Monday, October 3, 2016

11 Social Media Ideas for Small Businesses

One of the toughest parts about putting together a social media campaign is coming up with ideas. What should you Tweet? What do people want to see on Snapchat? Even the most experienced marketers struggle to come up with social media ideas at some point. But don't worry, we have you covered.


We've compiled a list of 11 social media ideas to get your creative juices flowing on those days when your mind goes blank. Give these tactics a try to grow your following and keep your audience engaged.


1. Make a Daily, Weekly or Monthly Series


Who doesn't love a good series? Come up with a theme or concept you can make into a recurring piece of content. For instance, at Sprout we have a weekly Twitter chat that tackles relevant topics and challenges that social media and community managers face.




This tactic works great on nearly any social network. You could have a weekly video series on YouTube, a Twitter Chat or a daily Snapchat series. Recurring content entices people to come back to see what's going to happen next. Think about your favorite TV show or Netflix series. You look forward to seeing the next episode so much that it becomes part of your weekly routine.


That's the same feeling you want to capture in your audience. Your series should entice people to keep coming back to see the next part of your series.


One way to increase interest around your series is to make a branded hashtag. Aside from Pinterest, most social networks don't have a way to easily organize and categorize the different types of content you publish on your account. So your weekly Twitter chat can become buried under your other Tweets. You need a way for people to quickly be able to identify all the content related to your series.


With a branded hashtag, people can search to learn what the series is about and see past content you've published.


You should also consider making a page on your website for your different social media series. For instance, the blogging conference and community Blog Elevated has a page dedicated to its weekly Twitter chat.


2. Host a Contest


Social media contests are great for boosting engagement, earning new followers and giving back to your audience. However, if you're not careful, your social media contest can quickly turn into a way for freebie seekers to grab your prizes and run.


The point of your contest should be to increase brand awareness and build your audience, not just to give things away. Here are a few tips to make your contest worthwhile:



  • Pick a brand-specific prize: Giving away a new 50″ TV might seem like a good idea on the surface. It's an amazing prize that anyone would want. And that's the problem. When you give away big generic prizes that aren't associated with your brand or industry, you'll get a ton of entrants that are only there for the prize and couldn't care less about your brand. Luvo hosts a regular #TuesdayGiveaway where the company gives away free products to followers who share recipes and tag their friends. This attracts people who are interested in the company, not just freebies.


No comments:

Post a Comment