58% of consumers surveyed said they were most likely to engage with social media posts they found entertaining, with 51% saying they were likely to engage with posts that offered discounts.
But only 16% of consumers said they would be encouraged to engage with a brand's content if it included influencers or celebrities, new research shows.
The research from Sprout Social - which provides social media marketing and analytics solutions for business - reveals that brands that entertain followers on social media are most likely to engage consumers here.
It also said that building meaningful connections with customers on social media will increase both revenue and traffic.
"For 61% of consumers, that connection starts with feeling they can trust a brand or business. Furthermore, 43% of consumers define feeling connected as when a brand understands them and their wants," Sprout Social said.
Today's research comes at a time when 76% of consumers here 'like' or follow at least one brand on social media, with growth in social media set to increase over the coming years.
Gerard Murnaghan, General Manager and Vice President of Sprout Social EMEA, said that €161m was spent in Ireland alone on social media advertising and marketing last year.
But he urged marketers to go beyond simply publishing and said they must invest in building deep connections with their consumers to realise the biggest payoffs.
He said that Sprout's research finds that when consumers feel connected to brands, 84% will visit a business's website or mobile app and 71% will spend more with that brand.
"This underscores the importance of developing high-quality, relevant brand content that appeals to the audience and engages them in a meaningful way. Marketers that achieve this will cultivate consumers' loyalty and convert them into paying customers," Gerard Murnaghan said.
However, Sprout also found that 61% of respondents would unfollow a brand on social because of poor customer service, and 51% would do the same if they felt they were being ignored.
"This is a stark reminder to companies about the importance of social listening and having clear guidelines in place around how to respond to customer concerns," Mr Murnaghan said.
