Social media continues to evolve and provide new ways for brands and businesses to better connect with their audiences. Here are some ideas your company should consider to gain a larger social media presence.
#1: Micro-Influencers Are Your Friend
Micro-influencers are social media users who have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers. Typically, they post about niche interests that make them appear as experts. Micro-influencers often feel / appear more relatable and authentic.
It is easy to think that more followers equals more engagement, but that is not always the case. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, micro-influencers have better engagement rates than mega-influencers (people who typically have 1 million plus followers). On Instagram, micro-influencers average an engagement rate of 3.86%, compared to 1.21% for mega-influencers. It is important to note that micro-influencers will reach less people, but your business needs to answer the question, do you want to play the numbers or engagement game? The answer will be different for every business.
Your business can leverage micro-influencers to reach specific target audiences and increase engagement for a price that is much easier on the pocket.
#2: Incorporate Ephemeral Content
New social media buzzword alert! Have you heard of ephemeral content? This is media that only is available for a short amount of time, such as Instagram stories or Snapchat. Some brands disregard ephemeral content because it is fleeting, but if you use it correctly, it can create opportunities for followers to engage with your business easily and instantaneously. Examples could include polls, question boxes, vlogs, quizzes and live streams. Or you can highlight exclusive events, sporadic sales, or last minute promotions that are limited to a smaller number of people rather than a larger group.
Ephemeral content is a great opportunity for brands to hop on trends, without it being tied to their whole feed. Though these posts are temporary, it is still important to make sure all content is strategy driven and aligns with your marketing goals.
#3: Give Native Advertising A Go
Native advertising is paid advertising where the aesthetic and tone of the content blends in with the site it is being posted on. Native ads are typically posted to social media platforms, such as Instagram and Tik Tok.
Native ads are powerful. An IPG Media Lab study revealed that 71% of consumers say they personally identify with a brand after viewing its native ads. A key finding from Sharethrough highlights that consumers looked at native ads 53% more frequently than display ads and increased purchase intent by about 18%.
Native advertising is legal; because it is subtle, consumers generally don’t recognize it right away as an advertisement. Thus, many sites require a message that indicates it is an advertisement.
Consumers aren’t anti-advertisements. They are turned off by ads that don’t relate to them. Incorporating native advertising targeted to the correct audience is a strong way to build connections and get more eyes on your company’s amazing products and services.
Looking for help incorporating these strategies with your social media? You know who you can call! Hint, it starts with J and ends with O.
Cheers,
J.O.
