Oftentimes, social media looks deceivingly simple. Feeds arranged in a certain way, seamless partnerships with mega-, macro-, micro-, nano-influencers, audiences jumping in on the conversation–it might seem like brands do these things on the regular with zero effort, but the truth is that there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Once you’re in the thick of it, you might constantly find yourself asking why your customers don’t engage with the social media posts you’ve wholeheartedly produced.
Don’t blame this on yourself on this one, though. While it is true that having an active presence on social media increases your revenue, it’s not without hitting some roadblocks and encountering some challenges. With 4.48 billion social media users around the globe, people and businesses are beefing up their profiles just so they can get the reach, engagement, and conversions they oh-so desire.
Social media is already crowded with an overwhelming amount of content and that’s why the toughest part about all of this is that you need to come up with fresh and new ideas. Your followers are hungry for something new, something they haven’t seen or experienced yet. Trust us when we say that they can see through you especially when you keep recycling the same posts and the same content again and again.
With that in mind, coming up with some innovative marketing plans and strategies can really help your brand stand out on social media. Here are three creative ideas to start you off:
Bring On The Fun With A Giveaway or A Contest
One thing you should never underestimate is the power of free stuff. Running an occasional contest is a great way to pull in a new audience as well as engage with your loyal customers.
You don’t necessarily need to pay for a third-party solution when running a contest, you will just need something to give away. Prepare an enticing prize that’s still related to your brand, whether that’s a bunch of free products, samples of new items, a gift card, or even a membership. Giving away unrelated stuff often attracts freebie-seekers that don’t often translate to long-term customers.
Here are a few other tips to keep in mind:
- Cover yourself legally by outlining your terms and conditions for your giveaways and contest clearly. This will also make your contest be perceived as something legitimate.
- Leave an email address or a mobile phone number where people can reach you should they have any questions or concerns.
- Leverage hashtags so you can keep track of who is entering your contest.
- Constantly promote your contest or giveaway to keep the excitement going.
Build a Community By Leveraging On User-Generated Content
Content is all about quality and what can give you more value than the content your audience produces? User-Generated Content or UGC not only helps you understand your target audience better, this type of content also gives your followers a fresher perspective on your brand through the eyes of a fellow consumer. Let’s face it: consumers would rather accept and trust the content or the opinions of an average person than that of a brand.
Another reason to try leveraging UGCs? When planned effectively, you don’t have to do as much work compared with your other content. What’s more, UGCs make it easy for you to manage your business finances as they are cost-effective and a sure-fire way to boost your conversions.
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You can roll this out by creating a format that will encourage your audience to generate photos or videos that they can tag you in. Another way to do this is to run campaigns on the social media platform of your liking using a specific set of hashtags. Once someone uses your hashtag/s, consider reposting them on your page.
A word to the wise when it comes to UGCs:
- Make sure you screen your client or your customer’s content first before you put it on your page.
- Trust is imperative. Always ask for their permission before you post their content or their review of your product or service.
- Don’t forget to set your goals properly so that you can easily measure your results
Time For A Takeover
Give your audience something totally different by giving the keys to someone else for a short while. A social media takeover is a form of influencer marketing wherein the goal is to increase your brand’s exposure while giving your audience interesting and, more often than not, highly entertaining content.
A takeover effectively injects a fresh voice or perspective into your feed from an influencer, a thought leader, a professional, or even someone from your company. It adds a different flavor to your socials that audiences will look forward to, pushing a sense of community that other content types might have a hard time achieving.
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Remember these things if you want to run a successful social media takeover:
- Know who your takeover host is going to be and make sure they are comfortable with the platform you’ve chosen.
- Align your goals. Takeovers should benefit both you and your host.
- Create a specific set of guidelines for the host so that they know what is and isn’t acceptable when hosting the takeover.
- Promote your takeover to draw the interest of your audience. Ask your host to promote it too.
These are only three out of a hundred more ideas you can produce for your brand to cut through the noise and give your audience content that gives them value. Social media shouldn’t just be all about you promoting your products and services, it should be more about telling your brand’s story as well as the story of the community you have built.
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