Over the weekend, I was at a party chatting with a some friends when someone brought up a hilarious comment they’d seen on social media. It read:
“Apologies for the very personal question, but were you homeschooled by a pigeon?”
The comment had almost 70,000 likes and hundreds of replies and reshares. Meanwhile the original post barely reached 2,000 likes. This is part of an on-going trend on social media that I’ve been noticing more and more – people aren’t just scrolling anymore, they’re sticking around in the comments section.
There is no doubt in my mind that Mr Petershankman’s comment would have resulted in a wave of new profile views and followers. It highlights a slow shift in user behaviour, proving that the comments section is where the real action is. It’s where the conversations are happening, friendships are forming, ideas are sparking, and yes, some truely savage burns are going viral.
The shift that is happening is towards human interaction. When we spend so much time staring at screens filled with content created by AI and bots – the comments section offers us an opportunity to share our thoughts in a (somewhat) safe environment, and to talk about the things we’re interested in with like-minded fans / followers / trolls.
When my friend told us about this amazing insult she’d read online – she couldn’t really remember what the original post was about, just that it was “someone saying something silly about tariffs”. We spent a good 10-15 minutes talking about the insult, and the conversation that was happening in the comments. And then afterwards, my friend went back on social, saw the comment again, and screenshotted it and sent it to the group chat.
Take a moment to think about the lifespan of that comment – not only did it show up in the feed multiple times, it then received an in-person conversation, and was later shared into a group chat on a completely different social media platform (and now I’m writing about it here).
Now imagine if, instead of talking about homeschooling pigeons, that comment was sharing a unique insight, idea, or thought that was relevant to your business or industry. Imagine if the comment was on a LinkedIn post, and it was YOUR brand or profile leaving that unique and thought-provoking comment – and YOUR profile that received all of those views and new followers?
The power of the comments section is the reason why BeKonstructive Marketing is shifting our social media management services from a content-first approach to an engagement-first approach.
Engagement-First and Conversation-Driven Social Media Strategy
The crux of our engagement-first approach to social media means that the content is no longer the hero of your social media strategy – the conversation is.
The perfectly curated and polished posts that no one interacts with are out – and scroll-stopping conversation-starters are in. Posts that ask questions, invite opinions, and give your audience something to actually talk about. Posts that weigh in on trending topics that your audience are actually interested in.
But wait, there’s more!
We’re not just creating content so that your brand can host conversations on your own profile. We’re actively searching out the conversations that are relevant to your brand and your target audiences and joining them. We’re leaving the insightful, interesting, and thought-provoking comments that help drive those conversations forward. We’re building your reach, impressions and brand awareness by meeting your target audience where they’re already spending their time online.
There are so many brands still dropping polished branded posts like little digital pamphlets and walking away, hoping someone gives them a like. But if it looks like an ad, talks like and ad, and smells like an ad… then it’s probably been created by an AI bot.
We think it’s time to fill our client’s feeds with content that is going to build trust and loyalty with existing audiences, catch the eye and interest of new audiences, and spark insightful conversations with smart audiences looking for real connection. We’re focusing on creating niche communities where real humans can interact with other real humans.
Our engagement-first approach focuses on designing content as a conversation vessel – every post has a purpose beyond performance metrics. We’re creating moments, prompts, and hooks for dialogs. Not just statements, but invitations.
And then we’re going out into the world and luring your new followers back to your conversation vessels (posts) by leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of comments and conversations on similar topics and threads.
What We’re Actually Changing:
Here’s what an engagement-first approach looks like behind the scenes at BeKonstructive Marketing:
- We’re designing content specifically to spark discussion – not just share information.
- We’re getting involved in the comments, replying as both brand and team members.
- We’re tapping into trending conversations in your industry and finding ways for your brand to participate meaningfully.
- We’re prioritising real engagement over reach-for-the-sake-of-it.
- We’re being present where your audience already is – not just in comment threads, but also in community groups on platforms like Reddit and Discord.
- Instead of trying to lure followers in with your content, we’re taking your content to where the followers are already spending their time online – looking beyond just traditional social media platforms.
Basically, you won’t find us posting “3 Tips to XYZ” and then ghosting. We’re hosting conversations that make people want to join in. And we’re joining in the conversations that are already happening.
It’s part social media management, part community management, part digital PR and social listening, and part brand management. It pulls from a variety of different marketing skill sets, and aligns perfectly with our mission statement: Everyday Marketing Communications for Everyday Businesses.
Why Engagement-First Matters
If you’ve found yourself questioning the value of your social media presence lately, wondering if it’s doing anything besides draining your time and budget – you’re not alone. This approach is for you.
We’re moving beyond vanity metrics like follower count, or post counts, to build social strategies that are relevant, responsive, and rooted in real relationships. Because when your brand shows up as a human – ready to listen, ready to chat – that’s when the good stuff starts to happen.
Let’s Talk Socials
If you’re ready to break up with the post-and-ghost strategy and start sparking actual conversations, we’re ready to help. BeKonstructive Marketing’s new engagement-first social media service is already rolling out with select clients – and the results are already proving what we knew deep down all along: People connect with people, not posts.
