A lot of folks in marketing will say, yeah, social media engagement is something businesses need to get behind, and generally speaking, I agree because we live life online. The way we buy is predominantly online. Even organisations relying on physical footfall attract in-person customers through social media engagement.
Ok, here’s what we’re covering:
What does social media engagement mean?
(It’s obvious, right? Well, not according to the ‘People also ask’ field on Google, so here we are.) You post on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X——whatever), praying people will interact with the content. That interaction is engagement, so when fellow users like, comment, and share, they’re popping a penny in your engagement money box.
Content that attracts social media engagement.
Cute animals, sexy selfies, and polarising opinions attract social media engagement. Say hello to generic mass-appeal content. This is content for engagement’s sake. Funny memes and inspirational quotes are a go! A beautiful Canva graphic with the words, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind”, does well on social media. Banal regurgitated guff has a Pavlovian effect. So if you’re after broad content for clicks, get snouty, pouty, and shouty.
However, this approach is a little haphazard for business. Also, sexy selfies might be an unorthodox social media strategy (not on LinkedIn, though. They love a thirst selfie there). I get it, a photo allows potential clients to “get to know” the person behind the business… seems legit. (But only if you’re hot, ugly people don’t post selfies. Weird, right?)
Saying that, this ugly photo of me would get loads of social media engagement.
Social media engagement vs. leads.
Content creation is a time suck. And when you’re hoping to convert potential customers, choosing the right social media platform for your market is the first step. This is about understanding where your prospects hang out. Different demographics favour different social media websites. And when you’re a business-to-business business (like what I am), the choice gets a little narrow (LinkedIn, it’s only LinkedIn).
That’s the funny thing about markets. Although B2B business owners use different social media, they’re not in business mode when they do. I’m sure the Gram works for B2B folks, but building a social presence takes ages, especially with organic reach, so it has to be worth the effort. You’re waiting around for prospects to come to you, and inbound leads don’t often happen immediately, so if your audience isn’t on a platform consistently, should you bother with it? Well, that’s up to you, but the time factor is a problem for businesses banking on social media marketing (AKA social selling). Social selling’s main objective is to build and nurture professional relationships.
“Building a relationship doesn’t guarantee you’ve hired the right person. Some people are charming bullshitters. There’s no getting away from it, hiring anyone is a gamble, there’s a risk things won’t work out, but social selling won’t save you from that pitfall.”
Delicious social media engagement pulls in potential clients. Yes, that makes mathematical sense (although I am dreadful at maths. No really, don’t throw a times table at me, I will assume the foetal position and turn inside out with humiliation). I get enquires from social media but many turn out to be miserly timewasters. Publishing things my ideal client likes is the best way to avoid tyre kickers, but a few slip through the net (ha! The internet!). That’s called qualifying broad engagement, coz getting all your comments and likes from folks who aren’t interested in your product is bad (actually, is it? More on that later).
“I mean, I seriously dig masses of search traffic, but not if it’s unqualified. Visits from randoms on interwebshire are of no use to you. You want qualified traffic: folks coming to your site who are your ideal somebody.”
How do you boost social media engagement?
In summary:
- Get on the right platform
- Post content for your ideal client
But how do you know what sort of content to post on social media? Try this…
The 50-30-20 rule of social media content.
The 50-30-20 rule explained:
Fifty per cent of your social media content is about your audience. Publish content that helps and informs. Think things like guides and blog articles.
Thirty per cent of your social media content is about your business. Demonstrate your values, core principles and how you do business. That could be FAQs and information about your terms and processes.
Twenty per cent of your social media content is about the offering. This is the thing or things you sell. Explain the benefits. Talk about outcomes. Use social proof to add weight to any claims you make (testimonials and case studies).
WARNING: formulas are ok until they become formulaic. Don’t fall into the trap of sounding like everyone else. Sadly, social media marketers love a bandwagon. My advice? Do the opposite of what everyone else in your industry is doing.
Social media engagement: my take.
I view social media as a necessary evil, but it’s one of many marketing channels. Content marketing has a snail pace ROI——that’s the nature of brand building, so support your social media marketing with a direct selling channel (eg direct mail marketing).
And for the love of Christ, stop being squeamish about selling. There’s an honesty to openly flogging products and services. Sadly, social selling attempts to besmirch the act of doing business by disguising selling as “relationship building”. Guess what, relationship building is not a new concept, but it happens AFTER you hire someone. Marketing is foreplay, ultimately, you’re lubing up for the main event (sorry, that was gross).
“If you have to sell more, send out more sales content.”
Cain Smith, Direct Response Copywriter
No matter how you market your business, the only thing that works is a killer offer. And I do mean just ONE. Promoting loads of products or services is confusing. Prospects need to remember you for one thing FIRST, and if that offer speaks to their need, marketing and selling won’t be a problem.
“People don’t hate being sold to, that’s another lie. Prospects don’t object if you have what they want. Did you ever get bent out of shape by an advert, sales page or social media post that spoke directly to your need? Did you get pissed off with repeated prompts that eventually made you buy that thing? Of course not. The only time you’d be annoyed by a sales message is when you’re not the target audience.”
A caveat: sales posts bomb on social media. Engagement is guaranteed to tank when you talk about your services. BUT THAT’S OK. I get social media engagement from people who like my content and/or feel sorry for me (I call them pity ‘likes’). The people who act on my LinkedIn content are folks who rarely, if ever, engage. So don’t get overly concerned about likes. Yeah, engagement boosts post impressions, which means more lurkers see your stuff, but concentrate on your offering and be consistent with posting.
First published, 23rd April 2024.
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2 responses to “Social media engagement: should businesses care about it?”
Amen, bruh, amen! 😁
Such a fine line between pouty and feeling a bit constipated…