If you’re taking the time to post but need to more social media engagement, this is for you. Wondering how you stop getting a handful of comments on a post and start getting some traction?
After observing hundreds of posts and giving feedback for consulting clients about why what they’re doing isn’t working and how to get better results, I realized the majority of mistakes are just unintentional glitches.
What is this Post About?
So, this post is all about how to make Intentional corrections to what you’re doing. You can boost your social media engagement. And it doesn’t just take throwing money at a post, in fact that easy, sleazy way of boosting a post with money? Will fail you every time while Facebook gets rich on it. There’s only one reason to boost a post, and that’s to test it.
Then if it’s working you go into Business Manager and create a real campaign to get real results. That, is an entire other podcast, actually a master class and you do need to create ads, friends. If you’re serious about using Facebook and growing a business, you’ll need to. But first… what you post has to be worth it. Boost your social media engagement organically before you move on.
Start Here
No matter who you’re targeting, talk to them not at them.
But first…
- Be clear who you’re talking to before you post.
- Do you need more leads, or are you talking to your customers? It’s a different conversation.
- Do you want to reach local business partners?
- Engage that specific target with a question so you can have a conversation.
Okay, now that we’ve handled that, let’s move on.
Ask a question every ideal customer (even a stranger) can answer easily
These become easier to respond to when they become polls. In Instagram or on Facebook you can create a poll. Use stories to do it, or create a meme that does it for you.
- Have you worked with a personal trainer?
Yes or no
- Do you workout at home or gym?
Home or Gym
And in those two questions I increased the level of engagement. In the Yes or No “poll” it’s an easy answer. In the home or gym question, someone could have to add an answer they type in.
Be thoughtful about strangers. These are prospects. They haven’t even joined the ranks of your leads yet!
They like to vote but they aren’t going to spend a lot of time doing so until you’re someone they already know and trust. You can try telling them, you’re taking a poll, and you’ll share the results. They’re going to want to benefit from taking the time. People do love to share their opinion, but they have to have some reason for doing it.
Additional questions to boost your social media engagement
- If you were a gym member before the pandemic, will you return (just gym-goers, please)?
- Are you over 50? Able to do lunges without knee issues?
- What’s the worst symptom of menopause you’ve experienced?
- When it comes to weight training, do you love it or hate it?
- How many times a week do you do interval training?
- What’s your favorite time of day (or your have-to) for exercise?
How to Stir Up Emotion
I’d love to hear your experience. Did you work with a personal trainer?
- What did you hate about it?
- What did you love about it?
- If you never did, what’s stopping you?
Have you ever worked with an online trainer? Did 2020 make you do it?
Follow up!
If you’re forgetting that social media is a conversation, you could be missing the best way to increase your engagement. As soon as you post, you need to be available to engage. Go in and like and share your post from your business to your personal profile if you are your demographic.
You can’t set it and forget it. If you’ve got posts scheduled, that’s fine, but be aware of them and add comments to them yourself! The more action the more traction. You can start it.
If you have those few customers who follow you whatever you do, and engage with you, use that to your advantage. When they comment, respond back. Use more than 4 words to do it, and end with a follow up question.
Each of those things matters to the algorithm. And be sure you don’t just have your 5 kids like your post… because if they’re boys and you’re targeting women in midlife for instance, you’re going to be shown to more people like those first responders. It’s not going to go very well for you is it? Try tagging a few friends who are in the demographic you want (who are okay with you doing that).
Don’t Make This Mistake
What You Do on Facebook is Not What You Do on Instagram.
Or is it? I’m guessing if you’re simply automatically posting every Insta post to Facebook it’s not working very well. That’s because these are two different platforms. You’re going to say things like “link in bio” in your Instagram, and you’re going to use hashtags, that hurt your reach on Facebook. (Did you know? More than 4 on Facebook, maybe even any at this point, really decrease your reach there?)
There you have it, literally some real questions you can ask, and answer, and follow up on to boost your social media engagement.
Questions about how to boost your social media engagement? I’d love to hear them. But remember this… you should spend a very small amount of time on social media. It is not your content. Your content comes from your website. The social media is giving that wings and wheels so you get that message out and bring them back to your website.
Do What Only You Can Do
You and only you can do live video. But someone else, for a lot less $ than you should be earning per hour should be doing your social media graphics, and quotes from that content. I call that system Social 365 and I’ve taught it at 3 major fitness association conferences (ICAA, SCW, and FitnessFest). Most fitness pros start with social instead of ending there to bring people back to their site. Know your platform.
I’ll link to my book Health & Fitness Professionals Guide to Social Media Marketing (Healthy Learning). Yes, any social media guide can easily be outdated by the time it reaches print. It’s why I wrote this one to be inclusive of the questions you need to ask of all your marketing and of all platforms now and in the future.
(link to prior episode)
Resources:
Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist
Build Your Business MasterMind
