I have a question for you… When it comes to thinking about engagement on your social media, do you actually care? Or do you think you should care?
There are no wrong answers here. But I am genuinely curious.
To be real, I think sometimes, we think we should care about something (like social media for your business in general) but we just don’t have the mental capacity to actually care (because the world is burning around us, so what’s a few likes on my post, right?)
Do I think you should care? Obviously (it’s my job)
But it might not be for the reason you suspect.
Instagram engagement has been traditionally seen as the health barometer of your account. If you have a high engagement rate, then your account is healthy. If it’s low, then you have some work to do.
Often, people are more concerned about their engagement rate because they think that it means the algorithm won’t push their content. And while that’s kind of true (with some exceptions) the real reason you should care about your engagement rate is because you should care about your audience.
Let me repeat that; you should care about your audience.
Instagram is digital, and sometimes we forget that there is a real human on the other end of the account. Because social media can feel like so much work, we come to resent the app and we blame our audience for not giving us more attention for our efforts. And we come to resent our audience.
And that sucks.
Because your audience is your greatest resource and interest pool. They have already clicked that follow button and are genuinely curious about your business. But that interest will fade if they are not KEPT interested.
If you don’t post consistently or if your content is lackluster, boring or doesn’t provide value, your audience will move on to something else.
So, how do we keep their attention and entice them to engage with our account?
Create stand out content
This doesn’t mean you need to become a full-time content creator but it should mean that you are getting creative with your content.
I’m not going to lie, I’m a sucker for easy Canva templates too. I love them. They are soooo damn easy. But, everyone else is using the same ones.
If you want to stand out, you need to get original. Maybe you add your own spin to a trending video or topic. Maybe you speak out with a bold opinion your audience shares with you and gives them an outlet to talk about a subject in your field. Whatever it is, we are not middle schoolers trying to fit in, we want the spotlight on us.
Ask for engagement
Is there any easier tip than that!? You want it, then ask for it! And no, I don’t mean those annoying “Only 7% of you will see this” posts. When you are writing your caption, ask them their opinion, get their take on something and be genuinely interested in forging a relationship with them.
You won’t necessarily do a hard sell on every single post, but you can ask them to contribute to the conversation and get to know them better.
Give engagement
Honestly, this is the one thing that 90% of you won’t do. I say this all the time and I have yet to be proven wrong. Why? Because it takes time.
However, the laws of reciprocal psychology tell us that when someone is interested in us, we are more likely to be interested in them.
So, if you want interest- get interested!
Go out where your audience is hanging out on Instagram and find them! You can target your followers and audience by being interested in them, starting conversations and making it about them instead of you. It’s a great way to start a relationship and they will trust you more.
And the more they trust you, the more likely it is that they will buy from you. So get interested.
So there you have it, the secret sauce to engagement. Underwhelming isn’t it?
Because there is no hack that will replace genuine, sincere relationships and a strong brand message.
If you are looking to spice up your captions to help entice your audience to read further and hit that like button, download my Captions That Converts guide. It will give you the step-by-step caption structure you need to follow to get more engagement & conversion on your posts.
Until next time,
