You're giving your audience exactly what they want, so how can you demonstrate ROI through engagement metrics? do not Want to get involved?
It’s no wonder that over two-thirds of social marketers report being concerned about the ROI of their social activity. Achieving ROI is difficult when brands measure success in inconsistent ways.
Brands cling to engagement to show ROI
What metrics does your organization most often use to demonstrate the return on investment of its social activities?
Responses to the question, “Which metrics does your organization most commonly use to demonstrate return on investment from social activity?”: engagement 69%, impressions/views 51%, followers 49%, clicks/traffic 43%, leads 21%, sales/revenue 14%, time spent on site/app 4%, sentiment 3%, share of voice 3%, pipeline 2%, research-based brand awareness 2%.
sample: 4,268 respondents
sauce: Hootsuite Social Trends 2024 Survey
In 2024, brands that publish interesting content on social media will be more successful in gaining attention, engagement, and ultimately market share from brands that continue to publish the same old content.
There's no need to overthink it: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “entertainment” simply means to provide enjoyment – to find inspiration, excitement, emotion, or to learn something new.
Be yourself as a friendly person, not as an overly serious brand. After all, social media is not a place to talk to people; it's an interactive space where value is exchanged in both directions.
This isn’t a strategy you can pivot to overnight (obviously), but if your old promotion-heavy strategy isn’t working as well as it once did, it’s time to return to the true strength of social media: building brand awareness, affinity, and long-term relationships with your audience through engaging, entertaining social content.
How entertainment helps you win on social
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When it comes to content, follow your audience's lead
Don't assume you know what your followers want to see. Take the opportunity to ask them what they want through surveys and Q&As. You might even try a new content type or tone. Once you see results, tweak your future posts, testing and iterating as you go. -
Social is a long-term game
Don't be in a rush to “hit the mark.” Social media is great for building brand equity, but this takes time. Also, don't go back to your old self-promotional ways. Nobody likes a hard sell. Having people flock to you is much more effective in the long run. -
Make social relationships the foundation of your ROI
Measure the extent to which engagement extends beyond social media to larger business goals, giving your social media efforts a higher purpose and rooting them in customer value and authentic relationships.
