5 Social Media Tips to Boost Branding, Clicks & Conversions

It used to be you were told by a friend about another friend who is hosting an event - word of mouth. You would then spend perhaps, 5 minutes tops, registering for this event, attend the event, drink a few cocktails and then head home.

Social media has now changed all of this. Events and event planners are now able to have long-term and effective interactions with their attendees.

There is no doubt that social media has now become the primary means of communication and the most effective way to “get the word out there” about your event and your brand. However, as Megan Ritter outlines in the article below, “many businesses find it difficult to find and share content that appeals to their audience”.

Read the article here

No longer is it sufficient to just employ the various social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.) but businesses now need to consider the content in which they are posting in order to engage their target market and boost their overall branding, clicks, and conversions.

Let’s take a look at what Ritter has suggested as the top 5 overlooked social media tips that businesses, old and new, need to consider in “shaking up” their marketing strategies.

1) Use Long Form Content on Social Sites

At first, this would appear to be an odd tip to suggest in this day and age where our attention spans rarely last longer than 15-20 seconds. But this is where quality over quantity proves to be most effective. If people like what you are saying, they will want to read more, but you must be creative in the ways you present the information in order to first capture their attention and retain it.

We find that Google+ and Facebook are the best platforms to draw attention to a lengthy post. A great trick, as Megan suggests, is to quote an excerpt of the post that would intrigue readers to click on a link that would lead them to the rest of the content.

2) Use A Unique Strategy For Each Network

A unique strategy for each social platform is important in order to guarantee results since each network has a key demographic. Ritter suggests, “always keep in mind that the way your message must reflect the medium you’re using”. For example, Twitter and Instagram may be a great way to engage and interact with your audience in real time during an event while your Facebook page can be more information based about your business and the other upcoming events.

Create a timeline for your posts as part of your strategy. Ensure that they are timed along with the platforms’ peak activity with its users that would generate the most views. When sharing information about your event, Marketo sheds light on the importance of the social-sharing buttons and states that “by making sure this functionality is front and center, you can drive additional registrants through social sharing”. This functionality is an easy and accessible tool available in all social media platforms that can yield the most results in brand awareness and clicks.

3) Skip The Script & Have Fun

Thinking out of the box is the name of the game. With the emergence of more and more start-up companies entering the market with new and exciting ways to gain brand awareness, the traditional “straight-laced corporate image” needs to take a back seat. It’s okay to get a little weird. If you can engage people by getting a little edgy and saying something out of left field, it’s well worth the potential risk. By letting your business guard down a bit and allowing your persona to be more candid, you appear more trustworthy and personable. 

4) Try User-Generated Content, Vine, Hyperlapse, Snapchat

These social media platforms are great at catering towards the short attention spans of consumers these days. Vine comedians are becoming increasingly popular and we are seeing these clips being shared across all platforms. Lasting for only a maximum of six to seven seconds long, it is a great medium to get small concise messages across to your audience with a touch of humour.

5) Using Positivity – Turn That Frown Upside Down

Social media is becoming grounds for constant negativity as a medium for consumers to complain about everything from products, to politics, to other people. It is a breath of fresh air when a business takes the positive route and brands itself as a positive force on social media.

For example, take the “Real Beauty Sketches” by Dove campaign, identified as one of the top ten most Influential Social Media Marketing Campaigns of 2013 by Adhere Creative. They identified the trend in behavior of self-perception of women and realized that women are their own worst critic. Dove confronted the issue that was most prevalent among their target market of women and made a huge social impact with their positive social media campaign that encouraged beauty as a source of confidence. 

Business As (Un)usual - (Clever!)

While it can be a daunting and time consuming task to continuously maintain a social media profile across all networks, Marketo believes that “being active on social networks before, during and after your event is the bread and butter of your event social strategy”. We don’t all have to follow suit and use the same usual social media strategy. The tips provided by Ritter are a means to take your social media game to the next level. Go ahead and think out of the box! Doing so will help you and your brand stand out and ultimately boost your overall branding, clicks, and conversions.

Thoughts?

Please leave us a comment below and tell us what you think about Ritter’s overlooked social media tips. Are there more ways in which we can utilize social media that have not yet been employed by businesses?

By Anita Jagassar and Julia Yu


References

Eunice David on Top 10 Influential Social Media Marketing Campaigns of 2013.
Retrieved from:http://www.adherecreative.com/blog/bid/152638/Top-10-Influential-Social-Media-Marketing-Campaigns-of-2013

Megan Ritter on 5 Overlooked Social Media Tips to Boost Branding, Clicks & Conversions. Retrieved from: http://justcreative.com/2014/10/16/social-media-tips-to-boost-branding-clicks-conversions/

Marketo: The Definitive Guide To Event Marketing: 2012 Marketo, Inc