These social media promotion ideas will help you avoid the cringe and start your social marketing off right!
There are many reasons to use social media to promote your business.But the presupposition of all of them is: people are on social media. (The rumors are true.)
Research shows that interaction — even briefly — with your brand on social media leads to increases brand awareness and loyalty, and influences purchasing behavior. That’s good news for you, since people are spending more time than ever on social media. Over 2 hours a day, in fact, which is 30% more time than in 2015.
So how do you capture even a bit of that attention?
You think I’m going to say you need to learn TikTok dances to sell your engine oil, right?
Definitely don’t do that.
Here are 5 social media promotion ideas to explore instead, and how to execute them.
5 steps to promote your business on social media
How can you take advantage of the latest social media boom of more people and more money to go around online?
Here’s your roadmap to social success (for your business, anyway).
Step 1: Create a social media marketing strategy
You need a plan, man.
Crafting a social media marketing plan doesn’t need to be complicated. At minimum, your plan should include:
- A list of measurable goals.
- Customer personas. (Who are you trying to reach? What do they like/dislike? Who are they? You will probably have several personas.)
- A competitive analysis.
- A content strategy for the topics and types of content formats you’ll share.
- An editorial calendar, listing posting frequency, as well as who’s responsible for content production.
Step 2: Identify the best social media platforms for your business
There’s a place for every business on social media, but it’s not everywhere. It’s in your best interest to know the select few platforms that will bring you the results you want and focus on those.
“So… which ones are right for me?” Is what you’re dying to ask me, right?
That ain’t something you can Google, my dude. But the answer is simple: where do your ideal customers hang out online? Likely, only 1 or 2 key platforms that will drive 90%+ of your social media ROI.
If you’re not sure where your ideal user base hangs out, head back to Step 1 and dig into some market research first.
Step 3: Automate marketing with a social media management tool
OK, so you’ve got a plan and places to be. Showtime! Might as well make it as easy as possible for your team to stick to their editorial calendar.
Automating social media marketing with tools means you can accomplish more with a smaller social marketing team. This saves time and money, yada yada, but also, let’s face it, your sanity.
Step 4: Engage!
Social media should be social. #Quotable
Don’t hide behind boring promotional content. Get out there and talk to your customers. Ask for opinions on new product launches, or fresh new ideas. Then, acknowledge feedback you’ve received, and show how you’re implementing it.
Beauty brand Glossier does this flawlessly by listening to customer feedback, creating products to meet those needs and then posting about it.
There’s no better recipe for brand loyalty than making your audience feel heard.
Step 5: Monitor progress
Social media changes all the time. What works now maybe won’t tomorrow. And, you’ve got all those goals from Step 1 to track progress on, right?
By analyzing your analytics and results, you find out what your audience responds to best. And, identify areas to tweak your strategy.
At minimum, check in monthly on:
- The basics: follower counts, gains/losses, engagement rates, reposts/shares, comments, likes.
- The advanced stuff: omnichannel campaign performance, sales attributed to social media marketing, brand equity development.
It’s OK to change your goals over time, or switch strategies when your original plan isn’t working out like you hoped. Just be sure to back up your decisions with data.
Social media promotion done right: 5 examples to inspire you
Think only the “cool brands” are killin’ it on social? You don’t need to have a fancy tech product or make the world’s best nachos to attract a valuable audience.
Stuck for social content ideas? Let these 5 examples be your guide.
1. Host a giveaway
There are many types of social media contests you can run, from the simple “like and comment to enter,” to asking people to share your post, tag a friend, fill out a form on a landing page, etc.
Tip: Before running a contest, make sure you read the platform’s rules for doing so and abide by them.
Steal this strategy
- Decide on a goal. Do you want to get more followers? Get email addresses? Go viral? Gather user-generated content?
- Format your contest to meet that goal. Getting more followers could be a simple “like and share” photo on your feed. Other contests may require more planning.
- Analyze the results after it’s over. Did you meet your goal? Why/why not? What could you improve next time?
2. Try influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is here to stay. The global market value for influencer content is currently $13.8 billion, more than double what it was in 2019.
