“Engagement” is something we all want from our followers on social media--but what exactly does it mean?! More likes, loads of comments, DM’s up the wahzoo?? Let’s take a deeper look into this word, how we can change our mindsets surrounding its meaning, and how we can increase the conversations that happen on our social media platforms.
FLIP. THAT. MINDSET.
Throw the word engagement in the garbage right now and replace it with conversations. So often I get caught up with the idea of having people engaged in my content that I forget what that phrase even means: having a conversation! TALK to the people who reach out to you, don’t leave them hanging! Reply to comments and DM’s and reach out to others often.
Think About Yourself First
Maybe this sounds a little counterintuitive, but trust me, it makes sense. You can’t have a meaningful conversation with anyone if you aren’t fully there yourself. Would you host a huge party in your own home only to leave all your guests right after they arrived? Well, I would hope not. The same goes for social media; it’s so important to post when you have the energy to have conversations with your followers. This might not align with the time of day where your followers are most active on social media, but that’s okay! Posting content when you are alert and engaged is much more beneficial than posting for postings sake.
Don’t Focus on Big Numbers
Stop wasting your worries on having a certain number of likes, comments, followers, etc. Chances are, you already have people there engaging in your content, so take care of them! Build meaningful relationships with the people reaching out to you, even if there are only a few. Remember that you are a small business; focus on your brand and don’t get lost in corporate strategies and big numbers.
Have Content That Resonates With Your Audience
If you find that you have absolutely NO conversations happening on your social media, you need to be switching up your content ASAP! Experiment and find out what types of posts resonate most with your audience. If no one’s ever engaging, you’re probably not targeting the right audience! If you’re still feeling lost, a good place to start is with Instagram Stories and Reels. Stories have a direct line for people to contact you via DM, which is just one way to get a conversation started, while Reels are super on-trend right now and a good way to keep viewers’ interests piqued, as well as reach out to new people.
Like anything good, increasing the valuable conversations on your social media accounts takes time and effort. Having a plan in place greatly increases your chances of success! Explore some social media planning tips here or check out my favorite tool for intentional social media marketing.
What do you say? Have any of these tips worked wonders for your brand? Comment, email, or reach out via DM.
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