Want to Increase Social Media Engagement? Here's How

Engagement on social platforms isn't just a buzzword—it's the lifeblood of your online presence. Whatever your industry, understanding and improving your interactions with your audience can make or break your digital strategy.

But what exactly is social media engagement, and why does it matter so much? More importantly, how can you add some oomph to it and boost your online success?

Let's dive in and unpack everything you need to know about social media engagement, including practical tips to increase it and the metrics you absolutely must track.

What is social media engagement?

Social media engagement refers to the interactions between your brand and your audience on social media platforms. It's not just about how many followers you have—it's about how those followers interact with your content. Genuine engagement comes from real followers who truly value and connect with your content. Fake followers? They could never 😉

These interactions can take many forms, including:

👍 Likes

💬 Comments

📣 Shares

🗂️ Saves

🖱️ Click-throughs

@ Mentions

📥 Direct messages

Essentially, engagement is any action a user takes that shows they're actively interested in and responding to your content rather than passively scrolling past it.

Why is social media engagement important?

You might be wondering, "Why should I care about engagement? Isn't it just vanity metrics?" 

Not at all! Social media engagement matters for several reasons:

1. It builds brand awareness. The more people interact with your content, the more visible it becomes to others, expanding your reach organically.

2. It fosters brand loyalty. Engaged followers are likelier to become loyal customers and advocates.

3. It provides valuable feedback. Comments and messages give you direct insights into your audience's thoughts about your brand and products.

4. It improves algorithm performance. Most social media platforms prioritize content with high engagement, meaning more Facebook interactions can lead to better online visibility.

5. It drives conversions. Engaged followers are likelier to click through to your website and make purchases.

How to increase your social media engagement

Now that we understand why engagement matters, let's look at some strategies to boost it:

1. Know your audience

The first step to increasing engagement is understanding who you're trying to engage with. Use platform analytics tools to gather data on your followers' demographics, interests, and behaviors. This information will help you create content that resonates with your target audience.

In Meta Business Suite, you can access audience insights via the Insights tab in the menu and then selecting the ‘Audience’ tab. This section provides detailed information about your audience, including demographics like age, gender, and location.

On Instagram, you can check your demographics under the ‘Followers’ section in Instagram Insights. This tool provides detailed information about your audience, including age, gender, location, and active times.

2. Create valuable, shareable content

Your content should be informative, entertaining, or both. Consider creating infographics, how-to guides, or behind-the-scenes peeks your audience will want to share.

3. Use video content

Video is king when it comes to engagement. Whether it's short-form content like TikToks or longer YouTube videos, incorporating video into your strategy can significantly boost engagement.

4. Encourage user-generated content

According to a study on post-pandemic shifts, user-generated content (UGC) packs 8.7 times the punch of influencer content and is 6.6 times more persuasive than branded content. UGC is evidently a great way to boost engagement while building trust. 

Invite your followers to share photos or stories featuring your products and repost the best submissions. It’s also a clever way to keep your content fresh and consistent without the pressure of constantly coming up with new ideas.

5. Engage with your audience

Social media is a two-way street. Respond to comments, ask questions, and create polls to encourage interaction. Be prompt in your responses to keep the conversation flowing.

6. Use hashtags strategically

Hashtags can increase your content's discoverability. Research relevant hashtags in your industry and use them in your posts. But don't go overboard—find the right balance for each platform.

7. Post consistently

Social media algorithms prioritize consistent and frequent posting. The more engagement and follows your content receives, the broader its reach. So, if you want your content to have more visibility, you must get used to pumping out more content. Consider creating a content calendar to ensure you're posting regularly. 

Ideal posting frequency per social media platform:

8. Leverage influencer partnerships

Teaming up with influencers is like getting a backstage pass to new audiences. It’s a win-win for engagement! Make sure to pick influencers whose followers vibe with your target audience—because when the match is right, the results can be magic. 

What I love about this Sofia X Foster Grant partnership is how she made the post feel personal and relatable. Wearing glasses for the first time can be awkward; she captured that perfectly. When you find the perfect partner for your brand, the content will feel organic and authentic.

9. Run contests and giveaways

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Contests and giveaways are surefire ways to boost engagement. For new businesses, they’re incredibly effective in growing your following. A typical contest might ask participants to follow your business page, like the post, comment on what they love about the product, and share the post or tag a friend. It’s a direct request for engagement—because if you don’t ask, you don’t receive, right?

10. Optimize your posting times

Timing matters when it comes to engagement. Why does it matter? Posting at your business’s best time can help you reach more followers, resulting in a higher engagement rate. Generate as much buzz around your post as possible in the first 15-20 minutes, as the algorithm rewards posts with a quick surge of likes. For example, after posting on your feed, share it on your Stories too.

After publishing, comment on others' posts to draw attention to your profile and earn a like on your latest post. You can also use targeted hashtags, boost your content with Instagram ads, and more. As comments start rolling in, engage with them through light banter to spark conversations.

However, all that effort could be wasted if you post when your audience isn’t online. Without those crucial first likes, it’s tough to drive engagement, so timing is everything to ensure your content gets seen.

Use your platform's analytics to determine when your followers are most active and schedule your posts accordingly. For example, this is how to check when your Facebook followers are most active in your Facebook Insights:

You’ll first need to create or switch to an Instagram business account to find out when your followers are most active on Instagram. Then, go to the Insights section under ‘For professionals,’ then navigate to the ‘Total Followers’ section. Scroll down, and you’ll see a breakdown of the days of the week and approximate times when your followers are most active.

Social media engagement metrics you have to track

Tracking the proper metrics is essential for understanding and improving your social media engagement. Here are some key metrics to keep an eye on:

1. Engagement rate - This is the percentage of your audience interacting with your content. It's typically calculated by dividing total engagements by followers and multiplying by 100.

2. Reach - The number of unique users who see your content.

3. Impressions - The total number of times your content is displayed.

4. Click-through rate (CTR) - The percentage of people who click on a link in your post.

5. Shares/Retweets - The number of times users share your content.

6. Comments - The number and quality of comments on your posts.

7. Mentions - How often do other users mention your brand?

8. Follower growth rate - The rate at which you gain new followers.

While these metrics are crucial, keeping tabs on them across multiple platforms can be time-consuming and complex. That's where Madgicx's One-Click Report comes in handy. This powerful tool allows you to measure social media engagement across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok in one place, saving you time and providing comprehensive insights.

With One-Click Report, you can track all your main engagement metrics in real time, compare performance across different platforms, generate custom reports with just a few clicks, and share insights easily with team members or clients.

Ready to spend less time crunching numbers and more time crafting engaging content and interacting with your audience? Try One-Click Report for free with the 7-day free trial.

Wrap up

There you have it—social media engagement isn’t rocket science, but it does require strategy, consistency, and a deep understanding of your audience. Creating valuable content, encouraging interaction, and closely monitoring your performance can build a thriving social media presence that drives accurate business results.

Remember, social media is constantly evolving, so stay flexible and be ready to adapt your strategy as needed. Keep experimenting, keep measuring, and most importantly, keep engaging!