3 CANDID REASONS NO ONE ENGAGES WITH YOUR CONTENT (PART 2)

This is a sequel but also a standalone - which means you don't have to read the Part 1 to understand the point I'm driving at. Part 1 was quite serious and dramatic while this one is pure comic relief wrapped around some fundamental facts. This means you'll be laughing while experiencing a paradigm shift.

Engagement is one of the key metrics of successful content marketing, every content marketer and social media manager reading this is probably snapping their fingers in agreement to this fact.

Marketing efforts are done in vain if no one, especially your target audience, resonates with your audience or see the value you're putting out. I hope you aren't like those folks who think engagement is equals the number of likes on social media posts or followers on social media platforms. Engagements differ for each platform but there are three connecting dots:

1. Conversations
2. Conversions
3. Community

It doesn't matter what platforms you distribute and promote your content, if these three things aren't happening, you don't have engagement. In Brother Shaggy's voice, 'e shock you?'

In the first part of this discussion, I assumed that your content is great and that distribution was the problem but joke's on me because assumption is the lowest level of knowledge; this brings me to point 1: Your content is not meeting your target audience's need. Most people (please if you are a content creator and you're on this table, maybe you should go back to the basics and relearn what you were taught) think that content creation is just posting pictures or using some viral trends to draw analogies to your brand's bottomline. I laugh in Yoruba! I think this is the reason business owners and brands don't see the need for social media managers and content creatives.

Content creation is providing solutions to specific problems people face in diverse formats and across different platforms. It's a science and an art; you have to know the working principles so you can consider them when addressing pain points and you also know how to proffer these solutions in a human, relatable and compelling way. The first reason people aren't engaging with your content is because you aren't meeting anyone's needs. You are just all about you. You are being selfish. People are seeing through that and no one's got time for that.

Another thing you should also ask yourself is if your content is generic. This is point two. People want to know where you belong, what you do, what your story is, the change you want to see and the idea you want to sell.

Let me share this joke with you. When I was living on the island (the mainland part of the island) as a kid, my mom would ask me to go buy her 'General Body' from the local pharmacist (we used to call them Chemist) after she returns from work. The first time she sent me on this medical trip, I was expecting that General Body was a particular drug but I found out it was a prescription for body pain, aches, migraines, vitamin and mineral supplements. Some of you are like General Body, you share every kind of content and jump on every trend or conversation. It makes people wonder why you have a bio in the first place stating what you stand for. It's just funny to me when your bio says writer and social media marketer and your focus is on #BBNaija and celebrity gist. You can't tell us not to leave you when we can't come to you for a specific solution. The noise is too much online and you're increasing the volume.

Lastly, you don't engage with others. Lord and Lordess, King and Queen; the one who never takes out time to check out other people's profile but wants to drive all the attention to theirs'. You never step out of your way to engage with others but you want them to not only like, comment, save but also share and become loyalists. Trust me, people know you are stingy with your engagements and they are just reciprocating in the best logical way - to stay on their lanes too. Don't be mad, they are just 'branding' like you are too. Even if they are in your sector and you're all doing the same thing, engage with their content. Support their thoughts if you agree. Disagree politely when you don't. Share their work and support their hustle. You see people collaborating? It was done via connection and engagement.

There's enough room. It's not a competition.

I hope you learnt a few things or were reminded to do some things properly. If you enjoyed reading this and you'd love to learn about writing or the business of writing, check out my posts. I've created a holistic and practical course in the Writer's Lab. Send a DM for enquiries.