How do we get people talking online, and specifically talking about our brand? You may not think you need social media tips anymore, but we could all do with a little help starting digital conversations.
Here’s a list of posts proven to succeed at starting conversations on social media. Take a look, try them out and see if they don’t make a difference when it comes to engagement.
1. Feedback, please
It’s so obvious many brands forget these altogether. Ultimately one of the reasons you’re posting is to gain insights into audience sentiment, so why not just ask them what they think? Requesting feedback on products, services, customer service, ethics and moral stance is almost guaranteed to incite a response.
2. Insider secrets
Our post on why brands should be using Facebook, Instagram and Snap Stories recommends behind-the-scenes exclusives for followers only. It’s also a good idea to offer this type of insight into the brand’s day-to-day operations within standard social media posts as it makes the audience feel privy to private information and emphasises the notion of a wide family. The result is, hopefully, increased loyalty.
3. Opinions
We all know that brands should really stand for something in 2019— what that is clearly depends on the owners, managers and directors, and the target audience. Social media is the greatest platform to voice an opinion on, whether that’s about politics or the state of the planet. Be warned, though, you need to tread carefully to avoid causing unnecessary levels of offence among those who don’t agree.
4. Advice and tips, please
The biggest of our social media tips is to remember this is a two-way street. Audiences respond well when they are asked to chip in with advice or tips. ‘What would you do in this situation…?’, ‘What’s your favourite…?’ or ‘We are looking for help with…’ are high performing social media posts, and can be used as the basis for entire campaigns.
5. Comments on
If you run a blog you’ll know the decision as to whether comments should be on or off is never an easy one to make. Switch them on and you could be spammed relentlessly by dodgy link-building firms.
Leave them off and it’s much harder to gauge which posts have the most impact aside from simple page view numbers. If you leave them on it can also provide ammunition for social media posts— taking what the audience says and sharing it to start a discussion.
6. Let them finish your…
If you’re looking for tried, tested and consistently effective posts, ‘fill in the [blank]’ rates pretty highly. A simple concept— write a sentence and ask followers to fill in one or two missing words— this can lead to long, highly engaging, funny and often incredibly shareable threads.
