If you have been using social media as a platform to promote your brand, business or cause, then you may have some success stories to share. Just as common, however, are the lackluster and otherwise ineffective efforts and results from people who initially expected much better. Social media is a constant series of experiments, requiring an active presence from the webmaster or administrator in order to sustain activity. Engagement does not automatically appear or grow – it has to be fostered over time. If the level of engagement on your social media pages are next to none or could be improved, then continue reading to find out how you can boost social media engagement with minimal effort.

Use an Educational Angle

Depending on the nature of your social media presence and niche, you may have a loyal fan base that has a lot of questions to be answered. If you are not stimulating conversation by pinging users with information, then they will resort to using search engines to find the answers they need – don’t expect them to initiate a dialog for you! When you use educational elements such as infographics and videos, or even simply ask a question to your audience, you provoke an augmented amount of curiosity and discussion among your followers. When you post a simple image or make a statement, you do not create the conditions for the same level of engagement as you can through providing legitimate and relevant information.

Host Relevant Contests

People love to get involved when there is something to gain, so why not sweeten the pot and add a tangible reward for their participation? In many cases, you can ask for responses, information or communication from your followers in exchange for a gift or discount. You can then pick the best response and award the winner of the contest. A follow-up with users on who won and – if possible – some photo or verification of it can help add a second, smaller boost of engagement for your social media efforts.

Use Scheduling Options

Some social media platforms allow users to schedule posts in advance automatically. There are also several standalone solutions that can be used to accomplish the same thing for networks that do not have scheduling built into their platforms. When you schedule posts to be published at a later time and/or date, you can ensure that you are pinging users with valuable information and content on a consistent basis. The more you do this, the most likely you are to sustain running conversations with your followers, be seen in status feeds and encourage further engagement.

Conclusion

Bolstering engagement on social media takes time and effort, but you can simplify the process if you remain committed and consistently engage in a few simple acts. When you host relevant contests, you provide direct incentive for users to interact with your brand. When you use scheduling options, you ensure that content is being pumped out on a consistent basis – even when you are not at the computer. Finally, when you use informative and educational angles to address relevant subjects, you automatically encourage others to inquire and discuss. These three tips are simple enough for anyone to do, yet powerful enough to make them formidable elements of your social media arsenal.