Video Credit: Adam Erhart
As a small business owner, you tend to wear a lot of hats throughout the day, but one of the most neglected hats tends to be the Social Media Manager hat.
But that’s no surprise. Running a business takes time, energy, and a lot of brain power. Coming up with engaging ideas to post on social media may not be as much of a priority as making sure your sales, and other essential business matters are in order.
But don’t worry! If you’re looking for tried and true tested ideas to engage your audience, you have come to the right place.
Here are 10 ideas that will save you time and help you boost your engagement with your audience on social media we know work.
Famous Quotes
Quotes are an easy way to boost engagement on social media, especially on Facebook and Instagram. You can use quotes from influential people or other people for your business (in-house or customers). While you can create your quotes with a photo editor, you can also use websites such as Canva, which has templates options for quotes that can easily be downloaded and shared on social media.
User-Generated Content
Posting user-generated content (UGC) is a great way to show your audience how to use your product or service. UGC can be photos, videos, reviews, and more. Anything created by users is going to be great content. Social media users tend to trust the opinions shared by their peers more than those published by brands. Best of all user-generated content is free!
Live video
Posting a live video is an incredible way to grab engagement. The average organic reach of a Facebook live video is six times higher than that of a regular post. This makes sense, as it’s the closest alternative to actually watching TV.
Live streaming allows businesses to connect with customers on a more personal level. When potential customers attend your live sessions, it’s almost as if you’re inviting them to your business to get to know them and unlike a real conference hall, where just a few people can sit in the front row, live streaming allows anyone to sit in the front row.
Memes and GIFs
We all love a good meme or GIF, and these are great ways of bringing humor into your social media marketing. If a meme has gone viral recently, you can use it in a post if it’s relevant to your brand. You’ll join the conversation and enjoy what everyone’s talking about — which can go viral too!
Milestone Posts
Every business has milestones. Heck, every person has milestones. And these personal or business achievements are worth celebrating in the form of a Milestone Post. Milestone posts examples include the achievements of you or your company, such as anniversaries, new employees, new offices, etc. Pat yourself on the back and always let your fans know about it. This will also help humanize your brand and humanize you if you’re the face of your company.
Educational guides
Educational guides and how-tos are a great way to boost engagement on Facebook and Instagram. They build trust between your company and your followers, but they also provide helpful information in a format that’s easy to consume.
You can create educational guides and how-to posts for any topic that aligns with your brand. For example, if you run a bookkeeping service, you can write about how to calculate the total value of inventory assets or how to manage the accounts payable process. If you sell fitness equipment, you can write about performing joint exercises using your products or share tips for achieving specific fitness goals.
Contests and giveaways
Contests and giveaways are very effective ways to boost engagement on social media. And there are no rules that say you have to give away something expensive. Your goal is to engage them with your brand, so be creative with your contests.
Encourage the people who enter your contest to share it with their friends and family. This will help promote your business and reach more people interested in joining the contest who may have never heard of your business.
Questions to your customers and followers
Curious about what your followers want? Ask them! Encourage people to ask questions about your products, brand, or even how their day is going. This is an easy way to get insight into what people think about your business and what they want to see more of. This post type is also great for generating engagement because it’s so simple to participate in. Creating a quiz is also a great way to boost engagement because people love the opportunity to post their opinions on just about anything!
Before and after posts
There are dozens of different before and after posts that receive massive engagement on Instagram and Facebook. Consider showing the benefits of your product or service through a before-and-after post. You don’t have to be a cosmetic company to make this work. Businesses like carpet cleaners, landscapers, auto repair shops, and more can also use this technique to show customers what their companies can do for them.
How-to videos (for example, how to use a cooking tool or garden tool)
Post video tutorials of how to do just about anything. Even if the skill is something your followers already know how to do, they may be interested in learning a new approach or technique. Not sure which skills would be interesting? Ask your audience what they’d like to learn how to do. It’s a wonderful way to start a conversation and find out more about their needs.
Final Thoughts
The key to creating great content is to be consistent. The goal is to develop a community around your brand while creating a personal connection with your audience. By creating engaging, genuine content on Facebook and Instagram, you can build a community of customers genuinely interested in what your business offers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phil Tucker
Digital Marketing Expert
Phil Tucker is a digital marketing expert specializing in Search Engine Optimization and Website Design. He founded Be Famous Media in 2012, a digital marketing agency located in Lynchburg VA, that helps businesses across the United States increase their online visibility and attract more customers.
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