Improve engagement on your socials: 15 really easy tips

Improve engagement on your socials: 15 really easy tips – contributed by SB Creations

 

So, you want to improve your social media engagement rates? Build your audience (i.e. get more followers). Maybe you’d love to get people talking and commenting on your posts?

Well, you cannot expect it to just happen! If you outsource all the content and scheduling to a social media expert, that’s a good start. Yes, a social media manager can assist by creating great content and helping to build up your audience, but it’s still partly your responsibility to actively look for ways to build your audience.

I am going to outline 15 simple ways to improve your social media performance, and make it all worthwhile!

Build (genuine) followers

You need GENUINE followers, not paid followers or followers who are not engaged (i.e. they only follow for a like in return).

1. Invite your friends. To get started, invite your friends and family to follow your Facebook page/Instagram or LinkedIn account. While they may not be your target audience (or maybe they are?) they may know someone who is in your target market, and they can share your posts or direct people to your page.

2. Put the link on your email signature. You can write something along the lines of “Connect with us on Facebook & Instagram” and then embed the link, or you can simply add the link.

3. Put the link on all your marketing material, put it on your business cards, put it on every directory listing you have. Hey, you could even tattoo it on your forehead! No, don’t do that! But do the other things.

4. Ask people you meet at networking events to follow your page for a follow in return, and also look to connect with them on LinkedIn.

5. Join RELEVANT Facebook groups and contribute to the discussions in each group. Be generous and only self-promote when appropriate. Follow other people’s pages, most will follow you back.

(these first 5 steps are pinched from another blog I wrote last year which you might like to take a look at also).

Expand your audience circle

There are only so many friends you can ask to follow your pages and profiles!

So now we look wider.

1. Share your blogs within other networks. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how many networks and groups want content when you start asking! And when they share your blogs or social media posts, you will have more people likely to start following your socials.

So if you are part of any professional memberships (for me it’s Virtually Yours, Wanneroo Business Association, and The Clever Copy Writing School) ask if they can share your blog on their socials.

2. Be active in the relevant groups. You don’t have to be in 1,031 Facebook groups – find one or two that really resonate with you and then offer value.

3. Comment on other posts. Try to allocate 10mins a day to go through LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram – and comment. If every day is too much, schedule 30mins on a Wednesday at 2pm and do it then!

4. Use hashtags. Use hashtags on LinkedIn and Instagram. This can get in you front of people who are following certain hashtags and broaden your network.

5. List on as many directories as you can. This can be a slow win, but I recently had three leads come from two directories I listed on a few years back and forgot about! It’s often all about the right time and the right place. These leads had viewed my listing then gone to my socials and followed my pages before getting in contact.

Improve engagement and reach

Okay, so now you’ve got some more “likes” or followers… great! Not much use if they are not engaged with your page or profile.

So now you need to check the content you are posting.

1. Ask questions.

People love to talk about themselves! Make it relevant to your business. “What’s your favourite work schedule?” “How do you find time for daily exercise?” “What book are you currently reading?”

2. Share valuable content. If people see value in a post, they are more likely to react to it, share it, and talk about it.

3. Collaborate. Share other posts, link to articles written by people you admire, and tag people/pages when relevant. This gets you seen across new audiences.

4. Start a poll. Again, make sure this is relevant to your business. You could start a poll asking: “Morning or evening person?” “Hard copy planner or online calendar?” “Would you rather run for 5mins or walk for 1hour?” “How many pairs of shoes do you own – less than 5 or more than I can count!”

5. Ask. Simply ask people to share your post! If you are posing a relevant questions, or offering a quote or tip that might be useful to others, simply say in the post: “Share this post to spread the love.” or “Click share of you agree!”

 

There you go! Nothing too hard, right? Just take the next four weeks, spend 30mins once a week and you’d have this all sown up.

Rachel x

Thanks for taking the time to read my top tips – Improve engagement on your socials: 15 really easy tips