When it comes to online engagement, more is more. But where customers engage with you matters, too. Engagement is measured slightly differently across platforms, but it typically comes down to some type of interaction with content: an open, a click, a like, a share, a comment or a video viewing. And in some cases, not all interactions are created equal.
If a general awareness advertisement is purchased on a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) model, then unwanted engagement (in this case, clicks) is costly and ineffective. However, if that same CPC ad is highly targeted and every click is qualified, that engagement can be very beneficial. But there are three places where engagement is always good, and where you should be optimizing for more interaction. Read on for everything you need to know about social media, website and email engagement.
Social Media Platforms
Engagement rate on social media sites is one of the most widely discussed but misunderstood terms in marketing. That’s because each individual site sets their own parameters for engagement and has proprietary algorithms and terminology associated to interaction. At their core, social media networks are looking for people who take action with posts instead of just passively scrolling. This indicates an affinity for the brand, product, service or topic and helps the social media site to serve more relevant content around similar interests. So, the more a user engages with your posts, the more of your content they will see. As with email engagement, interaction types are often weighted differently, with a simple like worth less than a share or a comment that shows deeper affinity.
Your Own Website
Time on site is a great indicator of interest in what you have to offer. And if a user is clicking through from a search ad, it sends a strong signal to the search engines that you offer relevant content based on their search. Rapid clicking around on your site could indicate confusing navigation or misleading terms. But more than one page view, coupled with a longer time on site, is highly correlated with strong interest. Form submissions or content downloads are also great ways to track engagement on your site. For ecommerce merchants, cart additions or wishlist saves are also important. These KPIs are very different from social media or email engagement metrics, but represent valuable traffic for retargeting across platforms.
Email Marketing Messages
When it comes to customer interactions, email engagement may be the most important metric of all. Email service providers use engagement to measure the quality of your list. Bounce rate and unsubscribes are obviously indicators of poor list quality or irrelevant content, but low open rate and poor click-throughs all signal a lower list quality. Over time, multiple signs of poor list quality, such as low email engagement, can cause an email service provider to restrict your email sends. That’s why email engagement is so important. You worked hard to earn those leads! Don’t let low email engagement throttle your list potential.
Whether it’s social media, website or email engagement, the key is to keep leads and customers interacting with your content. Test subject lines and headlines across channels to see what drives clicks. Ask questions. And provide compelling offers that are relevant to your audience, even if it means segmenting your lists and creating specific content for each group.
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