Content Ideas to Increase Engagement
Whilst a huge following on social media might be the dream for many, an active account of engaged followers who you can then effortlessly convert into loyal clients or customers might actually be more meaningful for your business. However, the question still remains, how can you increase engagement online through the content that you create and share?
Your engagement rate is the number of people interacting with your content divided by the total number of followers you have (there is some debate about the most effective way to measure that but this is the most simple formula!) Check in with your insights over on Instagram and you can work this out for both individual pieces of content and for your account month on month (in fact, Instagram is kind enough to do most of that work for you!) The average rate of engagement in Instagram is just 0.98% per post meaning that much of the content we lovingly create isn’t connecting with our audiences in the way we might like.
However, if your rate of engagement on Instagram could do with improving or you are looking to outperform that average and share posts that get the attention of your audience in all of the rights ways, then there are some simple approaches you can adopt when creating that will see you connecting with potential clients and customers in fresh and exciting ways.
Instagram stories are a great way to boost your engagement and connect with some new accounts and these simple strategies will help you create content that gets you the right reaction…
Master The Art of Market Research
One of the absolute best bits about social media is that you get to speak directly to your ideal clients every single day. By reaching out to your audience and asking them what they might like, not only will you find them thrilled to be asked about their opinion and more than happy to start clicking on and connecting with what you have created but you will also be able to use all of the information they share with you to inform the future content you create so that you share more of what gets them going and a little bit less of those posts that don’t perform.
Why not give them the choice between two posts to decide what to share next using a poll sticker in your stories?
Recommendations please!
Another way you can reach out to your audience (and, don’t forget, engagement often begins in this way!) is by asking them to share more of what matters to them. By asking them for recommendations - whether they be business related or something just for fun - you are letting them know that they are valued and you appreciate what they have to offer. And when we are made to feel that way we are often more likely to share our opinions and ideas in the comments section. The added bonus is that you get to know that bit more about the people behind the accounts that follow you so that you can connect with them in ways that feel much more real.
Use a question sticker in your stories asking for your audience to share some advice about something you are doing. This works really well with recommendations for films, books or TV shows!
Show Up Imperfectly With Some Polarising Opinions
People pleasers among you may struggle with the idea that the aim of the content you share is NOT to appeal to everyone. Marketing your business on social media should be a way to attract your ideal client, but, in order to do that effectively, you are going to need to share some stuff that lets them know that you are the one for them! Whilst you might love the ideas of a perfectly curated feed, what will actually connect with someone else is sharing something with a bit more personality. Bring some of your own beliefs to your content and you will find that others show up with their thoughts on the idea too.
Share some behind the scenes content of you doing something you love and use a poll sticker to see if your followers feel the same way too.
Ultimately, increasing engagement comes back to understanding your ideal client better and getting more intentional about the impact you want your content to have. If you are unsure, come back to your social media strategy and reassess what you want to achieve.
And if you feel like your creative process needs a complete overhaul to inject it with the inspiration and motivation, book a Creation Day with me and let’s dive into all of the ways you can create the engaging content that will see your socials sparkle.