9 Tips to Increase Your Social Media Engagement: Part 2

Small businesses face a lot of competition when it comes to social media engagement. To stay ahead of the curve, it’s important to consistently evaluate and improve your social media strategy. In part two of this two-part series (Part 1), we’ll be providing a comprehensive checklist to help small businesses ensure they’re making the most of their social media presence.

From identifying key hashtags to knowing your competitors, this checklist covers all the essentials of successful social media engagement. By following these guidelines, small businesses can better understand their target audience, track their efforts, and drive more traffic to their platform. It’s time to find out and make the most of your social media strategy. In this article, we’ll dive into the first question on our social media engagement checklist, “Do you want more comments on your posts”.

Increase Your Social Media Engagement With These Nine Tips

Do you want more comments on your posts?

Maximizing engagement is key to growing your social media presence. As noted by expert Neil Patel, the quality of your content is much more important than the quantity of your posts. With so many posts flooding social media daily, bombarding your followers with a high volume of content won’t cut it. Instead, create posts that connect with your audience and make them feel understood and valued. When they do comment on your posts, make sure to respond and show your appreciation. Engaging with your audience is crucial in building and maintaining a strong online community.

What are the most recent trends and issues?

Being on top of the latest trends is one of the biggest reasons people engage with posts on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. From new challenges, dances, to practical jokes, there’s always something fresh and exciting happening. Why not start a trend of your own? Identify the trends and issues relevant to your industry and use them to spark some unexpected engagement. Keep in mind, each platform has its own unique demographic, so make sure to find the right trend that resonates with your audience.

Have you identified key hashtags to your target audience and industry?

The right hashtag strategy can make or break your results on social media. As I was starting my career in Digital Marketing I learned this the hard way when working with a client on their Facebook and LinkedIn platforms. After posting content for the first month, I noticed that LinkedIn was a huge success, but Facebook was a disaster. My client revealed that her Facebook audience wasn’t the same as our target audience, which explained why the content didn’t perform well. The key takeaway? You must know your target audience and find the hashtags they use, engage with, and explore.

But, it’s not just about using a bunch of hashtags and hoping for the best. You must be strategic and understand how your audience uses each platform. The right hashtags are critical to getting your posts promoted by the platform’s algorithm. So, what are the two keys to hashtags success? Know your audience and which hashtags are relevant for each post on each platform.

Have you joined groups (when available) on your platforms?

Join groups and network with like-minded individuals. Groups are a fantastic opportunity to connect with others who share similar interests. To see real results, it’s crucial to be an active contributor, not just a consumer. Engage in the group by commenting, encouraging others, and being involved. Some groups are for networking purposes, others for promoting your business, and some for discussion. Be strategic about which groups you join and make sure you’re in ones where your time will be invested for long-term growth. Facebook groups are popular, but don’t overlook LinkedIn groups. The key to success in groups is to post respectfully and engage with others’ posts. Remember, treat others how you want to be treated. Start exploring Facebook and LinkedIn groups today and find ones that can help you achieve your social media goals.

Have you identified your competitors?

Stay ahead of the game by knowing your competitors. Knowing your competitors is crucial for success on social media. Start by following their posts and engaging with their content and audience. If your competitor is neglecting their social media presence, seize the opportunity to establish yourself as the expert and redirect their audience to your account.

Another reason to keep an eye on your competitors is to understand how they built their following. Analyze their strategies, such as giveaways, partnerships, and promotional methods. Evaluate their marketing lists, email lists, website, links, and engagement patterns to identify trends in their practices. This information can help you distinguish between “have to do”, “good to do”, and “dumb to do” tactics. Stay ahead of the game and stay informed about your competitors.

Are you having clients, partners, and other affiliated groups tag you, share your posts, or partner with you on giveaways and promotions?

Grow your brand with clients, partners, and affiliates.

Having loyal customers, clients, partners, and affiliates promote your brand is essential to success. A good product or service, coupled with giveaways and promotions are powerful tools you can use to work with clients and partners. Encourage them to share your posts, blogs, giveaways, and promotions to expand your reach. Social media influencers can also be a great way to reach a new audience, as long as there is a mutually beneficial compensation arrangement in place. By partnering with influencers, you can reach a new audience of like-minded people and potentially convert some of their followers into your own. This mutually beneficial relationship can provide a quick growth in your following.

If you’re looking for a more cost-effective way to reach your target audience, consider inviting guest posts from people with similar audiences or becoming a guest post/presenter for other brands. By leveraging the power of your existing network, you can grow your brand and increase your following.

Are you sending emails that include your social links?

This simple step is often overlooked but can still provide a small increase in traffic to your social media platforms. Make sure to include your company’s social links in every email you send. The placement and call to action (CTA) in your emails will impact the results, so make sure the links are easy to find and distinguish. A great resource for email signatures is HubSpot, which can help you optimize your email signatures for maximum impact. While it may not lead to a significant increase in traffic, it’s a small step that can help drive more traffic to your social media platforms.

https://www.hubspot.com/email-signature-generator

Do all pages of your website have your social links?

Make it easy for your website visitors to connect with you on social media by including your social links on every page of your website. The best way to do this is by placing the links in your footer, which should be a universal feature that helps with SEO, site navigation, and contact information. By updating your footer once, it will automatically update across all pages, making it easier to keep track of which pages are up to date. Keep it simple and make sure your social links are prominently displayed in your website’s footer.

What data analytics tools are you using to track your efforts?

Your data is your money, so track your social media efforts with data analytics tools. Don’t let all your hard work go to waste by not tracking your results. Use data analytics tools, such as Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel, to understand where your traffic is coming from and what your audience is interested in. Without this information, it’s like building a house without a foundation. You won’t know how people are finding and interacting with you, and you’ll be starting from scratch after every setback. Make sure to track your social media efforts with the right tools to avoid missing out on valuable insights. If you’re not already using these tools, it’s time to change your approach and contact us today to get started.

Conclusion

Concluding part two of this series on how to improve your social media engagement you now know which actions, tools, and resources are essential for small businesses looking to maximize their social media presence. From understanding your target audience to tracking your efforts, these tips are designed to help businesses improve their social media strategy and engage with their followers. Whether you’re looking for more comments on your posts, identifying key hashtags, or partnering with clients and influencers, these tips will help you achieve your social media goals. Additionally, by including your social links in your emails, website, and using data analytics tools, you’ll be able to track your results and make informed decisions about your social media strategy. Start making the most of your social media presence today!