Social media engagement is an important metric to consider when trying to grow your business. First, you want to ensure that you engage authentically with your audience. It may take time, but the relationship you build with your followers will be worth it because you never know when a follower will become a customer or client.

Not only does engaging with your followers help strengthen a relationship with potential clients and customers (building that trust factor), but the algorithm likes it too. The more engagement you have on your posts, stories, and reels, the more you get “seen.”

But there is a method to it. Ideally, you want to have a back-and-forth engagement with your followers or the accounts you follow. The key is being authentic and genuine when it comes to engagement. Here are five tips to boost engagement on your social media accounts.

Respond to comments: 

Be social on your social media. That means responding to comments and inquiries. If comments are positive, show your love and thanks for the comments. If there is a negative message, consider responding with a resolution to the problem or request to message you directly to resolve it. Try not to overthink it too much. Replying to a comment is better than not responding at all.

Call to action: 

Use phrases or ask questions like “tell me in the comments”… “let me know in the comments”…”what’s your favourite”… in your captions. It’s telling your audience to engage with your content. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about your audience and build that relationship. Depending on the nature of your business, you can even take this opportunity to showcase products. For example, if you make jewellery, ask your audience to let you know if they prefer gold or silver. If you make candles, ask them to share their favourite scent.

Continue the conversation: 

Instead of liking someone’s comment or giving a quick “thanks!” try to expand the conversation to keep it going. This is where you’re going to build that back-and-forth communication. Ask the commenter another question or expand on their inquiry to continue the engagement.

Know when your audience is online: 

Your audience isn’t online all the time so knowing when they are is vital to when you post. If you post at 2 AM, by the time your audience is online, you’ll have missed the opportunity for valuable engagement. Most social media platforms offer insight and suggestions as to when the best time to post is based on when your followers are online. It may vary from one platform to the next, so do some research and use it as a guideline for when you post.

HAVE FUN: 

Your audience probably has a great sense of humour. Joke around with your audience and make it an enjoyable experience for them. No one wants to be “sold” to. So use your wit to draw the audience in and entertain them. They’ll be more likely to come back and support you, knowing the customer service is top-notch!

If you are running your business online, it’s essential to consider how you can boost your engagement. Building a relationship with your followers can also help boost your sales. So, if your audience isn’t engaged enough, consider reviewing (or creating) your social media engagement strategy and start incorporating some of these tips!