Four Reasons Why You're Not Getting the Social Media Engagement You Crave

Social media is a fickle thing.

It can be an invaluable resource and a way to connect and meet new clients, interact with friends and stay in touch with family. But it's also a beast that unless you have the right touch, can be difficult to tame. Over the last few years the way Facebook and Instagram have reworked their algorithms has greatly impacted how many people--even your followers--see your posts.

You might have five hundred friends on Facebook, two thousand followers on Facebook, and follow another thousand yourself, but how many of their posts do you actually see?

This is why engagement is SO important.

The more engagement your posts have, the more people will see your posts.

Basically, if your post is getting a lot of comments, saves and shares, Instagram is going to go, "People like this post. The content is worth showing to more people." Then they're going to put it in front of more eyes.

Quality content gets quality engagement and quality engagement can mean quality followers.

So how do you get more engagement? How do you get your content in front of more eyes? In front of the right eyes?

Here are a few simple ways to go about it:

1.) Consistency is key.

If you manage your social media in a binge style that's not going to work for effective engagement. Don't post like crazy for a week, then go MIA for a month. I get it, you're busy. Totally understandable. That's why I recommend either investing in or utilizing the free versions of things like Buffer, Later, Hootsuite or some other app where you can schedule your posts in advance. Then, when you have time, go on and engage with those who have commented on the posts. But when you're not consistent in your posts you've broken that trust, that congruency in your message and in a lot of ways you're out of sight out of mind and people will forget about you.

If you have trouble staying consistent, themed posts are a great way to help you stay on track. Have "Tip Tuesday" or "Fun Fact Friday." It will keep you accountable to make sure the content goes out on those days. It will also help you create content around those specific topics and give your followers or future followers something to look forward to. Curated Instagram grids are all the rage too, so don't be afraid to get creative with how you design your posts. Have fun with it! But remember to be authentic.

2. ) Make sure you're speaking to the right audience.

Speak directly to your DREAM audience. Stop for a second and think about just how many people there are on Instagram and Facebook, and how many companies you are competing with for space in everyone's feeds. Narrow it down and curate your posts so that they speak only to those you want to reach. Make sure your hashtags are accurate and that they're going to attract the right people. Focus on WHO you want to attract, pitch to your ideal client. Don't market too broadly, otherwise, you run the risk of getting lost in the mix.

3.) Another reason why you might not be getting the engagement you crave is because you're not giving it in return.

People won't know you exist unless you put yourself out there. Research hashtags that are relevant to your service, scroll through reels and posts until you find content that is meaningful to you. Seek out people who are interested in similar things to your services, and engage with them on their pages, in their posts and ask them relevant, genuine questions.

You get what you give, and if you're not giving any engagement, don't expect any in return. But don't just pick a random post and respond to the first ten comments regardless of their content. That isn't genuine and it will come across that way. Be real. Be true and comment because it feels good.

4.) Always remember the call to action.

You're less likely to get engagement if you don't ask for it. If you just post something but don't ask people or followers to comment, share, save or double-tap, then they might just read your post and keep scrolling. But if they're asked to do something, there's a good chance they will. Don't forget, though, if you're going to ask questions, you'll need to follow up with their replies so they know that you're invested in their answer and what they had to say and not just asking them to comment for the sake of boosting your engagement. People will quickly see through that, and your engagement will drop right off.

In summary, it's always important to remember that we get what we give. When you give engagement, you're going to get engagement. When you ask for engagement, you're going to get engagement. But no matter what, be yourself, be true to your brand, what your company stands for, and that shows everyone that you are the expert in your field. Engage with confidence, consistency and compassion and the followers will come.

Good luck!

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