How to increase Social Media engagement 

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Are you posting consistently and not getting any or enough engagement? If that is the case, I’m here to tell you why and help you navigate options that will help you gain more engagement. The truth is, there isn't a perfect spot or a specific formula that will tell you what you need to do step by step in order to get tons of engagement but there is enough knowledge about what makes your followers want to engage with you. 

What is social media engagement?

To start off, what is even social media engagement? 

Social media engagement is the measurement of comments, likes, and shares.

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The most important thing about social media is understanding its purpose, which is to connect with our followers and offer them value through these connections. We forget that making these connections and building relationships is the most significant part about social media, that's why the word "social" is in it…

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Think about it, in real life, what is it that attracted you to someone or made you become friends with that person? Was it the fact they just simply met them one day? Or was it something more specific like making you laugh, supporting you in difficult times, helping you out when you encountered a problem, or holding a very interesting conversation with you? When you post content that does not add value to your followers you’re pretty much not giving them a reason to engage with you. For example, constantly posting about what your business is about and sharing the products and services that your business offers is not the type of content users want to see on social media. That is because you look like that one person in a party who only likes to talk about themselves, we all know nobody likes that. However, if you’re that person who is making jokes, listening to others, and sharing knowledge, people will want to learn more about you and spend more time with you. 

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Measuring social media engagement 

Some of the metrics we use in digital marketing to measure social media engagement are: 

• Shares or retweets 
• Comments 
• Likes 
• Followers and audience growth 
• Click-throughs 
• Mentions (either tagged or untagged)
• Using branded hashtags 

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Anytime someone interacts with your account is considered engagement and it is crucial to keep an eye on these metrics to find out what kind of content is generating engagement and which just isn’t. 

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So, how do we increase engagement? 

As we mentioned earlier, when you just simply post every single day but your content has no substance, it won't allow you to make these connections with people. If your content doesn't add value to other people's lives such as making them laugh, entertain them, provide knowledge, or even a solution to their problems you're not giving them a reason to follow you, or engage with you. The #1 obstacle to acquire sales is a lack of trust and the perfect way to overcome that obstacle is by building relationships and making those connections with your audience through social media. Once a consumer is able to trust you, they are ready to purchase from you. This is why posting the right content is so important! 

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If you sell homes - share content about what buyers need to know before buying home or how to prepare to buy a home (provide knowledge) 

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If you sell dinnerware - share content about food recipes or how to set the perfect table (provide value) 

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If you sell protein supplements - share content that will make your audience laugh such as inside jokes that only body builders or people who work out consistently will understand (make a connection) 

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These are all examples of how you can provide value to your audience and build strong relationships too. The key is to offer something that will make your audience feel good or make their lives easier, it’s that simple. The hardest part is doing this consistently to acquire the best results! 

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Another way to engage your audience through creative posts is by adding a “call to action” . How can you expect your audience to engage with your account if you’re not asking them to?  You can achieve this by using these simple strategies: 

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• Asking questions 
• Contests 
• Polls 
• Encouraging your audience to ask you questions (“Ask me anything” session)
• Test their knowledge 
• Media upload contests
• Animates GIFs 
• Spotlighting customers 
• Custom stickers or filters for instagram stories 

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Encouraging your audience to participate and engage with your content will not only create meaningful connections but earn you loyal customers in the long-run. You may not see instant results but be patient and stay consistent, social media is a marathon, not a sprint! You can do this.

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