Losing The Likes? 3 Easy Ways To Improve Your Social Media Engagement
If the thought of posting content that performs below average on Instagram or Facebook keeps you up at night, you might be a social media manager. It feels like you’re doing everything right; your content calendar is planned, posts are being published consistently, and you’re driving thoughtful engagement, only to see your key performance metrics take a big dip. I bet you’ve sat in front of your computer or your smartphone wondering why this is happening to you. Was it the editing? The caption? Bad timing? Well, you’re not alone.
Figuring how and when and what to post on social media is a big undertaking, and once you’ve found a formula that works for a while, it can change. If the algorithm on Instagram or lower than average Likes on Facebook has got you down, here’s a few ways to refresh your content strategy and increase your engagement.
- Identify the Purpose – What is the goal of this post? What are you hoping the audience takes from it? Identifying why you are posting this photo, blog post, or video is extremely important. Posting just to post something isn’t the answer, you want to make sure your content provides value to your customers.
- Make it Premium – Is the photo/video high quality? Have you edited the copy and made sure to include all useful information/tags/hashtags? Every social media post is an opportunity to start a conversation with your audience, and you want to make sure you’re communicating clearly and cleanly.
- Ditch the Perfect – How long did it take you to create this post? How long do you think your audience will spend viewing it? The key here is to not overthink or spend too much time obsessing over the details. Yes, you want your content to be high quality and edited, but not everything needs to be meticulously planned. Don’t be afraid to keep it authentic by sharing behind the scenes, impromptu, or real-time content.
Even if you’re not seeing a dip in your social media metrics, it’s always a good rule of thumb to reassess your social media strategy and content every month or quarter, depending on your business. The key to delivering content to your audience that drives engagement is keeping it relevant, authentic, and unique. It should be clear why you’re posting, what message is being communicated, and that it’s unique to your business.