I’ve already covered that ‘content is king’, but as if that wasn’t enough, you need to be getting lots of engagement too! As if you didn’t have enough to do.
Ffs.
But why this buzzword ‘Engagement’? Why is it so important? For two very important reasons.
The obvious is that people who engage with your brand are more likely to become a client/customer/reader or whatever it is you’re aiming for.
But the bigger reason? Algorithms. That word leaves a sour taste in many of our mouths.
So, Facebook, Instagram and all their kin don’t show you everything. Oooooohhhh no. They ‘curate’ your newsfeed using algorithms. These little computer operations use little calculations to decide what is best to show you in your newsfeed.
It’s actually very clever and sensible. The ‘average’ Facebook user supposedly has 400 friends. Not to mention ‘likes’ a huge number of business and pages. And to show all of this in your newsfeed would be a nightmare.
So they curate the stuff they think you would most like to see using these algorithms. By showing you stuff you are most likely going to enjoy seeing, it means you enjoy your time more on their site and therefore spent more time on it. And let’s be honest here... they’re not being kind. They need traffic, high numbers to sell ads and get eyes on the stuff hat makes them money.
So these little computer calculations decide what to show you based on how much you engage with posts. Things you interact with will appear more in your newsfeed. People you talk to or comment on will appear more. Things you never engage with will be pushed to the bottom of the pile. That’s why you see stuff from some of your friends more than others.
It prioritises how you interact too. A comment is more valuable than a ‘like’ because it’s more engaging.
In the same vein, it also judges how good a post is based on how much engagement it has. So if a post has hundreds of comments, it’ll be shown in more newsfeeds that a post with only one or two. Because if it has lots of engagement, it MUST BE GOOD. People will want to see it. And that will please them. And they will like this social network. And keep browsing.
That all make sense?
So by getting people to engage with your post is hugely important if you want it to show up in anyone’s newsfeed.
Add to that, that Facebook likes to make businesses PAY to appear in newsfeed. Ever hit ‘boost’ on a post? Or if you don’t have a Facebook page, ever seen posts saying ‘sponsored’? That’s people paying to be seen in the newsfeed. And it’s not just Facebook pages you might not have seen. Facebook pushes you to do it to get ‘seen’ by the people who already ‘like’ your bloody page! The cheek!
And it’s Instagram too. Owned by Facebook and has the function to pay to get your posts seen. If they show your stuff less, you’re more likely to pay to get it seen if you’re a business.
(I haven’t even touched on ‘shadow banning’, but google that one!).
So by getting your audience to engage in your posts, you are getting them seen more. Without having to fork out.
And it’s not just people who follow you on these social networks. Ever seen a post where your friend has commented on a post, or been tagged in a picture of someone you don’t know? That’s another way that engagement pays dividends. It’s a great way to get seen by people who may have never heard of you (and the more engagement, the more that happens!)
So you need great content. And you need as much engagement as possible. So that means your content should be as engaging as possible. Something to inspire comments or questions ideally (not just likes). Questions lead to conversation which means more and more engagement and it snowballs.
That’s how stuff goes viral (in extreme cases).
So this is a great incentive to think carefully about your content and what kind of pictures you need to post. And once again, another great reason for a personal branding shoot!
So if you need to get some quality content to get your audience engaging with your brand, give me a shout. I can help! I also work as a marketing consultant, so get in touch if you need help.
And an afterthought for you.... use it to your personal advantage and to help businesses you care about. Take some time to engage with people and brands you want to hear from. It’ll help make your own browsing experience better, and help the businesses you care about get seen (hint hint... go and comment on my posts while you’re at it!). And you’ll find the more you engage with people, the more likely you’ll get engagement as they return the favour.