Are you engaged, too?

Just say yes!

Ah, engagement season is upon us!

I don’t know about you, but my news feed has been bombarded with sparkles, kisses, and couples. As a single 20-something, I find this to be a bit overwhelming. While I’m super happy for any of my friends who have decided to tie the knot, I can’t say I’m bitter.

I’m engaged too, but it’s not what you think.

I decided a long time ago to marry my career, which is why I’m taking advantage of this trending topic to talk about how it relates to social media marketing. Engagement is an important and often overlooked aspect of social media marketing…but why?

If you’re in charge of your companies online marketing platforms, you know that, like your website, your social media channels need to be updated. But if all you’re doing is scheduling posts, you’re doing the job halfway.

Why you should get engaged:

Social media is called “social” for a reason: It’s about people connecting.

When you’re browsing your news feed, what do you see? Mostly updates from friends and family, right? That’s what people use it for. You don’t want your brand to be a robot, you want it to be human. So, if you want more followers, give the people what they want! You can take this as a way to adjust your voice as you post, or you can take it one step further and really connect with your audience. Like their photos. Reply to their comments, even if only to say “Thanks!” Use emojis. Make them feel important to you. After all, they’re keeping you in business, right? Share the love!

It helps your social media algorithms, too.

Yep, being nice to your followers is actually a bit selfish. Especially on Instagram, more people will find your posts when they browse if you interact as well. You know what that means? More followers and more people engaging with you. You’re not just giving the love, but getting it, too! And you know what’s even better? This is all organic, which means you don’t have to spend any of your hard earned cash on advertisements. All you need to do is invest just a little bit of time…but if you’re updating, you’ve already made an investment, so don’t let that time go to waste. A few extra minutes of engagement will go a long way.

Dare to be different.

Interacting with your followers gives you an opportunity to set your company apart from its competition. Not all businesses interact with their followers online, so reminding your audience that there’s a person behind the business is a great way to make real connections. Even if your competition is on the ball with engagement, you can still take it one step further to be even more “real.” If your competition is interacting with their followers, making sure that you do it better is crucial. Switch up your tone and see what your audience responds to better or just engage with them even more.

Like all relationships, your engagement is hard work.

Next week, I’ll take this one step further and give you some ideas on how to engage with your audience, beyond simply liking their posts and comments. I’ll even add a few tips on how to do this efficiently, since even though it’s technically “free,” we all know that time is money.

Happy engagement season!