When it comes to social media, even the pros are learning new things every day, because the social media space revolves around the interest in new things. New jokes, new tricks, new trends, new tools – we’re always hungry for fresh ideas.
If you want attention for your brand, you need to show people something that grabs their attention – something they’ve never seen before, or a new perspective on an old thing. You need to get creative. Take a classic concept and flip it on its head. Use audio, trends, memes and images from popular culture, and blend them with the unique selling points of your brand or product. Then when you’ve caught lightning in a bottle and made that viral video, you have to know how to translate that attention into engagement.
Here’s how you can do it, with our top tips for entrepreneurs seeking to develop the art of social media engagement.
1. Master Visual Storytelling
You need to get a bit tech-savvy in order to create and combine images for posts that leave a lasting impression, especially in the highly competitive atmosphere of the social media landscape. Mix photographs with animated detailing, or merge pictures to create a collage DIY effect that leans into the human side of your company.
The same goes for your multimedia content too. Would you rather watch someone talk in a quiet office, or from the bottom of The Valley Of Flowers? It doesn’t change what they’re saying at all, but there’s a clear answer, isn’t there? Social media is a highly visual medium, so you want to do everything you can to spark interest.
2. Know Your Audience
If you want to get your message across, you need to know who you’re talking to. There are endless ways to say the same thing, but you want to make sure your target audience understands and resonates with the words you choose.
Take Netflix, for example. Part of what makes them a premier streaming brand is their recommendations system. They know who you are through your watching habits, and present you with new movies you want to watch – which maintains your interest (and need) to keep paying that monthly subscription and engaging with the service.
To do this through social media, figure out who’s watching your content – you can do this in the analytics section of the app. Once you’ve figured out your demographic, post content and ask questions in the comments that relate to their interests, lifestyles and generational problems.
3. Timing is Everything
Timing your posts isn’t just about choosing when your demographic is most likely to be on their phones. But this is important too, so consider scheduling posts to maximise reach and engagement.
Think about key events in their calendar too to inform your social media campaigns. For example, if you’re showing off a new product for men in their forties and fifties, you could post about it in the lead up to Father’s Day. Feed your target audience when they’re hungry, not when they’re already full, so that you’re more likely to see interest and engagement in what you’re uploading.
4. Interact & Invite Interaction
If you ask a question people will try to answer it, whether they know the answer or not, that’s just instinct. If you reply to a comment, people will check it, that’s instinct too. Simple actions like responding, liking and sharing drive engagement and interaction online, and each click counts, with the ability to generate huge snowball effects responsible for making videos, brands and people go viral on platforms like TikTok.
To increase engagement, give people more opportunities to engage. Create challenges, competitions, invite collaboration, chat with people and respond to private messages. This adds another layer of interest for your audience, whilst making your brand seem more personable and authentic.
5. Collaborate With Influencers & Other Brands
If you’re making something people want, then why not offer it to influential people to show off how much they like it? Find other channels, brands and social media influencers that could enjoy your product or content, and team up.
If you’re selling courses for example, offer free classes to local vloggers who can share the positive experience with their fans. This form of video affiliate marketing makes use of your existing audiences to pool your reach and benefit from the collective influence.
6. Listen & Learn From Mistakes
If you’re not getting any comments or engagement, that’s telling you something: you’re not attracting attention. Alternatively, attracting the wrong kind of attention can be worse than receiving none at all. When people are commenting on your posts, it’s a little easier to see what people think of your content. If you’re appealing to the wrong demographics you might experience little engagement. If you’re getting feedback from the right target audience but they don’t seem interested, it might be time to switch up the content itself.
And if you aren’t sure how to interpret your impact on your audience through your data and replies, you can always compare with similar channels that are doing well in your niche. But be careful to avoid copying your competitors’ strategies too closely – they will be quick to pick up on it, and so will your consumers.
7. Adopt New Strategies
The more a concept, trend, audio snippet or video format is repeated, the fewer views it will get each time. Pay attention to trends and maximise their potential for driving engagement and attracting new audiences, but don’t drag them on past their peak. Your brand will quickly start to look stale, and your followers will grow bored and click elsewhere.
Always stay on the lookout for new features and emerging trends that you could spin into content for your brand. Sometimes an unrelated current event can be the best way to hook people, then surprise them with your own content—like using Flux.1 to create fresh, engaging visuals that captivate your audience.
Maximising Social Media Engagement: In Summary
Engagement is a greater form of connection. So to maximise entrepreneurial success through social media, you want to know how to connect with your audience through your content, creation and communication. That means learning how to keep the comments coming (and ensuring they stay positive), how to keep people watching your channel or looking for each new post, and even how to keep them guessing over what you might post next.
You have a relationship with your audience and as you pay attention and consideration to it, like any other, it will grow. Follow these tips to boost social media engagement, and stay on top of the ever-evolving changes in this emerging field of branding.
