There are a lot of things to love about social media marketing: it’s (mostly) free, (sometimes) fun, and (eventually) very effective if you get it right. But there’s one big downside to finding customers on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +, as well… it’s hard to stand out.
No matter how you look at it, there is an awful lot of “noise” on all of the popular social networks. Not only are you competing for attention with other marketers, but also with at-home photographers, armchair comedians, and regular old folks trying to communicate with their friends.
The point here is one you already know: that it takes something special to stand out on social media sites. Here are five proven tactics you can use to gain attention from your prospects, time and time again:
#1: Countdowns
People love countdowns because they are exciting, build anticipation, and are very easy to understand. So, if you have a major event coming up – or a big announcement you want to make – why not promote it ahead of time and get fans and followers thinking about what’s to come? It’s an easy and inexpensive way to build interest and keep your contacts coming back for more.
#2: Posting Series
One thing social media isn’t great for is posting complex ideas and long pieces of content. And yet, at the same time, you can often get a lot more attention for your concepts by promoting them on social sites than you would posting them in a blog or newsletter. The answer, more often than not, lies in using a series of posts (usually numbered) that introduce fans and followers to a concept over time. You can still link to your blog, a white paper, or other resource, but why not use social profiles as a way to introduce key points?
#3: Contests
When it comes to grabbing attention, you can never go wrong by giving things away. Contests inevitably boost participation in almost any kind of campaign. The only problem is that some of the people who join your list may not actually be as interested in what you have to offer as they are in getting something for free.
#4: Jokes
Humor is something that most people can’t get enough of, and that’s especially true on social media, which sometimes seems to exist for the sole reason of sharing jokes and memes (tasteful or otherwise). The downside to using humor is that it doesn’t exactly put your marketing message front-and-center. Still, if you can use some well-placed clean humor to bring in new contacts, it’s not a bad way to jumpstart your campaigns.
#5: Customer-Generated Content
If you’d rather not write jokes, hold contests, or post series of ideas, you can make things even easier by getting customers and followers to generate content for you. Ask them to share stories, photos, or even short videos that you can share through your social profiles. It costs you nothing, and the entries you choose to highlight will probably be forwarded on to even more people by the individuals that created them. That’s a big win-win proposition in the digital age.
Without a bit of attention from buyers, your social media marketing campaigns will never generate any momentum. Give these five strategies a try and see which ones work best for you!
