7 Types of Social Media Posts That Can Help Increase Your Fan Base
With the advances of technology in the present, is it safe to ask if social media marketing is just a hype? A lot of giant companies from Taco Bell and Pizza Hut to Ford Motors and Zappos, have taken advantage of social media to the next level. Constantly connecting to their fans through comments and inspirational stories, they are able to penetrate the market just by being genuine.
But how do you really connect with your fans on the daily basis?
Here are seven amazing types of social media posts that can guarantee to increase your fan base:
- Story
People enjoy a good story. When marketers include heart-warming and inspirational stories in their advertisements, they show compassion and touch the inner souls of their fans. By using an effective marketing strategy, these top companies are able to impart to their fans that they care and understand what they need.
Dove is one perfect example. Launched in 2015, their ad entitled “Campaign for Real Beauty” has become an inspiration to women. In their ad, a social experiment is conducted to show whether women see themselves as beautiful or just an average. In the end, Dove wants to show that all women are beautiful no matter what race, age, or ethnicity.
With touching stories associated to your products and services, you become one with your customers. By understanding what your market needs and showing them that you’re ordinary, you create a familiar atmosphere of warmth and compassion.
- Photos
With people’s increasing tendency towards impatience, most rely on photos for amusement as well as information. Lots of interesting photos can be posted online on your social media. It could either be a quote for the day, an inspirational photo, or even a meme.
Infographic as well has made its way to social media marketing. An infographic is a photo the represents data and statistic of a specific topic or subject matter. By creating a design that appeals to the public, you can turn dull contents into exciting ones. Using colorful charts and artistic designs for your infographics, your post increases the chance of gaining more likes and shares by your fan base.
- Video Content
As a business owner, you don’t just want to sell to your fans; you want to educate them as well. In order to do that, you must come up with short and interesting videos that will make your fans hooked to the very end.
Merely reading beyond 8 words of an advertisement will bore an average person. With videos, people tend to click a post as opposed to an ordinary long article. While you want to educate your fans, you don’t want to bombard them with technical terms about your business trade.
Because in the present there have been new technological advancements, most people aren’t familiar with them. Only few will take time to learn and read the nitty-gritty that’s involved in these advances. With this, marketers would have to result to a more strategic idea to gain their fans’ interests.
Google is a good example who does video tutorials online. With technicalities involved in their products, most people can’t utilize their services due to lack of information.
You can have the best products or services, but when people don’t understand what you really do, you won’t go very far. Try to incorporate thought-provoking video contents online to increase your fan base.
- Quizzes/Gimmicks
Most people who go online enjoy answering quizzes to test their knowledge. One particular company famous for this is BuzzFeed. With their various categories of quizzes, people enjoy visiting their site just to answer a couple of questions be it about their favorite song or their favorite TV show. With these fun and engaging quizzes, you can attract more fans to your social media by posting interesting gimmicks that they can actively participate in.
As part of your content marketing plan, while it sounds trivial, incorporating a quiz section on your social media will increase traffic. With these quizzes, somehow you are conducting an online survey to know more about your fans.
But how do you go about in making an engaging quiz without sounding too formal? There are a lot of factors involved:
- Your quiz must be related to your business trade. If you sell food products, your questionnaires must include food-related topics.
- You must capture your fans with a catchy title.
- Your quiz maker software must be user-friendly and fast loading.
- Your quiz must contain charming photos or animations.
- Freebies might get your fans motivated to play, but prizes are not necessarily required.
Start including witty gimmicks on your social media to gain more fans and increase your business’ exposure online.
- Trivia
When people learn new and interesting things, there’s a sense of surprise and astonishment. By exposing stimulating facts about your company, you create an atmosphere of wonder.
You might be known for cutting-edge and innovative products, but most people won’t know your humble beginnings. Apple was included in the World’s Most Valuable Brands according to Forbes. It’s a brand known worldwide. But most people aren’t familiar with a lot of things about Apple.
Your company might produce some of the best ice cream flavors in town, but do they know the reason behind your logo? Baskin-Robbins’ logo actually represents the number of their ice cream flavors.
While most people use Google products, there are still certain facts most don’t know about Google. For instance, did you know that inside Google compound there’s a display of a T-rex skeleton?
Using social media to promote different facts about your company will allow people know you a little bit more. By exposing facts about your business, your fans can truly know you better. Although a company shouldn’t just focus about their background, they should also inform the public about various trivia or life hacks that are related to their business trade.
- Special Offers and Promos
While people don’t enjoy being sold at, special offers and promos can ignite their buying interests. With creative pricing strategies, you can attract your customers with your products and services without looking like you’re just trying to get their money.
One of the best times to offer special deals is during holidays. Taking part on public holidays will show your customers that you care about social events widely celebrated across the world. Not only do you get to participate on social trends, you also allow your business to make a name for itself.
By incorporating appealing deals in your social media during these events, you give your fans the chance to have limited editions of your products and services. Coffee giants such as Starbucks is known for dishing out some of the best offers during holidays. Just last year 2015, Starbucks released an ad promoting their special latte drink, Candy Cane Latte in light of the Christmas spirit. Also known for handing out free planners once a customer has completed a certain number of drinks, not only do they offer coffee, they also offer giveaways. Now, even if their customers are not at Starbucks, by having their planners, these people will be reminded of the coffee shop whenever they write on their planners.
To fully maximize this strategy, companies must take note of the various special holidays that are publicly celebrated. By combining their special offers in line with the season, customers would feel special and appreciated.
- Social Issue (News and Events)
People love a good debate. They are hardwired with their own firm beliefs and principles. And nothing excites them more than being able to voice their thoughts in the public. Posting social issues related to your business trade can spark a discussion. You want your followers to engage into an active conversation. With a post that leaves room for comments and suggestions, you open the door to your followers to contribute their own thoughts.
When Facebook introduced the Rainbow Filter in light of the recent grant for same-sex marriage in all 50 states, Oreo took advantage of this event by creating a customized filling with colors of the rainbow. Oreo created a buzz by utilizing the current social trend. Known as one of the most successful brands in Facebook, Oreo took a daring move that initiated different responses from people all over the world. While your business might not support the viewpoint of the general public, people are going to talk about you.
By keenly observing your readers’ comments and actively participating in discussions, you get the chance to study their behaviors and opinions that ultimately can be of help in improving your products and services. Not only you allow your followers to engage in your social media accounts, you also open opportunities for your business.
As a consumer, we don’t want a company to just promote their products and services to us. We want a connection between what they do and how it can benefit us. Using all these social media posts, companies can penetrate their market and increase their fan base.
What other awesome posts do you think companies should use to gain more fans? Comment your thoughts below!