Why Social Media Engagement is Important for Your Business

social media engagement

In an era where online presence has never been more important, social media is an essential part of any great marketing strategy. Yet many businesses struggle to know what a good social plan looks like – or what to aim for in terms of performance and return on investment. One thing’s for sure, if there’s any word that gets thrown around too often, it’s ‘engagement’…

Read on to discover:

  • What social media engagement is and how it’s measured
  • The different types of engagement
  • Why it’s important for your business
  • How Making You Content can help

What is social media engagement?

In a nutshell, it’s a measure of how people interact with your social profiles, as well as the content you publish on them. It’s typically monitored by metrics including:

  • Likes and reactions
  • Favourites (saves)
    Comments and direct messages
  • Shares (including retweets on Twitter)
  • Mentions (tags)
  • Follows
  • Clicks

Each of these are good indicators that what you post is resonating with your existing audience. Better still, when users respond to your content it’s then placed in front of their connections too, giving you the opportunity to grow your audience organically.

Not getting likes and comments? Don’t overlook other signs of engagement. Follows indicate that people are genuinely interested in receiving updates about your products and services – think of it like a website visitor subscribing to a mailing list. Meanwhile, click-throughs show that your audience wants to read more – even if they’re not liking the post.

What are the different types of engagement?

Communication is a two-way street. You can’t expect loyalty from your customers if you don’t interact with them on your social channels. Here are the three main types of social media engagement you should include in your strategy:

Direct engagement

Customers now expect brands to offer quick support directly. If a follower sends you a message – whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter – responding quickly allows you to build long-term relationships with them, with the added bonus of helping you manage the online reputation of your brand.

Public resolutions

Every business has to deal with negative publicity at some point, but it’s your level of customer service that determines whether or not a consumer returns. If you’ve received an online complaint then a public, swift, and respectful response shows that you take their concerns seriously, and that you genuinely care about your clients – not just your profits.

Social listening

As the name implies, social listening means paying attention to online conversations about your business. Engaging with users who are speaking honestly about your products is almost like an online focus group – you’ll be surprised what you can learn about your brand.

Why is it important for your business?

Social media engagement ultimately allows you to build customer relationships, laying the foundations for trust, credibility and loyalty. But that’s not all. A strong social strategy can also help you to:

  • Grow an engaged target audience that you can market to
  • Directly sell your products and services
  • Build and protect the reputation of your business
  • Boost brand awareness

How to improve social media engagement

Improving your social media engagement isn’t an easy task – and it certainly won’t happen overnight – but Making You Content can help. We’re experts in social media management and content marketing, and can cover all platforms including (but not limited to) Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Curious about our services? Let’s talk! Our team of social media managers will take the weight off your shoulders and help you create an engaging online presence.

Words by Kelly

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