Social media is like this mysterious creature you can never figure out. You (hopefully) know you need it, but you don't know how to get it to work — or even what it's supposed to be doing. Here's one hint: Your social media engagement is of utmost importance, so let's focus on that.

Engagement is everything. If you don't have enough, you can't accomplish anything with your social media. Engagement is what sends traffic back to your site, increases your conversions, and ultimately helps you grow your business.

What if you can already tell that your social media engagement isn't what it should be, but you don't know why? Here are 13 possible explanations.

13 Reasons Your Social Media Engagement Isn't Improving

1. You’re Handling Too Many Social Media Accounts

Here’s a question that many businesses ask: "Which social media networks should we create a profile on?"

With a large number of platforms available today, this can get a tad bit confusing. The result is that many brands decide they need to be on every platform. It might seem like a good idea at first. The more accounts you have, the better your chances are of reaching your target market, right?

Well, not really.

The odds of hitting it big on every single platform are slim to none. Your time, money, and resources are better spent focusing on the few platforms that really deliver a result.

Instead of creating an account for every social media platform available, concentrate on two or three networks that can best help you reach your target audience.

2. You're Using Cross-Platform Automated Posts

There are a lot of social media scheduling tools available today that allow you to automate your posts across platforms. This means you can post the same content on all of your social media accounts in just a few clicks.

This method has its advantages. For instance, it undoubtedly saves you time. However, because your posts won't be optimized for each platform, your social media engagement could be negatively affected.

That brings us to our next point.

3. You're Not Optimizing Your Content

Well-crafted material can only go so far if you don’t optimize it. To make sure that your content reaches as many people as possible, optimize your content for every social media platform that you post it on. For example, if you’re on Instagram and Twitter, add relevant hashtags. If you’re on Pinterest, use the right keywords. Adjust the dimensions of your photos so they fit each platform.

What works on Twitter, what works on Facebook, won't necessarily work elsewhere.

4. Nobody Replies to DMs or Comments

Many customers and potential customers use social media to reach out to companies. If you’re not able to address their concerns or answer their queries in a very timely manner, then it might hurt your social media engagement.

If nobody in your company can keep an eye on comments and messages, hire a third-party company or agency to do it for you.

Additionally, don’t ignore negative feedback. Address it politely and properly to avoid the netizen’s wrath.

5. You’re Buying Followers

A large following doesn't mean much if they're not engaging with you. That's why buying followers — and likes, for that matter — is a waste of your money. Also, platforms will ding you for this. This is a huge mistake to make on social media.

You have to have real and relevant followers who are interested in your brand. Buying followers might look good on your profile, but it won't do you any good in terms of your social media engagement or conversions. Having a thousand followers who are interested in the product that you’re offering is better than having 10,000 who aren’t.

6. You’re Not Adding a Call-to-Action (CTA)

CTAs work. If you’re not using them, you’re missing out on opportunities to improve social media engagement and conversions.

There are many ways to use CTAs, and they should always be incorporated in your social media posts, blogs, emails, landing pages, and static pages. What's the goal you're trying to achieve with that post or page?

Think of CTAs like:

• Like us on Facebook!
• Click here to subscribe.
• Read our latest blog post.

The goal is to keep people engaging with you longer.

7. Your Targeting Isn't Specific Enough

If you're spending money to run paid ads on social media (good for you!), then you need to understand one thing: Targeting is crucial. Target the wrong audience and the whole ad will flop.

Of course, you may not figure all of this out the first time you run an ad. In fact, you probably won't. That's okay! This is why it’s important to keep track of your analytics and metrics. This data will show you how to modify and improve your strategy.

Information is key. Don’t spend money randomly. Make sure every penny is well-spent by studying your data and using it to strengthen your future campaigns and strategies.

8. Your Posting Schedule Isn’t Optimized

When you’re posting on your business accounts, it’s important to be strategic not only in deciding what to upload on your feed but also when to upload it.

Try to avoid these mistakes.

Posting Rarely or Too Frequently

There is an ideal number of posts for every social media platform. Posting too little or too much could negatively affect your social media engagement. How often you should post will be determined by a few factors, including what works best for your own brand. This means you need to test out different approaches and see what yields the best results.

Posting at the Wrong Time

The best time to post on social media depends on your industry and your target audience. The rule is to schedule your posts during the time when your audience is active. This will require testing, and analytics can help a lot to determine the optimum time for your business.

9. You’re Not Promoting Your Social Media Accounts Across Platforms

If you want to increase your social media engagement, you have to let people know that you're on social media.

Post Links to Your Social Media Accounts on Your Website

Let your site visitors know that they can reach you through your social media accounts by including icons that link to every page. This makes it easier for people to find you.

Post Links to Your Social Media Accounts on Your Social Media Pages

In the same way that you’re displaying your social media accounts on your website or blog, promote Facebook on Twitter, Pinterest, IG, and so on, and vice versa.

Include the Link to Your Social Media Accounts on Your Promotional Materials

If you’re a brick and mortar business, don’t forget to include your social media page usernames on your posters, brochures, and other promotional materials. This enables your shop customers to find you online.

10. You’re Not Sharing Your Blog Content

Maintaining a blog is essential for SEO. But aside from keywords, posting a link to your articles can help drive more traffic to your website as well as increase audience engagement.

11. You're Not Utilizing the Different Types of Content

Social media posts aren’t just limited to text and images. There are many other formats you can use to encourage engagement, like videos, GIFs, and slideshows. Don't shy away from trying new things. You never know what's going to work.

12. You Don’t Credit Other People’s Work

When you’re sharing user-generated content, articles, or other informative content that you didn't make yourself, make sure to always credit the creator. This can help build relationships, increase engagement, and keep people (especially those who originally shared the material) happy.

13. Your Content is Not Engaging Enough

Your content can make or break your social media. And with the number of businesses utilizing it to connect with their target market — just like what you’re aiming to do — it can get very competitive. One way you can stand out is to produce quality content that people actually value.

Here are a few things you should avoid doing.

Promoting Too Much

Social media is great for increasing brand awareness, but excessive promotion isn’t the way to do it. You can post some promotional content, but you should also mix in other content that has nothing to do with selling your product or service. Some examples are infographics, informative articles (or trivia), how-to videos, and interesting facts related to your business or industry. Content that helps, informs, or entertains can do a lot for your social media engagement.

Posting the Same Content Too Often

Although reposting the same content within a short interval can make your life easier, it won't do well for your social media engagement. Don’t get us wrong: You can reuse old materials, but let enough time pass in between. Variety can add spice to your social media feed.

Using an Inconsistent Voice

When you’re managing a social media account, you must maintain a consistent tone and image to prevent confusion among your audience. Choose a voice that resonates well with your brand’s image and target market and stick to it. This makes it easy for your target audience to reach you and gives your brand character that people can connect to and engage with.

Having high social media engagement will benefit you for years to come, but special attention must be paid to your strategy and insights. We know it's a lot of work. For help creating a website and digital marketing strategy that sell, contact LSM today.