8 Tips to Get More Engagement on Social Media Content

Social media is often the go-to marketing channel for brands of various sizes. Many spend hours on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other SM sites. 

Interesting and engaging content is one reason social media is so popular. Multiple brands make the most of their resources to attract potential leads and convert them into customers.

Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. Crafting engaging content requires much work, but you can start by focusing on some basics.

Let’s examine useful tips for improving your social media content and gaining more engagement.

Avoid Text

Visual content receives a lot of attention. As attention span averages continue to drop, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to focus on reading text.

Walls of text might have been effective in the past, but they should be avoided right now. Instead, it is better to work on:

• Infographics
• Videos
• Animations
• GIFs
• Static images

Even if you don’t have that much experience in creating content, you can figure out how to do it in no time. Some people begin with basic tools, such as Paint, and learning how to use Paint in MacBook or another device is hardly a challenge.

After getting familiar with the process, you can move to more complicated tools with a wider array of editing features. 

Creativity might be a struggle early on because you are still trying to understand the process rather than the end result, but it will come eventually.

Keep an Eye on Trends

Trends come and go fast, particularly on platforms like TikTok. Striking the iron while it’s hot should be a priority. Take the ALS ice bucket challenge that was a hot hit. Even the biggest celebrities participated in that one. Such challenges are rare, but they illustrate how one campaign snowballs and attracts attention.

Users become fascinated with it and eagerly await what unique twist somebody comes up with. Who knows, with enough hard work and some luck, your brand might be the one to strike gold or even become a trendsetter.

Organize Giveaways

Giveaways are one of the oldest social media marketing methods. The premise is pretty straightforward. You announce a contest and invite interested people to participate by sharing, liking, and commenting on the content.

The content goes viral and reaches audiences that might not have heard of your brand before. 

Note, though, that different platforms have different competition rules. Check those first so you do not break the rules. 

The prizes can range from simple voucher coupons and free shipping to custom merchandise or free trials.

One final thing to mention is that some brands like to play dirty. They create a giveaway but announce fake winners to cut potential losses. 

Getting away with such behavior once or twice is possible, but it does not take too long for social media users to understand what is happening. And after they expose you, expect to struggle if you want to return from this.

Remember to Use Hashtags

Marketers should not ignore hashtags if they want to reach more people. For instance, Instagram posts often include five or more hashtags because marketers want to get featured on a hashtag’s page. 

A similar thing applies to Twitter. If somebody is looking for specific content, they will use hashtags to find it.

While hashtags have users, it is important to remember that spamming them in the content might have the opposite effect of what you expected. 

A content piece with multiple hashtags looks spammy and unappealing, and the social media site might flag it. 

Hashtags are also competitive, so it is pretty common to seek ways to make your hashtag a little bit different to avoid collision with brands using the most popular hashtags.

Share User-Generated Content

User-generated content is an interesting approach to get more engagement on the content you publish right now. Include an Instagram wall on your event page to showcase user-generated content using the event hashtag. This will not only encourage participation but also, user-generated content can be a powerful social proof tool.

It adds variety to the overall content strategy, but the main idea behind this method is to establish a deeper connection with your audience. Showing that you care and want to incorporate their ideas into your social media strategy is great if you think long-term.

Collaborate With Other Brands

Collaborations are more than just a means to get engagement. They also allow you to build valuable relationships with various influencers and other page types on social media.

A simple shoutout exchange to each other’s audiences is bound to drive traffic and benefit both parties. However, there are other ways to approach collaborations.

If you focus on this method, find the right partners. Avoid your competition, and do not waste time reaching out to brands that are much larger than you because you will likely be ignored.

Respond to Comments

Social media audiences leave comments to express their opinions. Responding to these comments works in favor of brands.

Once users see that the brand is responding to them, they will be more encouraged to engage with the content. The sense of getting noticed is a big boost for those who want to get themselves heard.

In addition, pages that respond to user comments also show their human side, unlike those who ignore the comments, leaving a negative impression.

Establish a Time Frame for Your Posts

Establishing the best publishing schedule will take some trial and error. However, given the many variables, it is inevitable.

Determining the best time to post content also depends on the platform. For example, if you receive the most engagement on Facebook by posting on Friday evening, do not expect the same to work for Instagram and other sites.

During your research, do not forget about consistency. If you find the best time to post, can you continue publishing enough content to keep the audience engaged? Using Instagram post templates or other platform-specific templates can be an effective solution to maintain a consistent posting schedule, ensuring your content is always ready to go.

Consistency also plays a prominent role in the equation. If you miss a few days, do not be surprised to see lower engagement numbers.

Conclusion

To sum up, social media content engagement strategies are intricate and require effort to maximize their effectiveness. Nevertheless, real user engagement is a critical metric for determining a brand’s performance on social media. Therefore, it should be a priority for marketers who want to succeed.