In this dog-eat-dog world, businesses are always finding ways to grow and get ahead of their competition.
Some use outsourcing, others focus on getting more traffic to their website through effective SEO, and then there are those who rely on Google ads to get the word out about their brands.
Here’s another strategy that’s been helping businesses prosper: Social media marketing.
With 3.78 billion social media users worldwide, it’s no wonder why more and more companies are taking advantage of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
A study from Buffer reveals that 73% of marketers find social media to be effective for their business. 71% of small-to-mid sized businesses use it to market themselves, with 52% of them posting at least every day.
As for consumers, 54% research products on social media, according to GlobalWebIndex. And, 71% of those who’ve had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend it to their friends and family.
These statistics are telling us one thing: Social media is a powerful tool for businesses both big and small.
In this article, we’re giving you seven strategies on how you can take your business up a notch through social media marketing.
We know how frustrating it gets when you’re seeing little to zero results despite your best efforts to tailor your content strategy, which is why we’ve decided to write this post.
Without any further ado, let’s start!
1. Host a Contest or Giveaway
People love free stuff, and that’s what you’re going to give them.
Here’s the catch, though: They have to win one of your contests or giveaways.
Running occasional contests is one of the best ways to increase engagement and visibility on your social media page. But, can it increase your sales too? Absolutely.
In fact, researchers from Tailwind discovered that Instagram accounts that host contests on a regular basis were found to grow 70% than those that don’t. 91% of posts with more than 1,000 likes or comments are related to a contest.
Here are some ideas to inspire you:
- Like, share, and/or comment to win contests prompt engagements with your customer base and reaching new people at the same time.
- Photo caption contests encourage your audience to think of a clever comment on your photo and engage with your brand.
- Follow to win contests boost your number of followers.
- Tag a friend contests produce a ripple effect: A friend tags a friend who then tags another friend and so on…..
- Vote to win contests help you collect feedback from your audience on something that’s valuable to your business. Here’s an example:
Your prizes don’t have to be fancy and expensive, especially if you’re just a small business. It can be as simple as a percentage off a visit to your store, a gift certificate, or by providing one of your services for free.
2. Count on User-Generated Content (UGC)
If you’re looking for a surefire way to attract new followers, keep old ones more loyal than ever, and convert prospects into customers, leveraging UGC is the answer.
User-generated content highlights how customers feel about a brand. It allows businesses to build an emotional connection with their audience, show authenticity, and form meaningful relationships.
As you can see from the infographics, UGC can ultimately build trust between a brand and its customers.
Any proof of a satisfied customer using your product is worth more than when you’re promoting the product yourself. That’s because people can relate more with fellow consumers.
However, don’t just post any UGC you’re tagged in. Instead, create a branded hashtag for your business, and repost the best content from followers who use the hashtag.
Seeing that you’re featuring your followers who mention you, others will also post about your brand, hoping that their content will be the next post in your feed.
3. Poll Your Audience
Polls are always a good idea if you want to boost audience engagement. Consumers want their voices heard, and a poll is definitely a great place to start.
There are many ways to make the most of polls. You can use them to gain insightful info about your audience, get their feedback about a new product, or just for some random fun.
Polls don’t really need to be a formal affair, nor should they be exclusively business-related. Here’s Airbnb using Twitter poll to learn what the majority of their followers call an ideal long weekend:
4. Use Trending Topics
Topical posts on Facebook and Twitter can help you score huge numbers.
Covering news while they’re still hot will no doubt boost your online visibility. A viral news story is being shared on a massive scale, with millions of people across the world reading and talking about it.
That’s why you should check in with your Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis.
Twitter lets you see what topics are currently trending on the left hand side of your profile. The list contains topics that Twitter users are buzzing about at this very moment, so you certainly want to keep an eye on that. The “Discover” button at the top page is another way to see what’s trending right now.
Facebook shares a similar feature. The platform has a “trending topics” section in the users’ news feed, and what makes it even better is that each topics come with a short description. The only downside is, topics are not listed in real time.
Once you hear a new trend making rounds on social media, you better create a post using a relevant hashtag. You can write an opinion about it, or perhaps do more digging so you can write what it’s all about.
Just be sure to avoid sensitive topics, such as political issues, or your business might end up getting canceled by the cancel mob. Who knows, you might end up as the next viral subject everyone will be talking about!
5. Put a Spotlight on Your Employees
Let the whole world know how much you appreciate everyone in your team. Let them know that if it weren’t for these hardworking individuals, your business wouldn’t be where it is now.
Business owners that commend their people are often regarded as personable and genuine. When your audience sees how much you value your employees, they’ll most likely assume that you’re a good boss who’s not only about the business, but also about the well-being of others.
Plus, boosting employee morale will lead to satisfaction. Satisfaction leads to better performance. Better performance leads to more sales.
Here’s K12 Knoxville praising their agents on Twitter:
6. Launch New Products
Don’t just get the word out about a new product in your website or ecommerce store, use your social media platforms!
Promote your new product, highlights its features, and let your audience know when it will be released/ You can even provide a teaser video to keep them in their toes.
Building a lot of hype about your new product will get your customers on board before it even hits the market. As soon as it’s available for purchase, be sure to use Instagram shoppable posts to generate sales.
The example below shows a creative ad from Beauty Blender teasing their followers with their newest product:
7. Go Live
Live streaming – whether it’s on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter – allows you to connect and engage with your audience intimately. It adds a personal touch to your content, and guess what? People love brands that reach out to them!
If you’re not sure where to begin, take a look at several ideas below:
- Q&A sessions: Give your audience an opportunity to ask you questions they’ve always been meaning to ask.
- Product demonstration: Demonstrate how to use a specific product of yours, particularly one that many of your customers have trouble using.
- Free online classes: Free classes work well for live streams, especially if paid classes are part of your package. For example, if you teach yoga classes, you can offer a free session where anyone can participate. It will give them a feel of what your class is really all about.
- Behind the scenes: Give your audience a live tour of your workplace and show them what a typical day at work looks like.
- Tutorials: If you’re selling makeup or anything related to arts and craft, sharing a live tutorial is always a great way to teach your audience. They can ask questions along the way, and you can interact with them as much as you want to while teaching them.
The Bottom Line
There you have it! While there are tons of other social media ideas to help your business grow, these seven tips have been proven time and time again to be effective. Keep them in mind, apply them, and you’ll be good!