Some say influencer marketing comes across as insincere and in some cases, it can. You definitely want to steer clear of the “product placement” look. Yikes.
But when done well, influencer marketing is the most genuine type of digital marketing you can do. And the most effective, too: 55% of Instagram shoppers have purchased clothing after seeing an influencer wear it, for example.
Remi Bader rose to Tiktok fame in 2020 with the hilarious series she calls “realistic hauls,” that now has over 40 million views. She shows what popular fashion brands look like on an everyday person, compared to the overly-stylized, professional model photos companies often use. For anyone with a similar body type to Remi, her posts are relatable and welcoming to see in popular media.
Her hilarious commentary is also what makes the content shareable and great exposure for brands.@remibader
Steal this strategy
- Start small: Reach out to micro-influencers (10,000 followers and under) and offer free product in exchange for a post.
- For bigger results, set aside a marketing budget for influencers and develop a unified campaign to launch simultaneously with multiple influencers.
- This works for all companies, not only fashion. Get creative!
3. Leverage user-generated content
What’s the toughest part about managing social media for business? Making the actual content, of course.
So why not let your customers make it for you?
Not only does this save you time (and brainpower), it helps build a community around your brand. If you have an authentic connection with your customers, they’ll enjoy seeing their photos featured on your page.
This is how you promote your services without shouting to everyone, “Hey! This is what I do!”
The post from Adams Off Road Shop subtly mentions the shop did the suspension work, but the focus is on the customer’s trip to the Arctic (the freakin’ Arctic!) — something other off-road enthusiasts will stop scrolling to check out.
And even regular peeps. If this guy trusts this shop enough to head to the Arctic, I can probably trust them enough with my 4×4 Land Rover for my weekly roll down the hill to Whole Foods.
Steal this strategy
- Ask for permission before sharing customer photos.
- Focus the caption on your customer, not promoting yourself.
- Tag your customer to credit them for the photo.
4. Be the expert in your field
If you’re not the hottest, be the smartest. High school advice? Sure. But it works for social media, too.
By focusing on education, you add instant value. Budget-tracking app Mint does this well with their personal finance advice aimed at a Millennial/Gen Z audience.
Each post is relevant to someone looking to save money (i.e. those in need of a budgeting app). Plus, they put in the extra effort with fun visuals and keep it light-hearted with plenty of memes thrown in between the meatier content.
Steal this strategy
- Find out what your customers want to know.
- Deliver fresh, actionable content educating them about that topic.
- Don’t make your social media content overly promotional. The focus should be on educating your customer, not making a sale. That comes naturally over time from brand-building this way.
5. Be the class clown
Nothing drives engagement like humor. Studies show that funny marketing both attracts more attention and increases brand recall. However, as in all things, relevance is key.
Memes are an easy and popular way to be funny on social. The focus should be on making your audience laugh with something related to what you do, without being salesy.
OKCupid knocks it out of the park with this simple, hilarious meme their audience is sure to relate to (don’t we all?):
You can also create your own original funny content, unless you… can’t. I mean, I don’t know you, maybe you’re not funny.
This is tough to pull off long-term, though, unless you’re really funny, or have a large marketing team/comedic thinktank to keep up with the volume of posts you’ll need to make.
One brand doing this well is Innocent Drinks, who rely on self-deprecating humor to engage with their audience.
Funny video content is highly effective, though the most complex to produce. You can do anything from a quick Tiktok or Instagram Reel, to professionally-shot YouTube videos, which have great staying power.
Dollar Shave Club’s “Our Blades are F**king Great” ad is a classic example of successful funny marketing.
Steal this strategy
- Ensure your humor isn’t offensive, or it’ll come back to bite you.
- For memes, pair it with a short, witty caption. The focus is on the visual, not your copy.
- If you have the budget, consider an Instagram Reels, Tiktok or YouTube production strategy. Consistency is key with these formats so keep the videos coming once you start.
Make it easy on yourself to get started!
Wrapping Up:
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.
If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us: www.shopshipshake.co.za
If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business
Reference：https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-promotion/#Social_media_promotion_done_right_7_examples_to_inspire_you