7 proven ways to increase your engagement on social media

I believe it’s fair to say that social media is a big part of our lives.

Whether you’re an influencer, small or large business owner, or using it to keep in touch, there’s one superior key success metric.

Social media engagement.

But with so much content online and social media platform algorithms changing, how are you meant to stay on top of everything and increase your engagement on social media?

In this blog, I’ll share my top 7 ways that are proven to boost engagement levels.

Let’s dive in and discover how to level up your social media engagement game.

The top 7 methods to boost social media engagement

1. Post content worth engaging with

Sounds obvious right? But have you ever stopped to think about what your audience really wants to know, or do you assume what they want and post mindlessly?

For example, do you know what their pain points are?

Too many people are using social media as a selling tool rather than engagement.

When creating your content calendar, consider your audience and include content that will drive an emotional reaction.

For example, something that is funny, relatable, inspiring or beautiful.

Create shareable content

If you’re creating content that people think their audience will love, they’re more likely to share.

One of the best ways to create shareable content right now is using short-form video content. People love watching short videos that are funny, entertaining or informative.

That’s why platforms like TikTok and Instra Reels have taken off.

Get creative with your content. Once you find your sweet spot (whether it’s short blogs, infographics, videos or a variety of all), create similar content as you know this works for you.

3. Host a giveaway

It’s no secret that times are tough for many people right now, so anytime you host a giveaway, you’ll find your engagement levels jump.

But make sure what you’re giving away is what your audience needs.

Giveaways work when they are targeted, relevant and valuable.

For example, a business coach may give away a bundle of start-up templates if their audience is all start-up companies. But, if their audience were all established business owners, they wouldn’t be in for this giveaway and ignore it.  

4. Collaborate with others

If you’ve got another business owner who offers complimentary services/products to you, you can team up with them to create a social media takeover.

This works well as you can tap into each other’s audiences, gain a wider reach, and boost your engagement levels.

Before you decide who to collaborate with, make sure their audience is interested in what you offer too. There’s no point in collaborating if your audiences are wildly different, as they won’t be interested in your offering (and vice versa).

5. Ask questions  

A surefire way to boost your engagement on social media is to ask your audience questions, as they (almost always) trigger a response.

When you’re asking a question, make sure it’s an open-ended question that will create a discussion and not simply a yes/no response. Although you may get engagement from a yes/no answer, you’re more likely to start people talking when they can express an opinion.

Your audience will read the responses from others, encouraging them to pipe in with their thoughts and opinions too.

Look for trending topics in your niche and ask questions to create discussion around this.

For example, ‘I’ve seen more people turn to AI tools to create content. Have you tried it yet, and what did you think?’ or ‘Do you think you can tell when a business owner has used AI to create content?’.

6. Create polls 

Polls have become popular on LinkedIn and are easy to create with minimal effort. You’ll find you get lots of engagement as they’re easy for people to interact with you.

You ask a question and give your audience 3 or 4 options to choose from.

You can have niche-focused questions or keep them broad. Keeping them broad will usually gain a better response. For example, ‘Do you work on the weekend?’ rather than ‘Would you use a social media manager in your business?’.

Leave the poll open for a few days and monitor who responds to your poll. You can then send a ‘thank you for voting in my poll’ to those who respond to start a conversation with them.

7. Host an ‘ask me anything’ session 

When people search for answers in your niche, hosting an ‘ask me anything’ session is a brilliant way to boost your engagement and interaction.

You can host these as a ‘live’ session or let your audience know you’ll be online at a specific time to answer questions on a post.

Set a timeframe so you’re not stuck online for hours but be present when you say you will and give your audience as much feedback as possible.

People love the idea of tapping into an expert's mind and getting insights on how to do things. For example, ‘Ask me anything about how to create an Instra Reel’.

Keep your session focused and relevant, and work these into your social media calendar. To decide on a topic (if you want to keep it focused and not a free-for-all) by monitoring what your audience asks you.

The more you engage on social media, the more engagement you receive

One thing I’ve found works really well for engagement levels is when you actively engage with others. And it seems the more you engage, the more engagement you receive in return.

People get to know you, like you and trust you. In return, they start returning the engagement favour by doing the same thing.

Social media engagement means anytime you:

·         Share other’s content

·         Comment on posts

·         Like posts

·         Click-through on a post

·         Mention others in a post

And this may surprise you, but anything between 1 to 5% is considered good in terms of social media engagement!

Need to chat with a social media manager?   

If you’d like to pick the brain of a social media manager to find ways of boosting your engagement, please book a brand strategy session with me. Looking at your current content calendar, we can work together to tweak it, engage with your audience and boost your interaction levels.

To book a brand strategy session, please get in touch.

You can find my services here or send me an email to connect.

Here are some other blogs you may find handy:

·         Is failure to engage ruining your social media strategy?

·         How to create a comprehensive social media strategy

·         The top social media trends you need to know for 2023

·         The importance of video content on social media

If you have any questions or insights about boosting social media engagement, drop them in the comments below.