Results show that small businesses are experimenting with and investing in social media. Nearly 50% are increasing their expenditure, and 39% are already getting a return on their investment. This return will continue to go up as businesses “shift from the experimental stage to a results-focused phase.”
Not only do you need to set goals, but deciding on a social media strategy is important. Your strategy could involve more than one campaign, and getting there includes experimenting with ideas.
Take a Shot of Creative Adrenaline
The best way to fuel your creative fix is with some of the social media strategies currently being played out in the field. Get your game on with these social media tactics.
-
Cuteness Fusion with Four-Legged Critters
Facebook “Like Ads” show that the most successful ads were those with adorable animal images. The least engagement came from text-only ads, with logo-based ads being marginally better in response rate.
Ads with product images received the best long-term customer engagement. Incorporating product with appealing animal photos could be your newest approach to reaching your audience.
-
Buy a Banana (or Save Some Other Silly Fool)
When Henry Gribbohm lost $2,600 playing a carnival game for a dreadlock-and-beanie-topped stuffed banana, CollegeHumor developed a Facebook Like ploy to pay him back. At 26,000 Likes at $.10 a Like, Gribbohm’s bank account will be restored, along with his infamous reputation.
Give your brand some recognition with a similar campaign. There are bound to be enthusiastic souls who need saving and won’t mind having fun with it.
-
Stir Up Some High Velocity Winds
The Weather Channel stirred up some hashtag fun and games with #TornadoWeek. Interns sat working in front of a “wind tunnel” while broadcast live. Followers controlled the wind speed through tweet mentions of the hashtag, upping the wind velocity to 200 mph when they reached 1,000,000 mentions.
What other Tweet-powered hijinks can you think up?
-
Launch a Beauty Contest
Hawaiian Tropic’s Facebook page search for the woman who best epitomizes “beauty, confidence, style, enjoying the sun and keeping skin healthy” wins a trip to Hawaii and becomes a Hawaiian Tropic spokeswoman.
A focus on inner beauty and healthy skin reflects the need for skin protection and an awareness of the whole woman. Give your followers a way to applaud their strengths with a campaign to put their best face forward.
-
Broadcast Your Superpowers
Dominos Pizza is pounding the Internet pavement each night with a live broadcast of their pizza-making prowess from a store in Salt Lake City. Because their online ordering has been so successful, they felt it a natural move to take the whole pie to the World Wide Web.
People love behind-the-scenes, real-time viewing. Social media gives us the opportunity to be more transparent and more authentic. So give them something to gawk at!
-
Play a (Safe) Prank
The idea of tricking someone for a laugh is only as good as it’s received. Trying for a repeat of Nathan Fielder’s, star of Nathan for You, tweet-a-gram might not be advisable, yet the humor is inescapable.
He asked his Twitter followers to text their parents “Got 2 grams for $40,” then claim it was meant for someone else, and screenshoot the responses. Needless to say, the replies were worthy of social media Oscars.
Rallying for entertainment with shenanigans that you know your audience will enjoy might be your ticket to a winning streak of fun and fame.
-
Offer a Feature Photo Challenge
Appeal to your consumer’s love of the local, like Mashable did in their Hometown Photo Challenge. Anything your audience will want to share and get some star treatment as a reward is an offer they’ll find hard to refuse.
While you’re at it, you can use more than one social platform to bring in the submissions. Mashable used Twitter and Instagram for photo uploads, as well as their website.
-
Grow a Mustache
When thirty guys decided to raise awareness for cancer research, they reinvented Movember, a movement to bring back the mustache in November.
They asked guys to grow a mustache and ask friends and family for donations. They gave them a variety of social tools to invite people, share the spirit of competition, and embrace the sense of brotherhood that was central to the movement.
Most importantly, growing a mustache for a cause is positive and proactive. Having fun while you spread your message makes it more contagious.
What will your next social media move be?