Help! Our engagement is down!
Don’t freak out. Brands are seeing a drop in social media engagement across the board. Here are 9 reasons why:
9 Reasons You're Seeing Lower Engagement
Seasons and trends: Engagement ebbs and flows around the holidays, big events, and popular trends. Just like the stock market, a slight downturn in social media engagement doesn’t mean it won’t spike back up tomorrow.
Changes in behavior: Social media users are gravitating towards more engaging content like stories, video, live streams, and interactive posts.
Audience changes: Exactly who is using social media has changed in terms of audience demographics and psychographics. Millennials, Gen Z, and even Gen Alpha are overtaking the space and pushing brands to adjust to their wants and needs.
So. Much. Content: You know as well as we do that there is an oversaturation of content out there on social media. Remember the days when you’d log onto Instagram, scroll through your friends’ updates til you hit the end of your feed, and close the app until the next day? Gone are those days. Now, content is endless and there’s always something new to look at. No wonder it can feel like your brand is getting lost in the shuffle.
Competition for attention: Going along with the crazy amount of content (not only on social media platforms, but also streaming sites, video games, and other forms of entertainment), brands have to compete for users’ attention.
An ever-changing algorithm: Whether TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, social media platforms are changing their algorithms all the time to feature new kinds of content. For example, while Instagram used to be a photo-only platform, now the algorithm favors short, snappy video content.
Unique platform factors: And to complicate things even more, each platform has its own distinct algorithm, meaning what works well on one platform will differ from the others.
Content quality: Now more than ever, the quality of your content matters in getting users’ attention (and holding it!). Focus on engaging, value-laden content that actually compels viewers to interact with the post or story.
Paid vs. organic reach: Social media platforms are also adjusting how they each handle paid advertising versus organic posts. Doing more research into specific platforms will give you a better understanding of how beneficial one type of content is over another.
So, that’s a lot of adversity to face. But we’re not going to leave you high and dry! Here are potential tactics that can help brands face a few of today’s top social media challenges:
Solutions to Social Media Challenges
Challenge: Complying with social media regulations and privacy concerns.
Solution: Stay up-to-date on legal requirements for each app (aka actually read the fine print before scrolling down and checking ‘Accept Terms’). Always get permission before reposting another user’s content, Delineate sponsored posts with the appropriate hashtags (#ad).
Challenge: Keeping true to your brand’s integrity and authenticity.
Solution: Let your people and your mission be your guide. Use ephemeral content to share behind-the-scenes looks, employee interviews, and ‘day-in-the-life’ features so your audience gets to know your brand on a more personal level.
Challenge: Handling negative comments and crises on social media.
Solution: Check out our blog posts on these topics (linked above).
Challenge: Adapting to new platforms and features.
Solution: Stay informed and don’t be afraid to explore and experiment with something new. Check out our blog post featuring tips and tricks for the new social media platform, Threads.
Challenge: Adjusting to the ever-changing algorithms.
Solution: Make sure your social media strategy is flexible so you can implement and cater to the kind of content the algorithms favor.
Challenge: Standing out amongst the vast amount of social media content.
Solution: Use a multimedia content strategy that includes still photos, videos, infographics, live streams, and more. Content should not be all sales-oriented. Provide your audience with value in the form of education, entertainment, emotions, etc.
Challenge: Staying consistent on social media when you have so much other work to do.
Solution: Check out our blog post on this topic. Sign up to be a part of our Content Calendar Club to help you create and curate consistent killer content.
Challenge: Encouraging engagement on social media.
Solution: Check out our blog post featuring 10 strategies to boost engagement.
Challenge: Targeting the right audience.
Solution: Check out our blog that discusses the different social media platforms and their key audience demographics/psychographics.
Challenge: Measuring ROI (return on investment) for social media campaigns.
Solution: Check out our blog post about understanding social media analytics.
Even with all these proposed solutions, navigating social media challenges can be hard. Schedule a discovery call with Media À La Carte today and find out how we can help take some of the social media stress off of your plate.
