When running a digital marketing campaign, engagement rate should be right at the top of the list of your most closely monitored analytics. A large reach is all well and good, but if the people you’re reaching aren’t actually showing any interest by clicking and/or sharing your content, then your campaign is essentially falling on deaf ears and uninterested eyes.
If you want to get your audience excited with your next digital marketing campaign, there are a few tried and tested steps you should follow.
Don’t rush it
Don’t start posting content willy nilly without having a proper plan in place. Ideally, before launching you should gather enough graphics, blog posts, videos and any other content you can muster to span a three-month campaign. That includes content for social media, email and any extra paid promotions you wish to carry out. If you fail to do this, you’ll always be scrambling for fresh content.
And remember, unless your campaign is a viral sensation of the rarest order, you’re not going to set the internet on fire in your first week. Don’t expect a huge return right off the bat – your aim should be for steady growth, gradually enticing your audience with informative and engaging content.
First impressions really do count
Unless you’re a globally-recognised brand like Coca-Cola or MacDonald’s, you should always assume whoever is viewing your content is completely unfamiliar with what you do. For this reason, if your campaign is promoting a new product or service, make sure the first phase of your campaign is focused on informing your audience.
It might seem like stating the obvious, but most people will be far more likely to engage with a brand’s campaign if they have trust and understanding for that particular brand. And one of the best ways to build a relationship of trust and understanding with your audience is to make your content as non-complicated and accessible as possible – that way your audience will never feel like they’re having the wool pulled over their eyes.
Encourage conversation
Arguably the best aspect of social media is that it gives everyone a voice, and encouraging your audience to use their voice is an effective way to build a strong bond between them and your brand. This can be done through a variety of methods, including social media polls and blog posts which focus on opinion and/or asking questions; e.g. ‘Why is Facebook more popular than Twitter?’ (of course, make sure all your posts are relevant to your campaign in some way).
By creating an open forum environment on social media, you should find your engagement rate continues to rise as your audience grows. Eventually, your social media pages will become an open and friendly community.
Make it competitive
Another great way to drum up interaction for your campaign is to run a competition across all your digital channels – social media, website, email etc. This method won’t generate direct sales, but what it will do is give a much greater reach for your brand. This is especially true of ‘Like & Share to enter’ competitions on social media.
This method is especially useful if your campaign is promoting a new product or service. Including said product/service in the prize package is a good, cost-effective to generate hype and demand.
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