Saves. This feature, often overlooked, is rapidly proving itself to be an indispensable tool for gauging deep user engagement and refining content strategies on social media platforms. Let’s examine saves from closer, shall we?
What does saves even mean?
At its core, a save on social media is an action users take to bookmark content for later consumption. Unlike more visible interactions such as likes or comments, saves are an indicator of the value and relevance of the content. Saving allow users to create a personalized repository of posts that resonate with them on a level deep enough to warrant future reference. This discrete engagement metric becomes a goldmine of insight into audience preferences and content longevity, so it’s time we start using it.
Saves are still underrated, but they are slowly gaining ground.
Saves are important because they provide a clear indication that the content was compelling enough for a user to want to return to it, suggesting a level of engagement deeper than a fleeting “like” or passive view. Saves are a crucial signal to platforms that content is not only engaging, but valuable, often increasing the visibility of that content in other users’ feeds.
A high number of saves not only suggests that the content is resonating with the audience but also signals to social media algorithms that the content is engaging and worth promoting to a wider audience. As algorithms continue to evolve, saves are becoming an important factor in determining a post’s visibility and reach on platforms like Instagram, where engagement metrics heavily influence content discovery. Simply put, saves show not only what catches the eye, but also what sticks in the mind.
What makes saves unappealing?
Saves are still an often overlooked and underrated social media metric. While likes, comments, and shares are traditionally considered the primary indicators of engagement, saves provide a unique insight into the value and longevity of content that the other metrics may not capture. Here’s why saves are undervalued:
Indirect interaction: Saves are a private form of engagement. Unlike likes or comments, saves are not visible to others, making it harder for content creators to immediately see their impact or for other users to see the popularity of a post based on saves.
Algorithmic transparency: Social media platforms’ algorithms are complex and not fully disclosed. While content creators know that engagement rates affect their visibility, the weight given to saves versus other interactions such as likes or comments is not always clear.
Long-term value versus immediate gratification: Saves represent a user’s intent to revisit content, indicating long-term interest rather than the immediate gratification of a like or comment. This means that the value of a save in terms of engagement and interest is often underestimated.
Analytics and reporting: Not all social media platforms provide detailed analytics on saves, making it difficult for marketers and content creators to track and analyze the diract impact of saves on their overall performance and strategy.
Education Gap: Some users and even content creators may not fully understand the importance of saves or how they can be used to measure content performance. There’s a potential education gap regarding the benefits of prioritizing saves as a key engagement metric.
Start paying attention to the content your audience saves and get ahead the competition
It’s clear to me that saves hold untapped potential for small business owners and brands looking to deepen the understanding of their audience and to create better content. Because, anyone who is saving a post has a genuine interest and intent with that content, which provides a layer of insight into what truly resonates with your followers beyond the superficial interactions of likes and comments.
To stay ahead of the competition, start paying closer attention to how your audience is interacting with your content on a more personal and private level. Encourage your followers to save posts they find valuable, and track those interactions as a key performance indicator. Remember, in the rapidly evolving landscape of social media marketing, it’s critical to understand and use every tool at your disposal.
Want to to know more about how to manage your social media? Get in touch with me, I can help.
This article is part of a series on social media engagement hierarchy you can read the first part and the second part here.
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