Social Media Engagement Guide + Checklist
Engagement is the center of any successful social media strategy.
In this blog, we’ll break down both types of engagement, share practical examples, and give you a checklist and tips to help boost your daily interactions. Whether you're just starting out or want to tighten up your strategy, this guide is your go-to for creating genuine connections online.
Table of Contents
Types of Engagement
What is Inbound Engagement on Social Media?
What is Outbound Engagement on Social Media?
Tips on Generating Engagement
Daily Engagement Checklist
Types of Engagement
There are two types of engagement on social media: inbound and outbound. These are further defined below, but are both essential engagement strategies.
What is Inbound Engagement on Social Media?
Inbound engagement is interacting with the audience on your profile and content. Inbound engagement cannot be ignored because we want to celebrate any engagement we receive and start building a loyal community! Here are examples of inbound engagement:
Responding to DMs
Replying to comments
Liking comments on your post
Sharing or replying back to story sticker answers
What is Outbound Engagement on Social Media?
Outbound engagement involves reaching out to your audience. Outbound engagement is important for getting your brand seen and making the first move with your audience. Here are examples of outbound engagement:
Commenting on your audience's post
Swiping up on their stories
Starting a conversation in the DMs
Commenting on another business's page
Tips on Generating Engagement:
Get super clear on who your audience is and where they are
Utilize story and reel stickers (that/true or false, sliders, questions)
Be genuine. How would you start a conversation in person?
Always put call-to-actions!
Ask a question when replying to comments to spark a response and keep the conversation flowing
Incentivize engagement to tease in your captions: "Want a part 2?" Comment below, and I'll share it after 20 comments!
Daily Engagement Checklist
✔️ Respond to DMs and comments on your posts
✔️ Follow 5 new accounts that fit within your target market
✔️ Comment on 5 posts from your target audience
✔️ Monitor for keywords/hashtags
✔️ Engage under niche hashtags and location tags (if local audience)
✔️ Engage with your followers & newsfeed
✔️ Check your mention and interact with any content
Pro Tip: When interacting, don't be self-promotional or spammy (repetitive or spam comments can get you restricted on Instagram!). Try to think about what you add to the conversation: share a story of your own that relates, add humor, or show genuine support.
Now what? Put this into action and start connecting!
Take this new knowledge and put it to work through your engagement strategies and content.
There's nothing stopping you from creating the online community of your dream business.
It all starts with a connection!
