There are a lot of factors that go into a successful social media campaign: likes and followers, content, ROI, referrals, and engagement are just a few.

Engagement may not be top of the priority list for some companies, but undervaluing it can be a serious mistake. Engagement helps to strengthen relationships and trust in your brand – which is a large reason many brands have a social media presence in the first place.

Marketing is not the same as it used to be. Brand identity is important to today’s consumers; they want to know that they are supporting a brand they can trust. Your audience needs to know who you are and what you stand for. If you are looking to increase engagement for your brand or community, try some of these tips:

Use a Photo

Posts that use photos get around 53% more likes, 104% more comments and 84% more click-throughs than text-based posts. Be creative with your photos and people will want to engage with them.

Ask Questions

Asking questions gives your community a reason to comment on or like a post. Most users scroll through their Facebook or Twitter feeds pretty fast. A post with a question gives them a chance to participate, meaning they will be more likely to take a moment to comment or share with their friends.

Call to Action

“Call to Action” posts ask your followers to do something. Examples include “Like this post if you are excited for the sunshine this weekend” or “Comment below and let us know which sandwich you’d rather eat for dinner!” If you ask your followers to do something, there is a better chance that they will. Creative calls to action get the most engagement – so take your time and think of something that your followers would actually want to participate in.

Contests

Contests are a great way to improve engagement. If a user has to like, share or comment on a status to win a prize, they probably will. This can also help build brand awareness and increase your follower count because people love to win free prizes.

Share Interesting Content

Make sure you are sharing interesting, quality content. You can use great photos, CTAs and more – but if you aren’t talking about something your followers are interested in, they won’t engage. Understand who your target audience is and tailor your content to match.