How to Increase Social Media Engagement in 2022

What is Social Media Engagement?

These days, brands are expected to have a meaningful presence on major networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok offering support to their fans across all of these channels. While it might seem daunting at first glance, there are several tried-and-true methods that can be used to help grow your social media community regardless of your network of choice or the size of your business. According to TechCrunch , "social media engagement" refers to any activity you do on social networks that builds up interactions with existing fans or brings in new ones. It typically includes activities such as posting engaging content, responding to comments from followers and tweeting links to articles and other information that your fans might find interesting.

However, it's important to consider the characteristics of each social network before you decide how to engage with your community on each one. Tweets are limited to 140 characters, so brevity is key. Facebook posts can be longer than tweets but their EdgeRank algorithm will limit distribution of content if engagement doesn't occur early on in a post's life cycle (usually within the first hour). 

Set goals that make sense for your business

Let's kick things off with a quick question:

“What do you want from social media, anyway?” Social media strategy planning starts with your goals.

According to the 2021 Sprout Social Index™, the most common goals for social are increasing brand awareness (58%) and increasing community engagement (41%) . Whether you want to build a larger following or a more active community, taking the time to define your social goals is the first step to reaching them.

Either way, your goals will define your social media marketing strategy and how much time and energy you'll need to dedicate to your campaigns.

Source: sproutsocial.com

Use Wit and Humor

People use social media to be entertained; not to be sold to.

If all of your social media posts are overly promotional and inviting people to buy your products, you might end up losing your audience's attention.

Instead, use humor regularly in your social media posts to entertain your followers and improve social media engagement.

Source: shanebarker.com

Create Saveable Graphics

Quotes, graphics, and repurposed tweets are everywhere on Instagram – and they're perfect for driving engagement.

You'll find that Instagram users love to share quotes on their stories especially if they're both moving and aesthetically pleasing.

A recent trend is repurposing tweets into Instagram feed posts. This type of content is really engaging and popular on Instagram. Ironic, we know.

Similar to meme creation, these sorts of graphics don't require many resources.

Even if you don't have Twitter, there are many templates you can use to make it look like a tweet.

Designer or not, you've got this!

Source: later.com

Include Call to Actions In Your Captions

Call to actions (CTAs) continue to stand the test of time.

Including a CTA, more specifically, a direct question, in your caption is a sure way to get more Instagram engagement:

But remember to ask a genuine question.

You don't want your audience to think it's simply an engagement tactic. That's a big no-no.

For example, if you share a selfie asking your followers what their favorite food is, it can look like you're on the hunt for comments and comments alone.

Whereas if you share a genuine anecdote and follow it up with a relevant question, your community is more likely to respond in your comments.

You can be creative with your questions. You can ask for advice, recommendations (restaurants, vacation spots, books), or what type of content they want to see from you.

Another way to drive engagement with CTAs is by encouraging your audience to click the link in your Instagram bio.

Since you can't include direct links in your Instagram feed post captions, using a link in bio tool, like Later's Linkin.bio , is a great way to combat this.

With Linkin.bio by Later, you can build a clickable version of your Instagram feed, along with the option to add customizable button links:

When your followers click the link in your bio, they'll be able to tap on any image or button and be directed straight to the links you've added.

This can be a landing page for a product launch, a blog post, your YouTube channel, and so much more.

Ready to drive more traffic from Instagram? Join Later today to turn your Instagram feed into a clickable landing page!

Source: later.com

Long-form video is a bust, except on YouTube

According to video hosting software company Vidyard, 60% of all videos published on the internet in 2020 were under 2 minutes long.

This stat puts video length on social media platforms into perspective.

Two years ago, with the advent of IGTV and Facebook Watch (not to mention the supposed demise of Snapchat), there was a moment when we all thought long-form video was the future.

YouTube, known for its long-form educational videos, was rewarding videos that passed the 10-minute mark. And Facebook wanted to compete in the same arena.

Businesses rushed to make “tv series” for their social platforms. Will Smith even narrated an IGTV show for National Geographic. It seemed like Facebook might not only be taking on YouTube, but cable TV networks as well.

But then TikTok arrived in North America. In response, Instagram launched Reels in late 2020, and the rest is history.

Fast forward to fall 2021.

Instagram has deprecated IGTV. No one talks about Facebook Watch anymore. And even YouTube, the last bastion of long-form video on social media, has introduced a new format. You guessed it: YouTube Shorts.

Source: blog.hootsuite.com

Reply to your audience

Replying to your audience is one of the easiest ways to improve social media engagement, but companies often overlook it. Many businesses will post content and leave it at that. This action is a mistake you want to comment back to your followers and engage them in conversation. It takes two to have a conversation, so you must spend the time conversing with your audience. If people comment on your content, comment back. Engage in conversation and start a dialogue with your brand. If you post content on your profile, monitor the comments, and take time to comment back.

Even if someone leaves a comment like “This is awesome,” you can reply and say, “Thanks, we love it too!” Having conversations with your audience is one of the most effective social media engagement strategies because it encourages them to keep engaging with your business. You motivate them to comment on future posts and connect with your company in the future. Bonus tip to increase social media engagement: Use the person's name when you respond to their comments. It helps them feel more connected to your business because you're addressing them personally. Chewy is a great example of addressing the person's comments while using their name.

Source: webfx.com