selecting ‘Use existing post’ in Meta Ads Manager, you can use high-performing organic posts as ads on Facebook and Instagram. This allows you to attach a link and call-to-action button for sales, leads, and more.
How to Boost Social Media Engagement
Create high-quality content
Bland, uninspiring content is not going to get you anywhere. After all, people are scrolling their social media feeds to be entertained and inspired, not to be fed boring ads. Using high-quality and visually appealing images, effective storytelling and editing in videos, and writing compelling copy are all ways you can make someone stop scrolling and see what you have to say.
Encourage interaction
Asking questions, running polls, and generally inviting people to like, comment and share your posts can be the most direct way to gather engagement. Make sure to use clear call-to-actions, such as ‘Comment below’ and ‘Share this post’. Not only will you increase your engagement metrics, but you can also gather insights into the types of products and services that people want to see from you.
However, be aware that social media platforms can penalise accounts that go overboard with this, so avoid any approaches that might get your posts flagged for ‘engagement farming’, such as posting controversial content that incites people to comment.
Consistency
Social media engagement is not a one-and-done type of marketing strategy. To continue nurturing customer relationships, posting consistently is key. Note that consistency doesn’t mean non-stop posting - you’re better off putting out regular high-quality content once or twice a week than low-effort posts every day. A content calendar can help you with keeping track of what you want to post and when.
Engage Back
Engagement isn’t a one-way street. Interacting with your audience directly shows that there are real people behind your brand and that you care about your customer’s needs, wants and opinions. Participating in comment threads, liking and responding to posts you’ve been tagged in, and answering direct messages are all great ways of building customer loyalty alongside engagement.
Conclusion
Engagement plays a vital role in your social media marketing campaigns, whether you’re running paid ads, building an organic presence or nurturing existing customers. Improving engagement pays off in many ways, as it allows you to refine your content based on responses from your target audience, can boost visibility in social media algorithms, and helps you find those customers who will keep coming back for more.
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