How to Get Engagement on Social Media for Small Businesses
Have you ever just decided to post random things on your social media platform and then wondered why there was very little (if any) engagement?
If you have, don’t worry — you’re not alone!
A lot of small businesses make the mistake of only posting when there’s a promotion going on or because they feel like they HAVE to post for the day. Imagine how you feel when you’re scrolling through Instagram — what do you do when you see brands constantly selling or posting things that don’t resonate with you?
You. Keep. Scrolling.
Building engagement on social media for your small business is about creating content your audience wants to see and posting it consistently. Instead of looking at social media like a wall where you throw spaghetti to see what sticks, consider it a more like intimate gathering of your friends (remember those, 2020?) — how would you engage with them them during a party? You’d be personable, generous and fun.
Okay — so you get the idea that you need to have a social media presence. But HOW do you get engagement on social media for small business? Let’s dive in.
How do you increase engagement on social media channels?
It's about encompassing these three types of content into your posts consistently:
Educational
Entertaining
Inspirational
Each of these content types allow you to connect with your target market and encourage engagement. Going back to our spaghetti on the wall scenario — should you just throw a bunch of content out there to see what works? I mean you COULD, but that’s really a waste of time and energy, IMO.
Here’s how to boost your engagement on social media:
Figure out the starting point for your engagement analytics. To understand your growth (or lack thereof) you want to see what you’re working with NOW. Take note of how many followers you have and what your averages likes/comments/shares are today.
Create your strategy. How are you planning to use your social media? What’s the result you want out of your content? There could be a variety of answers depending on your small business. It could be generating leads, engaging directly with customers or even sharing knowledge to become an authority figure in the industry.
Post consistently. Social media algorithms favor accounts that post consistently and get engagement.
What are some ways to use content to drive engagement?
Not sure what type of content to write to give your profile a well-rounded feel? Here are some ideas:
Educational-- Educational content is created to show your target market how or why to use a product or service you're offering. Two examples of this would be answering customer questions or spotlighting certain items/services that you provide and how they solve a problem in a customer's life.
Entertaining-- Most of us like to see entertaining or lighthearted content. It often connects us through common experiences or allows us to join in a collective groan over a daily moments. Lighten up your feed and encourage engagement by breaking up sales and educational content with fun, casual posts.
Inspirational- Do you browse social media for inspiration or motivation? Your customers do, too. Whether you want to share your entrepreneurial story or how you break through mindset blocks -- share it! Chances are it will resonate with a lot of readers.
What does engagement look like for small businesses?
People out there are under the assumption that comments or likes are the only way to track engagement — but did you know there are a few other ways to see how your posts are doing? Here are just some of the various metrics to watch as you start to post consistently:
Likes + comments (of course)
Follower count (is your page growing, or is it losing followers?)
Shares — the more shares your post gets, the more it might seem to resonate with your audience
Clicks — do your customers click on links in posts or in the bio?
Mentions — how often do your customers tag you in content, whether through hashtags or your social media handle?
Don’t just focus on vanity metrics like how many likes your posts get or how quick you can get a bunch of new followers. The metrics that have more potential to gain sales are clicks and shares — just something to keep in mind!
Don’t ghost your followers
You know what’s really irritating? Commenting and engaging with a brand or business only to be completely ignored as a customer. Have you ever left a comment or questions on a brand and there was zero response?
It feels icky, doesn’t it. Don’t be like that — if a customer takes the time to engage with you, put forth the effort to respond. Engagement is like a conversation and no one likes a one-sided conversation.