3 ways to improve follower engagement

When you’re regularly creating posts on social media, it can be quite disheartening when you don’t get a lot of engagement. There are so many ever-changing algorithms to contend with that it can be hard to know what will work. Then when you do stumble upon something good, the algorithms change again! It’s a continuous cycle of trial and error, but one thing that remains consistent is each platform’s approach to brands who get a lot of engagement. The more people interact with your post, the more the social channels push your content so you get a wider reach. Although there is no right or wrong way of posting, here are 3 ways to improve follower engagement.

How can we work our way around the algorithms?

When we talk about engagement here, we don’t mean numbers of likes. What the social platforms favour are comments. Brands that can start meaningful conversations and discussions and engage with their followers in return. So what can you do to improve the chances of getting more comments?

1. Ask a question

Asking people to weigh-in with their opinions always encourages discussion and increases sharing opportunities. A simple, ‘what do you think?’ at the end of your caption could be enough to get them to divulge an opinion and comment. Maybe a ‘fill in the blank’ style statement would work for one of your posts, for example, ‘My perfect cup of coffee would be ____’.

Incidentally, a cappuccino with 2 sugars.

Now we need coffee…

Another question style that might suit your brand could be a ‘this or that?’ question, or an opinion poll that gets them to choose an option. These questions involve minimal effort from the users but often enough for them to want to weigh in. For example, if you’ve got a product with variations in colour, creating a ‘which do you prefer?’ scenario can be potentially engaging. Asking questions is also a great opportunity to do some market research, getting valuable insights from your target audience.

Make your pick!​

Stuffed Cheesy 👈 or 👉 Parmesan
Bread Bread Bites pic.twitter.com/4PLgyguxET

— Domino’s Pizza (@dominos) August 4, 2021

2. Interact with others

It’s easy to think just going through and liking responses is enough, but it’s much more appreciated as a user when brands actually reply. Don’t be afraid to be a bit human. Engagement goes both ways and social media algorithms like it all – a brilliant way to improve follower engagement.

This doesn’t just apply to comments on your own posts. Interacting with other people and brands is just as important. The more you engage with them and are seen to be actively interested in others, the more likely they’ll be to remember your brand. Greggs are a great example – here they are entertaining the masses.

Oh hello Piers, we’ve been expecting you

— Greggs (@GreggsOfficial) January 2, 2019

3. Check what’s trending

Before you think about what to post, it’s a good idea to see what’s trending that day. Easy to do on most social platforms by simply clicking on the search icon, there may be something that your brand can use.

Be wary though. It’s never a good idea to try and shoehorn a trending hashtag in just for the sake of it. People can smell a rat and you may end up with the wrong kind of engagement instead. Only use them if they’re relevant.

If you’re feeling uninspired by that’s day’s trends, we suggest a quick visit to the National Day Calendar. Trust us. There are National Days for all sorts of things and there may be just the right one to suit your brand or message.

Avoiding the sell, sell, sell! It’s amazing what you can find to help you be more creative with your posts.

These simple ways may be a solution to improve follower engagement on your posts, but it’s important to bear in mind that these aren’t foolproof. Social media can be incredibly frustrating to manage – sometimes your post will work and other times they won’t. It really is all trial and error, but keep on engaging with your followers and you’ll emanate that positive brand image that your followers will remember.

If you need some more guidance on social media, check out our latest blog full of tips and tricks to help you make the most out of it.