Forget About Engagement, Think About Interaction & Do It Consistently

Are you online? Did you give up after a few months of irregular posting? Here's what you've got to do to make your space on social media.

Hey Zedites,

It’s a Tuesday and time will start picking its pace up as the week goes by. We know we’re not due to be delivered to you today but we’re maintaining our three issues a week policy. The good news is, you’ll get one tomorrow as well! Pssst, sorry if you waited yesterday but we’ve brought you a good one today!

A Story For You

It was a frosty morning in Assam when my phone buzzed - a gentleman by the name of Piyush Waghmare was at the other end. A chill ran down my spine and contrary to what most people would think, it wasn’t because of the weather. Piyush’s company was the first to have gotten back to me after having looked at my resumé.

Backstory: I was a fresher, right out of college, hoping to make a grand entrance into the real world. It was the only company I had applied to because it was the only one I wanted to work for. This was smack dab in the middle of the pandemic.

A week later, I was on a flight back from the misty hills of Assam to the city of dreams to lay the first steps in what I’m still adamant to make, a long and illustrious career. I started my journey as a copywriter in the digital marketing agency and believe you me, I was having an absolute blast! All it took was a taste of short copy and I’ve been going back for seconds ever since. But I digress.

As I clicked away on my keyboard with ideas afresh, I kept hearing one word, from everyone I encountered, on repeat. That word was ‘engagement’. Every client, customer, friend, freelance opportunity I was trying to persuade only understood that particular word - engagement. Either that or ROI (return on investment). I was confused - Why in the world was engagement or ROI the only factor that made sense for these people?

A note: It does not. I would suggest fighting the concept of ROI with the boons of ‘awareness’ when it comes to digital marketing.

It’s common for all those who want to sell a product or service to be active on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and many such social media channels. But before we get into the rigamarole of why you shouldn’t look at engagement for results, let’s understand why brands crave for the ‘E’ word.

1. To begin a conversation with the audience.

2. To be a part of their audience’s daily lives.

3. To be humanize their offering and be more relatable.

4. To make an impact and to analyze the response of their targeted audience.

They’re good reasons, no arguments on that front. It’s all hunky dory in planning but execution is where things take an unprecedented turn for all newcomers. The truth is that there are thousands of brands out there trying to achieve the same goals as you are. Advertising and marketing are not as simple as they used to be - it’s a sensitive time to be a marketer or even a human being, where being mindful should be the priority for all those who wish to make a mark. Cancel Culture lurks around every corner and gets the better of brands, celebrities and influencers. It only takes a statement, an image, a meme, or even a word for you to get it all wrong. On top of all of that, people nowadays hate being marketed to.

So what’s the solution? As scary as it seems, there is one factor you should eye more than the others. It’s ‘interaction’. It sounds a lot like engagement but there’s more to it.

When we talk about engagement, many people only look at likes and comments as their basis for analysis. They do this because these are the points of engagement that are more blatant than the rest. Needless to say, likes and comments DO NOT directly translate to an increase in sales. It’s not the right metric to measure.

Think about it for a second. How many times have you liked something but never followed the Call-To-Action?

What people are not looking at, are analytics like saves and shares.

What good is that? In a world where every other brand is trying to gain the trust of their audiences by humanizing themselves, there is a wall of distrust being created. People are beginning to view this ‘humanization’ as ‘just another marketing gimmick’. They’ve paid attention over the years and are smarter than before.

They’re interested in ‘value addition’ more than anything else. You have to start looking at how you are adding value to their lives for free. Whether it is affirmations or informational posts, memes or in-house reels, you have to bring value.

Fun fact: The most engaging posts don’t necessarily bring in the most number of followers. The informational and product posts usually do the trick and that too with consistency.

You might take a while to agree with me but I’m confident in my statements because I’ve seen the results for myself time and again. I’ve seen brands getting mocked at, at first, and then made an example out of. It’s time-consuming, demoralizing and frustrating but those who stick till the end, are rewarded.

If you’re a company, a brand, or even influencer, you need to make your own space online. People already know what they’re buying when they’re browsing through Amazon or Flipkart. They’re there for something very specific. Gone are the days when they will stumble upon your product and make it viral without you posting on social media almost every single day. And in order to do that without getting bugged down with low engagement, you need to focus on interaction and awareness. One day, the algorithm will favor your content and your brand will spread like wildfire but you’ve got to be there when that day arrives.

Not every brand has the budget to immediately gain visibility like Bomato or Wiggy. Didn’t name them but you thought of them. The truth is, you don’t need a hefty budget to make it in the virtual world, you just need to be you.

Gymshark has done a magnificent job with its presence on LinkedIn. Check them out!

A Story From You

We’ve always been waiting to hear from you. With this one, we wait to hear your experience on social media and your favorite brands online.

Which brand, company or influencer has made a difference in your life and why?

Until next time,

Anuraaj Barua