CRACKING THE ENGAGEMENT CODE: WHAT MAKES SOCIAL MEDIA TICK?

By Emmchel Omasan Dudu

As a creative in the digital landscape where social media reigns supreme, trying to carve out her niche in an ever-growing sea of content vying for attention, Karla realises that simply posting on her social media platforms will simply not cut it to get her and her brand recognised by her target audience and stakeholders. Like every creative, brand, and company, she realises that the holy grail for brands and creators alike is engagement—that elusive metric that signifies your audience is resonating with your message. However, achieving high engagement rates is a significant challenge. 

Research carried out across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa in August 2023 provides an in-depth analysis of social media usage in Africa. It states that Facebook user engagement is 82%, TikTok is 60%, Instagram is 54%, X (formerly Twitter) is 49%, and  LinkedIn is 28%. This survey highlights the importance of engagement in a competitive digital environment.

Social media has become a vital part of modern marketing strategies, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) providing businesses with powerful tools to connect with their target audience. However, brands cannot simply have a social media presence — they have to focus on driving meaningful engagement to truly reap the benefits. Several key factors can significantly impact social media engagement rates. Understanding and optimising these elements is crucial for businesses looking to build strong, lasting relationships with their followers.

According to a survey, more than 6,000 adults ages 18-64 who follow brands on social media say social media has at least some influence on their purchase decisions; the report reveals that for 58%, following a brand has a moderate to high impact on their purchase decisions. This highlights the importance of driving meaningful engagement on social media, as it can directly translate to increased sales and customer loyalty. The report also found that 83% of consumers say social media interactions with brands influence their purchasing decisions, showing how crucial it is for businesses to focus on optimising the key factors that impact social media engagement, as it can have a significant impact on their bottom line.

At the Newmark Group Limited, we understand the power of social media engagement. It fosters brand loyalty, fuels organic reach, and sparks meaningful conversations. But what exactly makes users hit like, comment, or share? Here, we delve into key factors we believe will influence social media engagement in 2024:

1. Content Quality and Relevance: The content you share on social media is the foundation of your engagement strategy. Posting high-quality, relevant, and valuable content that resonates with your target audience is essential. You can achieve this by tailoring your message to their interests, using a trusted format you have observed that they engage with more over time, be it informative blog posts, articles, visually appealing images, engaging videos, or thought-provoking polls and questions. Most importantly, don’t forget the power of storytelling to captivate and connect.

2. Know Your Audience and Speak Their Language: Social media isn’t a monologue; it’s a dialogue. To have a two-way conversation with your audience, you should understand their demographics, interests, and online behaviour, as these are pertinent to getting the right engagement. Your ability to know your audience and understand their language will enable you to craft a unique brand voice that reflects you and your brand’s personality while aligning with their preferences.

3. Timing and Frequency: Posting at the optimal times when your audience is most active and engaged can significantly boost your reach and engagement. To achieve this, analyse your audience’s behaviour to determine the best times and days to share content. Further, utilise analytics tools to identify peak hours for your specific platform and audience, and do not be afraid to experiment with different posting schedules to see what resonates best. For example, an analysis by Buffer based on  5.5 million social media posts found that the best times to post on Instagram are from 7 AM to 8 AM on weekdays, with Friday being the best day and Sunday the worst. 

Additionally, maintaining a consistent posting cadence is crucial. Posting too infrequently can cause your audience to lose interest while over-posting can lead to content fatigue. Balance is key, so find the right balance that keeps your audience engaged without overwhelming or underwhelming them. 

4. The CTA Factor: A clear call to action (CTA) engages your audience. As we mentioned earlier, the digital landscape is an ever-growing sea of content vying for attention; this means that every social media user has several choices to focus on, just one more than the others. As such, your audience needs an incentive to focus on your brand; they need to believe that you are offering them content, a product, or a service that they can’t get anywhere else. Your CTA should be devoid of ambiguity; tell your audience the specific action you want them to take and remind them why. So, a well-crafted CTA can significantly boost engagement, whether it’s prompting a comment, encouraging a share, or directing them to a specific landing page.

5. The Power of the Platform: Each social media platform has its own unique quirk and etiquette. As such, you need to tailor your content strategy to the specific platform. Use relevant hashtags on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn; leverage Instagram Reels and Stories for ephemeral content; and encourage discussions on platforms like X Space and LinkedIn. All these are unique features of each platform which can foster more engagement for you or your brand.

6. Embrace the Power of Community: Social media thrives on interaction. Respond to comments, answer questions, and actively participate in conversations. Encourage user-generated content (UGC) through contests and prompts. Building a community around your brand fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty, which ultimately leads to higher engagement.

7. Be Authentic: In a world of curated feeds, authenticity shines through. Do not shy away from showing the human side of your brand. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses, celebrate employees and their achievements, and address real-world issues in a way that aligns with your brand values. Doing this will build trust and credibility as you deeply connect with your audience. This trust will position you as a relatable entity, not just a faceless and emotionless brand.

8. Be Consistent, Be Compelling: Social media is a marathon, not a sprint; you are in for the long run, not a 100-meter race. This means that you might start slow but pick up momentum along the way and do not give up. As such, develop a well-detailed and robust social media calendar, regularly posting trending, engaging content. This will place you at the top of your mind with your audience. 

9. Measure, Analyze, and Adapt: Don’t operate in a vacuum. Utilise social media analytics tools to track your engagement metrics. Analyse what’s working and what's not, and adapt your strategy accordingly. A/B testing different content formats and posting times can yield valuable insights. Tools like Facebook Insights and Instagram Insights within Meta Business Suite provide a comprehensive overview of your performance on both platforms. Analyse which content types (images, videos, and live streams) generate the most engagement for each platform. Similarly, delve into Twitter Analytics to identify your top tweets and hashtags and leverage follower demographics to understand your audience. LinkedIn Analytics empowers you to track post reach, engagement, and website clicks for your professional audience.

10. Stay Ahead of the Curve: The social media landscape is constantly evolving. Stay updated on the latest trends and features on each platform. Experiment with new content formats like live videos or interactive polls to keep your audience engaged.

Other factors to take note of include:

Platform Optimisation:

• Hashtag Strategy: Utilise relevant hashtags on platforms like Twitter and Instagram to increase discoverability.

• Algorithm Awareness: Understand each platform’s ever-evolving algorithms and tailor content to encourage actions like likes and shares, which the algorithm rewards.

Additional Factors:

• Paid Advertising: Strategically utilise paid advertising to boost organic reach and engagement by promoting high-performing content to a wider audience.

• Analytics and Adaptation: Track key engagement metrics, analyse what resonates with your audience, and adapt your strategy accordingly.

By understanding these key factors and implementing a data-driven approach, you can unlock the true potential of social media engagement, navigate the ever-changing social media landscape and craft a strategy that fosters meaningful connections with your audience. Turn those likes and comments into brand loyalty and real-world results.