What Creative Tactics Can Improve a Brand's Social Media Presence?
In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, standing out requires creativity and savvy. We've gathered six unique perspectives from digital marketers to senior marketing managers, detailing tactics from leveraging user-generated content campaigns to producing purely entertaining content. Discover how these strategies have made an impact and could elevate your brand's social presence.
- Leverage User-Generated Content Campaigns
- Engage and Value Your Audience
- Employ Diverse Social Media Strategies
- Showcase Authentic Daily Life
- Highlight Team's Passion and Skill
- Produce Purely Entertaining Content
Leverage User-Generated Content Campaigns
One tactic I implemented as a social media marketer was leveraging user-generated content campaigns to grow our brand's social media presence. We encouraged our followers to create and share content related to our products, using a specific branded hashtag. This strategy not only generated authentic content from real users but also fostered a sense of community among our customer base.
The impact was great—engagement rates soared as followers felt more connected to our brand, seeing real people using and enjoying our products. This increased trust among potential customers and amplified our reach beyond our existing audience as participants shared their content with their own followers. The UGC campaign effectively turned our customers into brand ambassadors, driving both reach and credibility in an authentic and cost-effective way.
Engage and Value Your Audience
One of the best ways that I have employed to grow my brand's social media presence is by leveraging the audience. As we know, connection and interaction are key on any social media platform, so we try to keep in touch with our audience and make sure they feel heard and valued from our end. Doing so makes them feel more connected to the brand, which in turn increases the chances of them being converted. This can be done in various ways, such as replying to their comments, promptly answering questions, and replying to direct messages. Another way of enhancing my brand's social media presence is by making use of UGC (User-Generated Content) to spread awareness.
Employ Diverse Social Media Strategies
1. Run a User-Generated Content (UGC) Contest:
Concept: Encourage my audience to create content related to my brand using a specific hashtag. This could be photos, videos, stories, or even blog posts. Offer an attractive prize for the most creative or engaging entry.
Impact: UGC contests leverage the power of my audience to create content, increasing brand awareness and engagement. It also allows me to showcase the real-life use and impact of my product/service, fostering trust and authenticity.
2. Partner with Micro-Influencers:
Concept: Collaborate with social media personalities with a smaller but highly engaged following in my niche. Partner with them to create sponsored content, product reviews, or host a live Q&A session.
Impact: Micro-influencers often have higher engagement rates than mega-influencers and can feel more relatable to my target audience. Partnering with them allows me to tap into a specific niche community and build trust through their recommendation.
3. Host Interactive Live Sessions:
Concept: Go live on my social media platform to host Q&A sessions, product demonstrations, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or even live tutorials.
Impact: Live sessions create a sense of real-time connection with my audience, fostering interaction and building a stronger brand community. They also allow me to answer questions directly, address customer concerns, and showcase my brand's personality.
4. Run a Social Media Takeover:
Concept: Partner with a complementary brand or personality in my niche and allow them to "take over" my social media account for a day. They can create content, host live sessions, and interact with my audience from their perspective.
Impact: Social media takeovers expose my brand to a new audience while offering fresh content and perspectives. It can also spark interesting conversations and collaborations.
5. Create a Shareable Social Media Quiz or Poll:
Concept: Design a fun and engaging quiz or poll related to my industry or target audience. Encourage users to share their results with their friends, increasing reach and brand awareness.
Impact: Quizzes and polls provide a lighthearted and interactive way to engage my audience. They can also generate valuable data about my audience's interests and preferences.
Showcase Authentic Daily Life
We launched a "Day in the Life" video series showcasing daily activities of residents in our park homes. This series provided an authentic glimpse into the community and lifestyle, resonating deeply with our audience. By promoting these videos across multiple platforms and encouraging residents to share their experiences, we saw a significant increase in engagement and follower growth. This authentic, user-generated content helped build trust and attract a wider audience to our social media channels.
Highlight Team's Passion and Skill
As the founder of Voss Salon, I’ve found that showing the personalities behind our brand on social media creates genuine connections with clients and grows our following. Early on, we shared photos and videos of our stylists discussing their favorite trends or latest creations. Giving followers an inside look at our team’s passion for their craft built trust and loyalty.
More recently, we’ve focused on user-generated content. We offer a discount for clients who share their before-and-after photos on social media and tag us. Not only does this generate buzz from their friends and followers, but reposting the transformations on our channels has led to high engagement. Our followers appreciate seeing real results and the happiness of satisfied clients.
We also partner with local influencers by offering them a free cut and color in exchange for featuring us on their social media profiles. Their followers get an authentic recommendation for a new salon to try, and we’re introduced to potential new clients. These collaborations are mutually beneficial and a creative way to reach new audiences.
Social media is about storytelling and making personal connections. Giving followers a glimpse into the passion and skill of our team through creative content has been key to establishing our brand and growing a loyal client base. Authenticity and genuinely caring for our clients’ happiness are at the heart of our social media strategy.
Produce Purely Entertaining Content
One area where we've had a lot of success is producing content purely for entertainment and engagement without any kind of sales hook. Time-lapse videos of packing, loading, and unloading, as well as short reels featuring some of the most interesting pieces of furniture, friendliest pets, and most awkward staircases, have all done very well for us.
