With social media engagement at its record high, and digital channel consumption rates increasing, brands have sought a new marketing strategy. Companies are now promoting themselves on social media platforms to reach their target audience.
This form of marketing may be new but has displayed remarkable results over the past few years. But is it valid for everyone? Can companies belonging to every industry expect the same effectiveness from social media marketing?
With SMEs, tech giants, entertainers, and e-commerce companies crowding the same platform, it is no more a child’s play to stay ahead of the curve. Social media marketing itself is viral now, and to get your content viral on the internet, you have to know exactly what your audiences want.
Here we will discuss different content types that work best on social media platforms and find out which type serves best for which channel. So, follow up!
Prefer reading: The Importance of Social Networks in Digital Marketing
The most popular kinds of content on social media channels:
The trick with social media platforms is that they are diverse. They may seem interlinked, which they are to some extent, but are quite different when it comes to the kind of content and crowd they entertain. Let’s find out how to get reach and engagement on social media through content marketing.
1. Video content
Video contents are viral among users. Provided that YouTube is the second largest search engine, and Google itself features video content as search results, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out. They are very engaging and have a higher click-through rate compared to other types of content.
Video ads have an average CTR or click-through rate of 1.48%, which is more than any other form of content.
Source: databox
You can publish various types of videos on social media channels such as training videos, tutorials, explainer videos, etc. You may hire an explainer video company to create creative and engaging content.
Although producing video content may prove to be a complicated process and require specialized skills. While it’s relatively cost-effective to create quick videos, it may cost more to get a high production level.
Videos perform best on YouTube. However, Facebook is also gaining popularity in this context. Instagram works best for short videos. Hence, you have to decide which channel has the best scope for your content.
2. Images
Everyone likes to look at images, and the success of Instagram advocates for the same. Pictures make your pages attractive and humane. They also prevent the audience from swiping past your post and missing the message you are trying to share. Remember the famous saying, “Pictures say a thousand words.”
Studies show that images with pictures or photos have 650% more engagement. Additionally, producing images is the easiest and most cost-effective. With smartphones being practically developed around cameras, it is as easy as taking out your phone and capturing what you see.
This should be obvious that there is no channel where images don’t work. But if we talk about the stats, then Instagram and Pinterest lead the rest. Other great alternatives are Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Twitter. You can also attach images to your blog posts.
Instagram and other image-based platforms are highly competitive. To stand out, you have to produce high-quality images with proper editing, which may not be pocket-friendly.
3. Infographic
Infographics are catchy, creative, precise, and informative. They can be aligned with other written content, such as statistics or explanations. They are like quick facts presented through attractive graphics. Infographics are an excellent way to demonstrate your company’s ideologies, achievements, and purpose.
Infographics increase website traffic by 12%.
Source: venngage
Production of infographics begins with developing a concept, which brings us to the next step of creating an outline. You deliver this to your writers and graphic designers who provide you with the end product. Thus, you need to have an on-demand graphic designer to get it done.
The effective platforms for infographics are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The first two should be your focus area.
As already mentioned, producing infographics requires graphic designers and copywriters. It also needs a significant amount of research and creativity. Thus, your company must be ready to spend enough time and resources in this context.
4. Testimonials and reviews
Third-party opinion has been seen to impact audience opinions. Users often go through reviews or testimonials before buying a product. You can publish testimonials to boost your own brand’s goodwill or inform the audience about a service or product relevant to them. Besides, you also get third party endorsements for your brand. You can also create video testimonials using a teleprompter app.
Publishing testimonials is not that hard. You have to find a past customer to share their experience. However, you should not add commission to this practice, as it brings down the authenticity and value of their opinion and may backfire for your brand as well.
Facebook and LinkedIn are the best channels to publish testimonials. They are widely read and circulated. Facebook even has an in-built star rating for business pages. Upto 95% of consumers go through a review or testimonial on social media before making a purchase.
The challenge with testimonials or reviews is that they are not in your control. They are real people sharing their experience with your brand. This may not always be positive, and you might receive backlash from unhappy customers.
5. Written content for social media marketing
Blogs, articles, guides, etc. fall under this category. Written content demonstrates the knowledge and expertise of your brand. With engaging content, you can build your reputation and credibility. 58% of marketers believe that original written content is the best form of content.
Source: persuasion-nation
To produce entertaining and capturing content, you have to do some research. Go through the trending topics and find out what your audiences want to read about. After you have decided on the topic, the next step is to find a good writer who can turn the facts into engaging written content.
The two best platforms for written content are LinkedIn and Facebook, where you can accommodate large written pieces. You can also use Twitter in this context, but the content must be brief, adhering to a specific word limit. Posting quotations and introducing links are the best way to utilize Twitter for this purpose.
First of all, people have less time and prefer watching a video over reading an article. Secondly, there is plenty of blog content out there. Thus, you have to dive deep and do thorough research to come up with unique topics. Good content can also help you to get leads. You can learn more about lead generation.
6. Contests
People love games. During the lockdown, users spent a significant amount of time playing online games. Therefore, running contests is a great way to engage your audience. It is also an effective way to gather more audience. You can add a CTA where the existing audiences can ask their friends and family to participate in the contest. An average of 34% of new customers is gained through contests.
When you plan a contest, remember to add a reward. People love to win and would engage themselves for a more extended period. Think of a prize that is both relevant to your business and attractive to your audience. Plan the contest by creating a schedule and adding rules of the game.
The contests are appropriate for almost all social media channels. LinkedIn is an exception since it’s a professional media platform, and articles without videos perform best there.
However, running contests may be too expensive for some companies since they have to distribute prizes and merchandise. Also, they may have a lesser engagement if the rules of participation are too demanding.
Choose your vogue
Apart from the facts and the stats, there is one more thing to be considered: your convenience. Every business is different, and so is every industry. What may work for your brand may not work for others.
Thus, before choosing your perfect match, make sure to analyze your business, your target audience, and their preferred platforms. With the basics in mind and a smart approach, your brand can shine bright on social media.
Prefer reading: Can Combining Email Marketing and Instagram Give You the Best Results
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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