Thinking beyond likes: how to prompt social media engagement

Social media has infiltrated our lives. From scrolling through our feeds, sharing moments with friends and family, or promoting our business, engagement is what drives the allure to social media. Just like everything else, platforms are always changing, and introducing new features means we constantly have to shift our approaches and behaviors. Aiming for likes will not yield a meaningful impact. 

To exert power over our social media, we need to think beyond vanity metrics (e.g. followers and likes) and look at strategies that prompt genuine engagement with our audience. 

Here are some ways to do this: 

Create compelling content - The foundation of any successful social media strategy (yes, a strategy or at least a roadmap; social media that lacks direction is a nonstarter) is crafting content that converts. What messages resonate? What are the pain points? What visuals do you have that drive home your message?

Start a conversation - Social media's main purpose is to connect with others. Encourage (read: ask) your audience to share their thoughts, opinions, and how they relate to your content. Use powerful calls to actions, ask open ended questions, and dig for feedback.

Be authentic and transparent - Build trust with your audience. Be clear about who you are, your brand values, and how you operate. Share behind the scene glimpses into your life, personal thoughts, and show, don’t tell. Humanize your brand and scaffold a sense of community and connection. 

Optimize timing and frequency - This is your chance to experiment with different posting times and frequencies to see what works best for your audience. Pay attention to your analytics and insights so that you can identify patterns and trends. 

Having meaningful engagements with your audience is the key to growing on social media and yielding desired conversions. It takes time, effort, and patience, and you will give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back in the long run.