According to the 2022 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report from RivalIQ, compared to the previous year’s levels, brands are seeing less organic engagement on the biggest social platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The reasons behind these declining numbers are still being explored, but the fact that brands were already on the hunt for ways to increase engagement with online followers before this drop-off means it is more important than ever for them to ensure their social media efforts are building real connections and promoting strong brand awareness and loyalty among consumers.
Here, members of Forbes Agency Council share some things that brands seeing low social engagement might be doing wrong. To rise above the noise of competitors who are posting more frequently to win eyeballs, businesses will have to up their social game this year and avoid these missteps.
Forbes Agency Council members explore things brands seeing low engagement on social media might be doing wrong.
Photos courtesy of the individual members. (Not pictured: Florence Giuly-Davis)
1. Not Engaging Enough With Other Accounts In Your Niche
They may not be engaging enough with other accounts that are within their niche. It’s important to build and continuously nurture a community within your unique market. Brands can do this by asking open-ended questions in captions, responding to comments and direct messages and paying attention to the feedback that users give you through their interactions. – Bryanne DeGoede, BLND Public Relations
2. Neglecting To Find Out Your Audience’s Favored Platforms
You don’t want to be a DJ playing in an empty room, so find out which platforms your audience is on and connect with them. To win on social, you need to be social. Make your audience the hero of your stories, and invite them in with your content. – Ryan O’Keeffe, Jago
3. Being Out Of Tune With The Audience’s Needs
It’s all about placing the audience first. Are you in tune with their needs and how your brand can simplify their lives? If you lean into building the community first, the engagement will follow. It is also important to invest in paid media to reach audiences. While organic social media works, you need to consider paid media to reach feeds, as social channel algorithms are constantly changing. – Karen B. Moore, Moore
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4. Being Too Promotional And Failing To Leverage Paid Ads
First, make sure the content has a friendly, nonpromotional tone that presents an idea in the way that will resonate most with the client’s audience. And then, strongly consider A/B testing some of the content using paid strategies. Most social channels have monetized in such a way that you can’t significantly grow an audience without a paid effort. – Townsend Belisle, Haystack Needle LLC
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5. Having A Content Strategy That Puts Sales Before Community
Examine the content strategy. Organic social channels are a community space, not a direct sales space. Focus on offering inspiration, education and entertainment. Participate in the community, prioritizing quick comment responses, and metrics will improve. – Jeanette Palmer, NAIL Communications
6. Pushing Solutions And Ideas Rather Than Inviting Conversation
Pushing solutions and ideas rather than inviting customers into the conversation is the biggest flaw in many companies’ social efforts. They have the expertise, and all they have to do is collect audio (via podcasts, for example) and video conversations and allow their prospects to eavesdrop on these valuable conversations. Create great content first, then share, then engage—more pull and less push. – A. Lee Judge, Content Monsta
7. Chasing Trends Instead Of Offering Value And Proactively Engaging
Are you getting sales leads from your social media? I am less concerned with engagement and more interested in actual sales. That said, social media is social. If you want more engagement, you have to proactively engage first. Offer content of value that is an extension of your brand. Don’t chase trends that have nothing to do with your business. – Scott Miller, Centerpost Media
8. Trying Too Hard To Be Perfectly On-Brand And Error-Free
Perfection is the enemy of engagement. Companies work hard to make sure that external messages are on-brand and error-free. When it comes to social media, it’s okay to just relax a bit. Social media engagement should be frequent, timely and reciprocal. If there is a lengthy process to get something posted, you’re doing it wrong. Set up some guidelines, choose a few common themes and set your experts free! – Jacquelyn LaMar, VI Marketing and Branding
9. Talking At Your Audience, Not With Them
Talk with your audience, not at them. Marketers often get caught up with what they think is good content rather than what will resonate with their followers. Take the time to think about your audience’s needs and interests. Are they following you for entertainment, inspiration or education? By understanding your audience, you will better understand what content they want to see and engage with. – Tripp Donnelly, REQ
10. Narrowly Interpreting Data Without A Customer Journey Analysis
Engagement is great, but a lack of it is only part of the story. People can be influenced by social media, then take a different path (such as Google or the company’s website). Analytics might show direct traffic, yet the users’ interest may have stemmed from a social media post. A customer journey analysis can improve data interpretation and prevent potentially uninformed decision making. – Dennis Kirwan, Dymic Digital
11. Not Fully Engaging Your Employee Base
One top-of-mind explanation is that the company is not fully engaging its employee base. Typically, a handful of employees will like and share the company’s content. The key is to incentivize commenting—that ups engagement. While a corporate follower count is undoubtedly important, the collective power of the employees’ networks needs to be tapped to maximize social channel involvement. – Natalie Nathanson, Magnetude Consulting
12. Assuming Target Audiences Want A Certain Type Of Content
A critical error most brands make is not truly understanding what type of content their target audience finds valuable or entertaining. Instead of making assumptions, implement a data-driven approach to your content strategy. Use analytics tools to research what type of content has been most successful for your competitors and compare it to your content to assess your content’s quality. – JP Johl, AdTribute
13. Forgetting About The ‘Social’ Part Of Social Media
It’s important to remember the “social” part of social media. Even the best content isn’t likely to spark engagement without active participation; we advise brand clients to follow relevant accounts and join the conversation whenever possible. Genuine community engagement through social channels is a critical step toward authentic brand-audience connections. – Danielle Wiley, Sway Group
14. Generating Uninteresting Content That Isn’t Audience-Focused
The type of content that is being generated is the direct driver of engagement. Is it interesting? Is it focused on the audience you are trying to reach? Consider putting paid spend behind specific posts to boost engagement, then measure the response. Be strategic and thoughtful. Then measure the results. – Leeza Hoyt, The Hoyt Organization, Inc.
15. Believing Social Engagement Is Just About Hitting ‘Like’
Too many clients believe that social engagement is just about hitting the “like” button. Over time, they often get frustrated because they end up feeling as if the conversations created are stale and made up of a series of likes but no engagement. Social engagement is about committing to starting and contributing to conversations. This is how you build a quality community and engage followers. – Florence Giuly-Davis, PR Paradigm
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
