Your engagement metrics are like your social media report card - they show you what's working and what's not. But just counting likes won't cut it. To really understand how your audience is interacting with your brand, you need to go deeper. That's where the Engagement Spectrum comes in.
With this tool, you can easily grasp various interactions people have with your brand on social media, from the most basic (superficial) ones all the way to the deeper ones that show substantial interest and ultimately drive tangible results for your business.
In other words, the engagement spectrum helps you understand what’s *really* going on behind your engagement numbers.
Social media engagement: The interactions breakdown
Here’s how the spectrum breaks down, with various social media interactions ordered based on the depth of engagement they represent:
Likes
A like is when people tap that little heart button to show some love for a post.
SPARK OF CURIOSITY: Basic engagement, providing a quick measure of initial interest
MINIMAL EFFORT: Requires little effort, often considered superficial but can be an entry point for deeper engagement later on.
Views
A view is when people catch a glimpse of a post or video.
VISIBILITY MEASURE: Reflects your content’s visibility or the extent to which it catches attention.
SILENT RECOGNITION: Indicates passive yet notable interaction with content.
Comments
A comment is when people drop their thoughts and join the conversation on a post.
DYNAMIC INTERACTION: Shows active engagement with content since it requires people to participate.
VALUABLE FEEDBACK: Offers helpful feedback and insights.
Shares
A share is when people pass along a post they love to their friends or followers.
CONTENT CONFIRMATION: Confirms content’s value and relevance.
WIDER REACH: Expands content visibility to more people.
CONTENT VOUCHING: Shows endorsement and willingness to share.
ThruPlays | Average watch time
A thruplay is when people watch a video all the way through without skipping, and, similarly, average watch time is how long they stick around watching a video.
UNWAVERING ATTENTION: Demonstrates continuous interest and involvement.
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE: Sign of profound engagement and absorption in video content.
Saves
A save is when people bookmark content to come back to it.
CONTENT TREASURE TROVE: Highlights highly valuable on-point content saved for later.
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT: Shows sustained interest and significant value perception.
Replays
A replay is when people give a video a second watch because it’s just that good.
EVERGREEN APPEAL: Demonstrates content’s lasting allure and a desire to engage with it repeatedly.
INTENSE INTEREST: Reflects ongoing fascination and potential for additional actions or conversions.
Direct messages/DMs
A DM is when people slide into someone’s inbox to chat privately.
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION: Since users initiate direct communication, it shows deep engagement and strong interest.
PRIVATE CONNECTION: Offers a private space for feedback and bonding.
Click-throughs
A click-through is when people follow a link or a call-to-action included in a post.
DISCOVERY DRIVE: Sign of a desire to explore further and take action.
TRAFFIC BOOSTER: Drives more visitors to external brand destinations, like websites.
BEYOND PLATFORM INTEREST: Shows real interest in exploring the brand beyond social media, possibly leading to sales.
Quality over quantity
What the engagement spectrum is saying in a nutshell is – quality over quantity.
A high number of likes or views may seem impressive initially, but those are called “vanity metrics” for a reason. To get real results, the engagements you get from your audience need to reflect genuine interest and connection with your brand. Think saves, high average watch times, DMs, and click-throughs.
Understanding the depth and breadth of possible interactions on social media can help you tailor a social media strategy that goes beyond the surface-level and focuses on meaningful engagements. This is how you ultimately drive desired actions, aka real conversions.
How to get meaningful engagement?
There are many tactics to foster meaningful engagements that go beyond likes. Here are just some:
Authentic storytelling: Use social media to share relatable stories people can connect with on a personal level and encourage them to engage emotionally.
Interactive content: Use polls, quizzes, and contests to invite active participation and foster a sense of community among your followers.
Responding and engaging: Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments and acknowledging feedback. Initiate conversations to demonstrate genuine interest in building relationships
Value-driven content: Give insightful content that educates, entertains, or solves a problem for your audience, encouraging them to engage with your brand on a deeper level.
Community building: Foster a sense of belonging and community among your followers by creating spaces for them to connect with each other, share experiences, and support one another.
Real-life examples of awesome social media engagement tactics
There are brands out there that are nailing it with tactics for social media engagement and creating meaningful connections.
Here are our (current) 4 favorites:
Stranger Things
One of the brightest examples of how to do social media right is Netflix’s Stranger Things Instagram account, known for its authentic storytelling approach. By sharing behind-the-scenes photos, videos, and anecdotes from the show’s cast and crew, they give fans an insider look into the making of the series, foster deep emotional connections, and encourage them to share their stories and experiences around Stranger Things.
Plus, they actively respond to comments in their distinctive playful, conversational, and a bit cheeky manner that makes them cool and approachable. This adds an extra layer of authenticity to the overall experience with the account and the show, creating a sense of community among the viewers.
Spotify Wrapped
When Spotify launched Spotify Wrapped, its annual feature that provides users with personalized insights into their listening habits over the past year, it hit the jackpot in terms of driving high engagement and building a strong community around the app.
Spotify Wrapped usually gives you a rundown of your top songs, favorite artists, preferred genres, and most-listened-to podcasts, along with some other interesting metrics and trends. As a mix of interactive and value-driven, personalized content, it’s turned into a big deal for app users, getting everyone excited and sparking lively chats and sharing sessions among music lovers on social media. Enhancing user experience, engagement, and brand loyalty – all checked.
Fenty Beauty
Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty embodies the essence of authentic storytelling through its philosophy of inclusivity, especially in representing diverse skin tones often overlooked in the beauty industry. By focusing on creating makeup products that cater to a wide spectrum of skin tones, Fenty addresses a longstanding industry issue, resonating deeply and gathering a loyal, invested community.
On its Instagram account, the brand regularly encourages meaningful engagements with its audience by responding to comments, asking for feedback through polls and quizzes, including UGC in their feed, and creating filters like the one that helps you test the shade of Fenty’s complexion products and find your perfect match.
Letterboxd
A social media platform for movie lovers, Letterboxd brilliantly extends the app engagement and community experience onto their social profiles, primarily on TikTok. On the app, there’s a well-known feature called “4 favorites”, where users highlight their top 4 films on their profiles. Letterboxed simply transferred this onto TikTok, by making short and punchy videos in which they ask famous people from the movie industry to give us their 4 favorites.
Value-driven content at its finest. These insights into the cinematic preferences of notable figures are both entertaining and informative, with a hint of an insider perspective or exclusive content. They encourage massive reactions from the TikTok audience, contributing to the ongoing conversation around movies and the platform. Ultimately, they cultivate a vibrant community around Letterboxd, strengthening its position as a leading brand for film enthusiasts.
Beyond Likes
Remember, likes are good, but they only scratch the surface. The true essence of social media success lies in meaningful connections.
Need help in reaching beyond the surface and building a social media strategy that engages your audience on a deeper level?
Check out our social media services to find out what we can do for your brand’s social media engagement.
