Marketer Tara- Nicholle Nelson once said “You can’t buy engagement. You have to build engagement”.

How important is social media engagement?

Let’s think about how often we use social media in our day to day lives.

If the first thing you do in the morning is roll over & check your phone while the most important meal of the day (breakfast) is on hold, don’t feel too guilty because you’re not the only one. A study reveals 66% of Americans check their phones 160 times every day and 65.7% admitted to sleeping with their smartphones at night. Intermittent reinforcement is the psychological reason behind the user’s frequent notification checks, and it is something marketers should take full advantage of.

Intermittent Reinforcement is a conditioning schedule in which a reward or punishment is not given every time the desired response is performed. When you refresh the social media accounts you may or may not have new notifications of likes, messages, comments, etc., this is the reward. You never know for sure when you will have notifications so the habit of checking often is reinforced.

While users are compulsively checking devices, businesses increase brand awareness by promoting their products across multiple social media platforms. But it is not enough to promote a product, businesses must also engage with their social media audience to have a successful online presence. What started as a way for friends to connect online is now a place for brands to provide personalized experiences with their audience and customers.

What is social media engagement?

According to technology company BigCommerce, “Social media engagement measures the public shares, likes and comments for an online business’ social media efforts”. It is statistically proven that people prefer to use services and purchase products with the brands or companies with which they have engaged beforehand.

Engagement contains psychological triggers that touch people emotionally. Engagement provides the opportunity to show your audience the value of your brand and gain their trust. Social media is not just about sharing content but also about actively interacting with others. This how you put the “social” in social media! Each platform has its perks, so be sure to identify which ones will work best for you and your brand.

How to engage:

1. Know your audience

Before you engage with your audience, you want to know who you are talking to why you want to reach them. Take the time to research the demographics and needs of your targeted audience. Determine potential interest, problems, and questions your audience may have.

 2. Create quality content

Quality content achieves its marketing goals. These goals may include increasing brand awareness, ranking well on search engines, improving click-through rates, Generating leads, or social shares.

Try some of these creative ideas:

• Contests
• Tips & tricks
• Giveaways
• Polls & surveys
• Animated gifs
• Spotlighting customers
• Custom stickers or filters

3. Be consistent

First, decide how many times you want to post a week and then it will be easier to stay consistent. It will also help to decide what and when you are going to post by using a content calendar.

4. Respond quickly

Social media platforms are the first places people go to for customer support. Speedy responses lead to increased customer satisfaction and save your team time. There are options for “saved replies” functions that automatically respond to common customer inquiries. 

5. Be personal

Avoid sounding like a robot. Excluding saved replies, show your human let the audience see that there are real people behind the brand!

Here are some ways to get personal:

• Start conversations in comment sections
• Acknowledge & answer questions
• Respond to messages & comments with humor or warmth
• Show the people behind the brand in photos or videos

Social media has fundamentally changed the way that we communicate. It creates a public forum for communication between the customers and their favorite brands. The benefits of establishing a social media presence and engaging them effectively with quality content will successfully impact any business.