advocacy brand elections

#GetSocial: What is Engagement?

The elusive “share.” The coveted “like.” More than feel-good encouragement that someone out there hears you, social media engagement is…

The elusive “share.”

The coveted “like.”

More than feel-good encouragement that someone out there hears you, social media engagement is a way of growing your reach and spreading your message organically.

But how?

In this #StrategySession, we will take you through the steps of engagement:

  • What is engagement?
  • What are the options for engagement?
  • Is there a “best” form of engagement?
  • What strategies increase engagement?

What is engagement?
What do people mean by the term “engagement?”

Engagement can be defined in a variety of different ways, but most commonly, it is referred to as an action taken in response to an online community. When people talk about engagement, they are talking about any way someone can interact with your post, tweet, or ad for example.

Whether that is likes, reactions, shares, or comments on Facebook, retweets, likes and replies on Twitter, or the other various ways to respond to a social post, every action can be viewed as “engagement.” It can be commenting on a Facebook post to voice an opinion, “liking” the post, tweet or ad, or simply clicking the image in a post so that the image enlarges.

Why do you want engagement?
Any time a person “engages” with a post, tweet, or ad, it helps spread the post by showing up in other people’s feeds, thus increasing the organic reach.

What are the options for engagement?
Engagement can take many different forms:

  • Likes
  • Reactions, including Love, Laughing, Sad, Angry, Confused
  • Shares
  • Commenting on a post
  • Playing a video
  • Sharing the post
  • Subtweet
  • Retweets
  • Quote tweets
  • Reply-to’s
  • Regrams
  • Tagging others in the comments
  • Clicking an image
  • Scrolling through multiple images or products in a carousel post
  • Subscribing

Is there a “best” form of engagement?
Likes are good; liked content will show up in another person’s feed or timeline if those two people are connected. They may then be inclined to like the post as well, further spreading the message. Liking is a fairly passive action.

Commenting is a step up from liking. Commenting requires a person to actively engage in the conversation, which can often encourage others to engage as well with a like or comment of their own. This gives the audience more ways to feel encouraged to engage and can help make a post reach a greater organic audience.

Sharing typically tops the list of engagement, though. With a share, a person has become an active promoter of your message. Posts that are shared will show up in more people’s timelines who are connected with the sharer; plus, they can also like the post, comment on it, or share it, too.

What strategies increase engagement?
As fast as people scroll, you have less than two seconds to make an impression.

How do you catch people’s eyes?

Make a statement visually.
They say a picture says a thousand words. Strong images with a consistent look and feel become instantly recognizable to your audience. Be sure to include your branding on the image, either a logo or branding element from your logo.

Don’t forget about the power of GIFs and videos.

Be original.
Heard about the Fyre Festival? Part of their viral marketing consisted of a simple orange square with limited text that stood out in a sea of more “traditional” images in people’s feeds. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

Include strong calls to action.
A strong and clear call to action will encourage people to engage with your post, tweet, or ad by showing them you are interested in their opinion. Ask people to like your photo. Encourage them to comment and tag a friend. Request that they share your post as a way of expressing their thoughts and opinions.

Ask questions.
Asking questions that are relevant to your campaign, cause organization, or brand and relevant to your target audience are a good way of encouraging people to share their opinions by engaging with your post, tweet, or ad.

Have questions? Ready to get started? Our team of strategists is ready to help. Start here.