Ah, engagement. The big “E” word. The thing all social media marketers strive for. But, why? And what does it even mean? It’s time to set the record straight.

Engagement is the interactions users have with your social media posts and accounts. It’s conversations, reactions, shares, and ultimately, close connections. In its definition alone, you should understand why marketers strive for it. Is your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest post’s engagement high? That means your content is compelling and conjures real interaction. If it’s low, that means it’s falling into the neglected void. No likes, no shares, nothing. In the end, a failure.

This is where we see the big differentiation between quality over quantity. You could have tens of thousands of followers and very little engagement. While it’s nice to have that number high, it’s pointless if people aren’t digesting your content. And THAT is what matters in social media, and is also what makes it so unique. Television commercials, magazine ads, billboards, and radio ads don’t have the luxury of this level of engagement. Instead, marketers can study ROI and profit numbers long after the fact. With social media, real-time analytics are immediately available. We can examine just how many people clicked, liked, and shared a particular post.

The whole point of social media is to get people involved with your brand. Lately, algorithms had further solidified this concept. If you begin to interact with a person or page more than others, your news feed will start to present more of that content. That’s the ultimate goal, a prime spot on viewer’s feeds. This is why YouTubers beg us all to subscribe, comment, and share. It’s all about activity, not broadcasting.

So, the big “E” has some value to it after all. Without it, you might as well call up your local news station and ask for their rates. Social media is where the people are, and we need to keep in mind the standard of this age of marketing, which is a close interaction between brand and customer.

Stuck on how to increase your engagement? Fear not! Our team of marketers study analytics on a daily basis and tweak our approaches so we can deliver the best numbers possible to our clients!