Any social media marketer will tell you how engaging with your social following builds brand awareness, improves customer service and gives sales a boost. But is there a clear-cut way of doing this to gain success? Let’s take a look at the research.
Do Big Brands Have to Make an Effort?
Now the kids have been back in class for a few weeks, an American analytics company, Origami Logic, has revealed its analysis of the engagement brands received during the run up to the new school year.
The company studied brands big and small, including Disney, Dolce and Gabbana, Staples and Skechers, and found that often a well-loved or respected brand was more effective at securing engagement with relevant and timely content.
“Disney and Dolce & Gabbana’s results show that brands with large, highly engaged audiences can receive strong levels of engagement with relatively little effort if the content is even somewhat relevant,” said Origami Logic Marketing Director, Perry Mizota.
“These two brand giants topped the social engagement charts with ease thanks primarily to their loyal Instagram followings with just a few timely and compelling posts.”
“Another thing to keep in mind is that brands should target timely campaigns like these based on where their audience ‘lives’ in the social world,” Mizota added.
“In the case of back-to-school 2016, Instagram and Facebook clearly dominated the social charts, but that may change in 2017.”
In three months, Disney received nearly 175,500 engagements and D&G 147,000.
The study also found that Instagram was the most effective platform, achieving high engagement figures with minimal effort.
Why Should You Focus on Social Media Engagement?
OK, your business might not have quite the legacy as Disney, but you should still consider how you can improve your social engagement rates. Why? Well, here are a few stats from famed digital marketer Jay Baer to prove the point:
• 90% of consumers expects consistent interactions across social channels.
• 55% of customer service interactions now begin online.
• 57% of consumers who contact a brand through social media expect 24/7 support.
• 42% of those expect a response within 60 minutes.
Which Channel Should You Concentrate Your Efforts on?
A strong brand can help to ensure high levels of engagement, and social engagement can strengthen brand awareness. They’re mutually beneficial. But how do you get started? Instagram was most effective for Disney, but which channel would work best for you?
Well, Facebook is the most widely used social media platform in the world, with 1.6billion active users, while Instagram and Twitter fill second and third place with around a quarter of this figure. But just because these social platforms have the most users, they don’t necessarily guarantee you engagement.
A study by TrackMaven analysed 51million posts from 40,000 companies in 130 industries and found that Instagram dominated the social media industry in terms of interactions per 1,000 followers. Whether likes, comments or follows, Instagram was found to have more than ten times the number of interactions of the platform in second place, Facebook.
It also found that, across all the industries analysed, the music sector receives the most engagement on Twitter and Instagram, whereas sports and entertainment brands were more successful on Facebook. Last but not least, the study revealed that alcohol, luxury goods and airline travel saw substantial interactions on LinkedIn.
So, How Do You Do it?
There’s no secret to social media engagement. In fact, there are dozens of articles and video presentations on this site teaching everything from the very basics to technical obscurities. Here are just a few of our favourites:
3 Videos to Watch to Transform Your Social Media Management
Nine Ways to Increase Customer Engagement Levels In Multichannel Marketing
10 Top Social Media Tips from Figaro Digital’s Partners