8 Free Ways to Increase Social Media Engagement

When it comes to social media engagement, there’s no such thing as too many likes, comments, and shares. All social media managers know more is better for brand awareness, and there’s always room for improvement. 

Social media engagement isn’t about how many followers a small business has on its social networks. It’s a measurement of how your audience is interacting with your social media content. From comments on Facebook pages and likes on Instagram to retweets on Twitter and click-throughs of shared articles, you want engagement on all your social media channels.

On any social platform, there are endless ways small business owners can boost their engagement rate, and we’ve listed our top tips below. No matter how small your social media marketing budget is, these tactics won’t cost a dime to implement.

Tip #1: Create More Video

You’ve been posting, but your engagement rate keeps dropping day to day. What gives?

If you’ve been following us, you know we’re going to push the “create more video” button.

But that’s not the only thing you have to do. Whether creating Reels on Facebook and Instagram or videos on TikTok, you must ensure that your content is engaging.

So how do you create extra-engaging videos for social media? Here are a few tips:

• Be willing to experiment: Try new filters, new trends, and maybe even show off your dance moves.
• Be original: It’s great to hop on trends, but make sure you include videos showcasing who you are.
• Be valuable: Know your niche and provide valuable insights that show you really know your stuff.
• Be captivating: You’ll need to find hooks to keep your viewers watching longer than three seconds. (Psst, you can find hook templates with a quick Google search.)

These are just a few ways to get started with video posting. Increasing your engagement rate might take time, but better to start now! Be sure to read our blog on How to Create Short-Form Video Content.

Tip #2: Use Personal Photography

As tempting as it is to use stock imagery, don’t do it much! It’s okay to use stock photos sometimes, but generally personal photography (and video) make your small business shine brighter, and they help build your personal brand, too.

People gravitate toward those who are genuine and authentic. Bring your audience into your world and build that personal connection. 

While we’re on this topic, check out our 5 Tips For Building a Personal Brand. You’re welcome. 😉

Tip #3: Keep It Short and Sweet

Another tip for social media performance is to keep it short and sweet, just like we’ve done with this tip! 😉 If you have more to say, link to a blog post or a page on your website, and use catchy captions so people keep clicking. (Try saying that five times fast!)

Tip #4: Use the Stories Feature

Here’s a little story: Not too long ago, Instagram and Facebook launched a fantastic feature called Stories. Now, according to Sprout Social, 500 million Instagram accounts use Stories every day.

What’s so great about Stories? When you post a Story, you’re not battling algorithms or worried about posting at certain times for your content to be seen. That’s because Stories sit at the very top of users’ main feeds.

Stories disappear after 24 hours, but you can add more frames, which will bump the Story up again. This feature also allows you to post without altering your Facebook timeline or Instagram grid, since Stories don’t appear on your profile pages.

With Stories, you can share your location, tag others, use stickers and polls, and answer questions from followers, all of which allow you to boost engagement in a whole different way.

Want another tip? Make sure you’re sharing your Stories on Facebook from Instagram and vice versa. Work smarter, not harder. 😉

Tip #5: Go Live

Some of you are not going to like this. In fact, we know most of you will balk at it.

Are you ready?

Go live! (Cue the sweat and nerves.)

Why? Going live lets you shout out to your followers, interact with them in real time, and answer their questions.

It could be a behind-the-scenes look at your business, answering questions you often hear from customers, doing a mini-series, or even giving a product demo.

There’s more that goes into livestreaming, but that’s for another blog on another day.

Tip #6: Review Your Metrics

To increase social media engagement, you need to review your work and determine…well, what’s working.

Each social media platform offers a way to track your analytics. So look at your platform insights to determine which content performed well and which didn’t. Then dig deeper to see what posting times generate the highest engagement and which types of posts seem to shine, and figure out what needs improvement.

Tip #7: Test Your Timing

Play with your posting days and times to see when your posts get the highest engagement on each platform. You can always go to Google to tell you the best times to post, but those are just generalizations, and what works for most may not work for you.

Knowing how often to post on each social platform is essential. Ideally, you want to find that sweet spot where you’re posting often enough to keep your audience interested, but not so much that you flood their feeds and engagement drops off. 

Tip #8: Dedicate 15 Minutes a Day

Engagement works both ways, so carve out 15 minutes every day to comment on social media posts, react to Stories and Reels, and interact with your target audience on every platform where you have a presence.

When you take time to reply to mentions, comments, and direct messages, you show your business cares. Continue the conversation, react to both positive and negative feedback, and do it within 24 hours. This will help build relationships and trust.

Need More Help?

As marketing strategists and social media specialists, we know the secrets to increasing engagement. If this isn’t your cup of tea, it is ours, so let’s chat. Click here to book a complimentary consultation today.