8 (free) ways to drive engagement from your social media posts

Social media is the bomb, right?! 💣 It is an integral part of building brand exposure and can help us create exactly the tone, messaging and image we want our brand to embody.  ⁠

BUT it can also make us feel like we are bombing out, with those darn algorithms making it really hard with to gain organic engagement and build a flourishing audience 😈⁠

The power of organic posts is declining – according to Hootsuite, an organic post on Facebook only reaches about 5% of your audience! We know that ad spend is the easiest way to get your posts noticed… but we’ll be covering that in a later post.

In the meantime, here are 8 (free) ways to drive social media engagement (and we’re not talking about hashtags):

1. Post content worth engaging with!

If you want to increase social media engagement, you need to create content that people actually want to engage with, in a spontaneous way. Your audience is most probably following the person behind the brand, and your brand should share your voice & personality. So start the conversation! Nurture your audience like you would a friend –  ask questions, start polls, share some of your best advice & tips, and most importantly, BE RELATABLE.

2. Respond to all comments

This is a conversation, after all. When customers leave a comment or send you a message, they’re giving you the opportunity to talk to them! The algorithm also takes note of whether or not you respond to comments – which in turn ranks your posts higher in the social media feed. Respond to the positive comments with enthusiasm, and address any negative comments head on, with courtesy.

3. Post consistently

Social media platforms favour regular content, meaning your posts will rank higher in feeds – and you’ll stay top of mind for your customers. So, how much is “consistently”? Well, it depends on your brand and your end goal, but we suggest posting at least several times a week. If this sounds like a lot – we get it! But trust us when we say, it doesn’t have to be such a Big Deal. Prioritise one day a month when you set up all your posts and schedule them on handy scheduling platforms such as Later.

4. Add a call-to-action

You’ve spent time putting together the perfect post – and you’ve sent it out into the ether… and then what? Believe it or not, your audience actually wants to know what their next step should be. According to this article, having an effective CTA can increase click-through rate by 285%, and a call-to-action within a video gets 380% more clicks. Wowzers!

Having a clear call-to-action creates a good user experience, and is the easiest way to send people to your website, shop, or to move them into your sales funnel. Soon your audience will become your most loyal customers!

5. Provide value

In order to truly connect to your audience, you need to know exactly what they need – and then give it to them. We’re talking honest, relatable content that solves a problem, makes their lives easier, or just makes them feel good. Become a thought leader, give away some of your best ideas for free, create guides or infographics that educate, and share tools and tips on specific topics.

These posts will automatically be clicked on, commented on and shared, and you’ll probably gain more followers too! By providing value, you’re instilling trust in your brand, and we all know customers only buy from brands they trust. It’s the easiest way to turn a cold audience into a warm, loyal customer base.

6. Create videos & reels

Video is where it’s at on social media at the moment – especially short-form video. TikTok took off in 2020, starting with only 15 second videos – and Instagram was hot on its heels when it introduced Reels. Instagram and Facebook Stories attract a wider real-time audience than posts, with improved brand visibility, and unlike your social feed, stories don’t have to be too heavily curated.

The use of video creates a deeper, richer user experience, and is often more effective at capturing your brand story. Your audience will love it!

7. Don’t spam: The 4-1-1 Rule

While social media is a hugely effective sales platform, most people actually turn to social media to connect – not to buy. Over-promotion can be cringey, and you’ll most likely lost followers, but there is an easier way to effortless promotion. Enter: The 4-1-1 Rule.

The 4-1-1 Rule is a great guideline to creating a balance on your social media pages: adding value, creating trust and selling your product.

The rule says the for every six posts you create, 4 should be educational / entertaining, 1 should be a soft sell, and 1 a hard sell.

• As mentioned in point 4 above, your educational/ entertainment posts should add value, build trust and nurture relationships.
• A soft sell post doesn’t directly apply pressure to buy a product, but gently encourages your audience to connect with your brand or take an action – like reading a blog post.
• A hard sell should convince a customer to make a purchase now or in the future, often including product information and a sense of urgency.

8. Use social proof

According to Wikipedia, social proof is a “psychological and social phenomenon referring to people’s reliance on the feedback and actions of others to determine what is right and what is wrong in a given situation.”

In other words, peer reviews. The basic human instinct is to follow the actions of others. We’re talking testimonials, customer reviews, social likes and shares, case studies and even influencer endorsements.

Social proof makes your brand seem trustworthy – people are more willing to believe other customers than messaging from the brand itself.

So go ahead: ask your audience to share your posts, endorse your brand, or give incentives for testimonials or reviews. You’d be surprised how easy it is to gain support from happy customers!

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So there you have it! 8 free ways to increase social media engagement.

Social media has created an even playing field for small and large businesses alike. All of these methods will not only improve your social media presence, but will also work towards creating online credibility and building a robust content strategy.  You’ve got this!

Want to learn more, and interact with our team of firestarters? Contact us today!