Engagement is a key metric that social media platforms and marketers use to measure the level of interaction and interest from their audience. On social media, engagement refers to any actions that people take to interact with a piece of content. This includes likes, comments, shares, clicks, reactions, tags, follows, retweets, etc. The more engagement a piece of content generates, the more it is deemed to be resonating with the target audience.
Why is engagement important?
Engagement is important for several reasons:
- It shows that your content is resonating with your audience and they find it interesting/useful enough to interact with.
- More engagement signals to the social media platforms that your content is valuable. This can help increase your organic reach and distribution.
- Engaged audiences are more likely to convert into customers or brand advocates.
- High engagement rates make your social media profiles and pages look more credible and popular.
- You can gather useful insights from comments and shares to improve your social media strategy.
- Engagement helps build relationships with your audience.
In short, engagement is a metric of how well your social media presence is connecting with your target audience. The higher your engagement rates, the better you are servicing your audience and the stronger your social media presence will become.
How is engagement measured on social media platforms?
Engagement rate is calculated by dividing total engagement by reach or impressions.
For example:
Your post got 5,000 impressions and had 200 likes, 50 comments and 100 shares. The total engagement is 200+50+100 = 350.
So the engagement rate is 350/5000 = 7%
Each social media platform has its own specific engagement metrics based on the types of interactions available. Some common engagement metrics are:
| Platform | Engagement Metrics |
|---|---|
| Comments, shares, reactions, photo views etc. | |
| Likes, retweets, replies, clicks | |
| Likes, comments | |
| YouTube | Likes, dislikes, comments, shares |
| Likes, comments, shares |
So engagement metrics need to be considered separately for each platform when measuring performance.
What is a good engagement rate on social media?
There are no universally agreed upon benchmarks for good engagement rates on social media. Engagement rates vary based on factors like industry, audience size, content type etc. However, based on general research, these engagement rates can be considered good:
- Facebook: 2-4%
- Twitter: 1-2%
- Instagram: 2-4%
- YouTube: 3-5% likes, 10% comments
- LinkedIn: 1-2%
Of course, the higher your engagement rate the better. Anything above the industry benchmarks is excellent.
Tips to increase engagement on social media
Here are some proven ways to boost engagement on social media:
- Post at optimal times when your audience is most active.
- Use relevant hashtags so your content is discoverable.
- Use @mentions to interact with other users.
- Share a mix of content – educational, entertaining, thought-provoking.
- Use rich media like images, videos, polls and quizzes.
- Respond and engage with your audience in the comments.
- Ask questions to prompt discussions.
- Run contests and sweepstakes for more likes and shares.
- Partner with influencers in your niche to expand reach.
- Analyze competitor content that gets high engagement. Emulate their success.
- Track analytics to identify your best performing content types and topics.
- Publish consistently, don’t let your social media stagnate.
Most engaging types of social media content
According to research, the following types of content generally get the highest engagement across social platforms:
- Visual content – Photos, graphics, illustrations, infographics etc.
- Videos – Educational videos, behind-the-scenes, live videos etc.
- Contests and giveaways – Rewarding followers drives actions.
- Interactive polls and quizzes – Prompt audience to respond.
- User-generated content – Photos and reviews from real customers.
- Behind-the-scenes – Show authenticity and build rapport.
- Live video – Stream events, Q&As etc. in real-time.
Of course, the content needs to be tailored to your brand and audience. But these content formats tend to spark the highest interaction rates across most social platforms and niches.
Should you buy fake followers and engagement?
Buying fake followers or engagement (likes, comments, shares etc.) is strongly discouraged. It is inauthentic and undermines your credibility. Social platforms actively work to identify and remove fake accounts and engagement. Getting caught buying fakes can get your account banned or demoted. It is much better to grow your account organically by providing value to real audiences. The end goal should be to build genuine relationships and engagement with real people who are potential customers. Shortcuts like buying fakes never pay off in the long run.
Conclusion
Engagement is a vital sign of social media success. The more your audience engages with your content, the more it is resonating with them. This builds awareness, trust and loyalty. While engagement rates vary across industries and platforms, the principles for good engagement remain the same – provide value, spark discussion, and build community. Measure engagement accurately, analyze what works, and keep refining your strategy. Doing so will steadily grow your authentic social media presence.