I truly don’t regret for a minute the amount of time I shamelessly spend on social media daily, even with my busy schedule. In the last year, most of my purchases were guided by what I’ve seen on socials. Suppose I can say that as a Gen X, at almost 50, imagine what is happening with all the Millennials and Gen Zs who live and breathe with their connections on social media. Research shows that these groups make their buying decisions through the immense amount of research available on social media by trusted people. Stand out as a recognized brand with these top social media strategies and techniques that are more than just trends today.
Social Commerce-One-Stop-Shop
Imagine scrolling through Facebook, connecting with all your friends, and you come across a must-have item at an unbeatable price. You press the link, expecting to get moved off Facebook to another website. You’re pleasantly surprised and excited about a direct way to press that beloved buy now button without ever leaving Facebook. You are set, with no hiccups along the way, and now the owner of one of your favorite products without ever losing your place on the scroll screen of Facebook. Social commerce makes it happen when you set up your social media to function as your one-stop shop. It’s really as easy as that.
Watch your audience grow as they are exposed to your product. Optimize the buying process with the one-stop-shop concept with social commerce. See your conversion rates increase and bolster customer retention with immediate purchase options. Make connections beyond just that one-time purchase when you capture their email address for continued interactions. Show up in real time with your customers all through one platform. Take advantage of the many upsides of that one-time connection with Social Commerce.
Short Video Content Marketing: TikTok and Beyond
Not many people I know like to get in front of the camera to make videos. In fact, most cringe at the idea and will try anything else if they don’t have to get in front of the camera. We at Ad Creations know you’re ready to do what it takes as a small business owner to get yourself out there and stand out from the competition lurking close by. Short video content marketing serves many purposes to showcase your business and brand. And some of it doesn’t have to be with you in front of the camera.
Make it an opportunity to tell your story and show yourself as a brand to people who share your values, mission, and purpose. Your personal story about starting your company helps your audience see your journey and the purpose behind your conviction in your product and service.
Get behind the camera to share behind the scenes of your production or highlight the day-to-day activities of your service and product creation process. Share the culture of your business with a behind-the-scenes look.
Sell your product and service directly through creative short video marketing. Let viewers see your product or service in use. Create product demos for new products before they launch. Let your audience get a sneak peek, explaining the benefits, addressing pain points, and showing the special offers and shows that result in buy-in.
Produce short educational videos about topics in your niche or industry. These don’t promote your product or service but rather provide your audience with knowledge and build you as an authority on the topic and your industry. Get recognized as an authority with educational videos.
Whether you’re a TikTok guru or a lover of Facebook, Instagram, or other popular social media platforms, connect with your customers where they are daily with timely videos for maximum impact.
User-Generated Content- People Trust People
User-generated content (UGC) is anything created by someone other than the brand or company. Organically posted reviews, testimonials, images portraying your brand, a customer using your brand on video, or UGC with hashtags are just some examples of opportunities for UGC at work for you and your business. Research shows that consumers believe UGC to be more authentic than advertising because it’s content made by customers who have used your product and brand loyalists who believe in your product, your values, and your authority. Let the word-of-mouth marketing of UGC take on mega reach for your business.
Create a culture of sharing with your brand. Provide customers opportunities to share their content about your company and products. Candid UGC content takes on a life of its own when it drives conversions and increased purchases of your product. Intentional UGC campaigns, like creating hashtags for customers to connect with the brand and post their genuine content with the hashtags. Help customers feel like they are involved in the growth of your company. Let them feel like the face of the brand and grow some of your reach and consumer base through their crowd.
Stories and Ephemeral Content-Create a Sense of Urgency
Snapchat was onto something with the creation of ephemeral content, short content only visible for a short time, usually 24 hours. This now-you-see-it and now-you-don’t approach creates a natural sense of urgency for viewers. Instagram and Facebook stories provide the same psychological effect with short snippets of videos, images, and words that draw the eyes and minds of the viewer towards your brand, message, and products and services.
Awaken FOMO when your audience sees a story that you have a limited supply of a product they’ve been eyeing, and now it’s on SALE or that you’re launching a new service for a short time. Nobody wants to miss out on a great deal. Of course, you add a perfectly placed link to the sweet deal on that post, so they have no need to search frantically down the rabbit hole to look for what they just saw and will never see again. This approach leaves little room for people to panic when FOMO becomes real or when they forget once it’s out of sight. It helps your business gain a following and maybe some instant profitable conversions.
Engage with your audience through interactive polls about their insight on a product or service idea you want to test out through Instagram stories. Encourage UGC through an ephemeral content strategy.
Use stories to make quick announcements or updates and create excitement. Repost or repurpose parts of blogs and other content with graphics to help consumers visualize and learn about your brand or the industry.
Let them into your space to show them behind-the-scenes action of you at work, at a local event promoting your product, speaking to an audience about your passion as a business owner and an expert in your industry, or participating in a local charity or social cause near and dear to your heart. Connect with them through your stories by sharing about you as a business owner, a professional, and a caring, responsible community member.
Spontaneous and genuine content allows audiences and followers to trust your brand and shows your humanness as a business owner. A strong, consistent, ephemeral content strategy allows you to stay on top of your social media platforms in a matter of minutes each time.
Live Streaming: Interact in Real Time
As a business owner, make that real-time connection with live events. Gather virtually with your followers and potential customers as you launch a new product or service. Communicate live with your audience to answer questions or demonstrate the use of your product or service.
Use live streaming to reach out and educate your audience genuinely. This interaction fosters a sense of community and service to your audience with your helpful information. Build a name and recognition for you and your brand through this service. It allows your customers to get to know and trust you.
It’s always exciting selling newly launched merchandise or services live, especially to your followers and super fans. Provide links to purchase that product as you connect with your audience so that a relevant and immediate call to action is available.
Social Causes and Sustainability: Connect With Your Audience Through Your Values
We all have our causes and passions outside of our business. Reflecting those values in your business model showcases your part in driving positive change. Connect with an exclusive audience because your values and beliefs resonate with them.
Open up conversations on social media about your company’s value in reducing your company’s carbon footprint by using eco-friendly products and practices. When you advocate for social causes and environmental issues, you build trust and connect with your audience at a deeper, more meaningful level.
Engage with a unique group of consumers who favor brands that support and demonstrate social responsibility. Show your authenticity and take on the task of educating and raising awareness of social causes through your social media campaigns. Let yourself and your brand be seen as one who advocates for the greater good.
Now is the time to get social media platforms to work for you as powerful and creative branding and marketing tools with almost little to no cost to you. Don’t hesitate to put yourself and your brand out there with some proven techniques that readily drive growth, consumer loyalty, retention, credibility, and trust for businesses every day. Don’t miss out on making those connections and being seen. Develop a strong and consistent social media marketing strategy to claim those wins. We at Ad Creations know that consistency and creativity are challenging at times, so don’t hesitate to seek guidance in your planning and implementation practices. Book a free consultation to discuss how we can guide your success.
