Happy Friday! We’re sending along this week’s edition of The Filter to continue unpacking the many nuances of modern digital marketing. If social media has long been your pain point, this one’s for you.
These days, setting up your accounts and rolling out campaigns is only half the battle. Without strong community engagement, you won’t get far in the current online social sphere. Luckily for your creative team, interacting with followers is an opportunity to have some fun, grow a community, and think on your feet.
Here are Five Great Examples of Follower Engagement:
Accept the Challenge
Participating in social media challenges or trends is an effective way to engage with your followers and increase brand visibility, but it doesn’t have to get too complicated. One example of a social media challenge anyone can do is 12 Days of Christmas.
Simply share a different holiday-themed post each day leading up to the holiday. Encourage followers to participate by sharing their holiday favs and tips (a holiday recipe, a DIY decoration tutorial, or a gift guide). Use a catchy hashtag and encourage your followers to use it when sharing their own posts, and offer prizes or incentives to encourage participation.
Stir the Pot
Post a poll or pose a question to get people talking. For example, food blogger The Mighty Rib does an engagement called Controversy Tuesday, where they post a weekly statement to stir the pot (for fun, of course). They keep it simple with statements like “I don’t like prime rib,” and it encourages people to debate via the comments. So, ask your followers for their opinions, especially if they differ from yours. Stick to lighthearted debates and see where your followers take it.
Loosen Up
Social media is a great place to get funny and explore your brand’s humor. A great example of this is Dollar Shave Club’s holiday gift campaign that went beyond just sales. Their simple, funny graphic was shared on all platforms and crossed over into the territory where memes usually thrive. Ask your younger team members for help brainstorming on social media humor if you need to. Here is a great article on four successful holiday campaigns from 42works.
Join a Conversation
It’s now the norm for brands to banter back and forth with other social media managers and followers. People enjoy interacting with brands that talk directly to their customers and fan base. This tactic has worked particularly well with brands that have embraced a cheeky voice and those that help boost customer satisfaction by talking about their products. This tactic can facilitate a loyal following. Keep in mind that it takes a diligent community manager (someone who runs the account’s comments and posts) to control this tactic and join viral conversations quickly. Nike, Starbucks, Wendy’s, Netflix, and Scrub Daddy all do this quite well.
Take to Twitter
While other platforms may be more serious/relevant to your sales, Twitter is a platform almost entirely for banter. If you’re hesitant to shake up your brand voice on other networks, Twitter can be a place to experiment with recognizable, witty sales banter. Take a look at these examples to see what’s worked for leading brands in the past.
We’d be happy to walk you through iProv’s approach to managing the many elements of social media engagement. Let’s chat! Sign up for a free consultation to get started.
