One of the hardest parts of managing your company’s social media campaigns is coming up with fresh social media marketing ideas. Your audience looks to your brand to provide quality content, but it can certainly be challenging to come up with new and engaging social media content on a regular basis.
Luckily, you have Onyx Digital to help! We’ve put together a huge list of our favorite social media marketing ideas that you can use to engage your fans and followers throughout the year. From developing unique video content to using more emojis, these ideas will help you provide more diverse and appealing content, no matter what kind of business you run.
1. Share user-generated content from your fans and followers.
Sharing user-generated content is a great way to give your fans and followers a fresh prospective on your brand while building stronger relationships with your customers and leads. Often, consumers trust content from the average person more than they do from brands. According to AdWeek, 76% of people surveyed said they were more likely to trust the average person, and almost 100% of consumers trust other consumer recommendations.
User-generated content is a great social media marketing idea because it is a way to show followers that you aren’t the only one that thinks your company is great.
2. Hold a giveaway or contest.
Who doesn’t love free stuff? Contests can be a great way to engage your fans and followers while working to increase exposure and grow your audience. In fact, Tailwind reports that Instagram accounts that run contests on a regular basis grow about 70% faster than the accounts that don’t.
3. Create “tag a friend” content.
Often, you’ll see that social media users will tag their friends in the comments of posts that they think their friends will enjoy. You can take advantage of this quick and easy exposure by posting relatable content and inviting users to tag a friend that they think will enjoy or relate to the content.
4. Post behind-the-scenes photos and videos.
One of the more intimate social media marketing ideas is to post behind-the-scenes photos and videos from your brand. This helps to show your audience that behind your company is a group of people who are working hard to provide quality products and services, which helps you build stronger relationships with customers and leads.
5. Take advantage of “reactions” on Facebook.
One of Facebook’s most fun features is the reaction button. With this feature, users can respond to Facebook posts using one of five different reaction emojis. Now, instead of just “liking” a post, users can choose from “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and “angry.” Though these may typically be used to react to content from friends and family, brands can also use these buttons to engage their followers and gauge interest or feelings about a certain topic.
6. Use more emojis.
Using emojis in your social media posts can be a great way to engage your audience while having a little fun at the same time. According to HootSuite, using emojis in tweets can increase engagement by 25.4% and using them in Facebook posts can increase engagement by 57%. If you plan to use emojis in your social media posts or responses, it’s important that you choose relevant emojis that you understand the meaning of.
7. Create a how-to video.
Video is an excellent format to use to break things down for your audience. Video tutorials or “how-to” videos are eye-catching and engaging pieces of content that you can post across social platforms. This type of video content allows you to break things down into actionable steps, providing visual guidance along the way. Not to mention, it’s very shareable, which means you’ll have a greater opportunity to get your content in front of new audiences.
8. Poll your audience.
Polls are a quick and easy way to engage your audience and learn more about what makes them tick. You can easily create a poll on Facebook or Twitter to start engaging your audience in a matter of moments. This can be a great way to find out more about their preferences so that you can adjust your strategy to improve their online experience.
9. Run a Facebook Live or live Instagram Story campaign.
Live video is one of the most compelling forms of content that you can use on social media. In fact, according to Sprout Social, people spend up to 3x longer watching Facebook Live videos than those that have been previously recorded. Use this to your advantage by “going live” on Facebook and Instagram. You can hold a Q&A session, do a live product demonstration, or even just vlog.
The real-time interaction of live video makes the experience more engaging for your followers. This can help you build a more personal connection with fans as you are able to answer their questions and respond to comments on the spot.
10. Partner with another brand.
If you have the opportunity to partner with another brand that has a similar target audience, this can be a great way to increase your exposure across social media platforms. The goal is to choose a company that is not a direct competitor but whose audience may also benefit from your products or services.
11. Repurpose content like blogs and videos.
Creating great content doesn’t necessarily mean re-inventing the wheel every single time. There are plenty of ways that you can repurpose your content to get the most value out of it over time. This goes beyond just reposting links to your content on your social media channels. It can also include transforming content into different formats that can engage different audiences.
12. Curate third-party content.
There’s no social media law that states you can’t share content from other sources. Now, of course, you don’t want to share content from your competitors. However, sharing relevant and interesting articles and content from third-party sources allows you to provide even more value for your fans and followers while at the same time demonstrating that your company is up-to-date on the latest news and trends in your industry.
13. Jump on trending topics.
If you’re looking for social media marketing ideas that will help you increase exposure, you may want to keep an eye on what’s trending on social media. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook make it easy to see what’s popular on these platforms by providing a list of trending topics in the side bar.
14. Share tips.
Great social media content isn’t just about promoting your products or services. It’s about helping potential customers better understand their greatest challenges. Sharing tips and advice that help users navigate these challenges is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and build stronger relationships.
15. Participate in Throwback Thursday.
Throwback Thursday or #TBT is a fun topic that trends on social media every Thursday. Looking through posts with this hashtag, you might come across embarrassing pictures or fun memories from a person’s past. However, this is also a fun way for brands to engage with their users while showing a little of their own history.
16. Post video testimonials.
Who better to advocate for your brand than your current customers? Video testimonials are a great way to show potential customers how others have found success with using your products or services. Ask some of your best customers if they would mind offering a short testimonial video about why they love your brand. If you want to add a live element, you can even interview customers at tradeshows and events and make this live content available for your fans and followers.
17. Host an AMA series.
The AMA, or Ask Me Anything, series has become popular on Reddit, and it offers companies an awesome opportunity to truly engage and educate their followers. AMAs consist of questions from the audience that the expert answers. This is a great chance to see what your followers care about while also sharing your industry knowledge and expertise.
18. Host a social media takeover.
The social media takeover is another creative option for brands that work with influencers and industry experts. The takeover involves allowing another person to take over your social media account for a certain period of time, posting their own content. Not only does this allow your brand to show a fresh perspective, but it also allows you to get your company in front of some new faces.
We hope these 18 tips will help inspire you to create fun, engaging content. If not, Onyx Digital is always here to help.