As a follow-on from last week’s article, this article will discuss how social media tools, compelling content and the timing of posts can help to maximise your digital engagement efforts.

The whole point of social media marketing is to move beyond engaging the ‘usual suspects’ and increase the level of engagement with users that you wouldn’t otherwise reach by using traditional consultation methods. Organisations that have established a solid presence on social media will already have people following their page or account. For organisations that have a small number of followers, it’s difficult to reach a wider audience by publishing content on your own page – this content is likely to be viewed by existing followers or people that physically search and click on to your account.

But, how can you reach a wider audience using social media?

Social media advertising remains the best way to raise awareness about your consultation and increase engagement. All major platforms have heavily invested in their advertising solutions, with the ability to run adverts and marketing campaigns.

Let’s take a look at Facebook marketing and advertising capabilities. Facebook uses its algorithm to decide which posts people see and in what order they see them. The type of content people see on their newsfeed depends on several factors, such as the posts they have liked, the information on their Facebook and Instagram profiles, ads they have previously clicked on, places they have check-in on social media and so on.  That is why it’s crucial to learn about your stakeholder’s interests. Once you understand their social media habits and what they might include on their profiles, this information will help you to create effective and relevant content that will capture their attention when it appears somewhere in their newsfeed.

Facebook’s paid advertising tool is an effective tool that allows you to connect with specific groups with its improved demographic targeting. For example, if you want to reach people who are aged 18 and over and speak a specific language, Facebook’s advertising tool allows you to set your advertising requirements. In turn, your content tends to appear in the newsfeed of those who match your requirements, unless they are using effective ad blockers.

So far, so good. Now, how do you get people to respond to your ad?

Well, it all depends on the design of your advert. Optimising your social media with high-quality content will do wonders. A key point to remember: you are trying to connect with people that are not in front of you. This means that the information that you decide to post should be clear, concise and most of all, relevant. Users will not pay attention to a local change unless it affects them in one way or another. What sort of advert will make a person think twice about the local issue or induce them to take a look by clicking on it to establish if it is of interest?

• An ad that has a picture of a bus on the left-hand side with the headline ‘public consultation – have your say’ with the dates of the consultation at the bottom, or
• The same ad with the headline ‘Number 3 bus to stop running on XXX route in Kent’.

Ads that include information about how the audience is likely to be impacted is effective in urging them to click on your ad to find out exactly what this advert means. In essence, your advert could lead to your website or your account with further information about the consultation. You might want to consider thinking strategically about the different formats that you can use for your ad (text, image, video, audio, presentation or other).

It’s also important to consider the timing of your posts and reminders. Believe it or not, posting your content half an hour later or before can make a difference when it comes to impressions, views and level of engagement.

At what times throughout the day do you tend to scroll through your newsfeed? Why do you think that is?

These are the questions you need to ask about your audience when you are scheduling posts to ensure that you are posting at a time that your audience is likely to be online to view the content. Social media scheduling tools can be useful for the overall management of your social media activity. Consultors can easily schedule their posts at different times on various platforms or even publish their latest Facebook post, Instagram photo or Twitter tweet simultaneously. For promotional posts, consultors should consider what the optimum times are to publish.

Some people scroll through Instagram during morning or evening commutes, and others have a quick browse through Facebook before the school run or after the kids are in bed. For some, social media is the last thing they use before the turn in for the night. To achieve maximum reach and engagement, its best to avoid posting content at times of the day that conflict certain hours of the day that your audience is unlikely to be online.

When done right, there’s a higher chance of them seeing and engaging with your social media posts – more reach and more engagement!