There are 5.04 billion on social media. And still, getting the RIGHT engagement on social platforms can be quite tough. While the user base on these platforms is large, the race to get their attention is getting harder as brands and people flood social media with content. 

Social media also fulfills the “place” portion of the marketing mix for many businesses. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook have launched their own marketplaces where vendors can showcase their goods and services.

So, what can you do as a brand that wants to make sales to get more people engaging with your content? 

In this post, I’ll share 17 crazy ideas that you can use to get more people engaging with your content, and increase the number of sales. From learning how to track your social media content performance metrics, to determining what type of content is most suitable for your venture.

1. A sense of family/belonging

Your social media should not always be about your chosen decisions for your business or brand. Allow your audience to make some decisions for your business or brand. Making your audience feel like family will give them the feeling of being a part of something, something bigger than how much they can give you. When people feel like family, they contribute to the growth of your business and brand because it is home.

2. The 50/50 Rule 

Being professional is important but it is also important to be human. People connect to emotions more than they do to logic. Try posting relatable and trending topics that relate to your business or brand. The ability to balance being professional and human on social media is a superpower many brands lack. One that, if you have, will get your audience coming back to your page again and again.  

3. Audience Benefits 

The audience likes giveaways. Create a contest for your product or services. This will create more awareness for your brand. For them to enter a giveaway, ask to like or share your post. You can also tell them to comment on your post and invite people to like their comments; the comment with the highest likes wins the contest. This way, you are expanding your reach and building your audience. Giveaways endures people to your brand. And when you start posting other content that isn’t a giveaway, they’ll engage with the content.

4. Testimonials 

Testimonials are more than just social proofs; they show your audience that people trust you. Post testimonials and reviews of people that have used your products or services. This will encourage audiences that haven’t tried your products or services to give it a go. For example, a video showing a customer using your product or service is a great way to get the trust of your audience and make more sales. Written reviews are also a great way to get people engaged with your content.

5. Product Photography 

Social media is becoming more visual and audio than text. Posting product pictures give your audience an idea of what your product looks like. Taking and posting compelling pictures of your products on social media can improve your sales and build your audience. Remember, the images you post should be taken from different angles and edited using a photo editor.

6. Feedbacks 

Your customers and audience want to feel like they are a part of your brand. They want their opinions to be heard, respected, and, if possible, implemented. Starbucks used the feedback style to get their followers on social media to connect more with their brand. Because knowing what your audience thinks about your business is important, publish the feedback you get and implement some of the ideas. Also, it is imperative that you find a balance between sharing positive and negative feedback. Don’t only share the positives; share the negative too.

7. Run Surveys and Polls 

Twitter now has a built-in survey feature. With surveys and pools, you don’t always have to be salesy. You also don’t need to always use it to collect data. Have fun with the pools, ask your audience something unrelated to your brand. This way, the audience can have fun on your page while voting.

8. Videos and Livestream 

Video content is watched by 82% of tweeps on Twitter, daily. Hootsuite also says that more than 50% in the US who visit Facebook watch at least one video daily. Although 80% watch these videos without sound, it still grabs the attention of the user.  With video content, your audience stays longer on your page, and if the video is interesting or controversial, they share and give their opinions. You can captivate your audience by creating engaging content such as tutorials on Etsy shop ideas or showcasing behind-the-scenes processes. And because video gives a personal touch to your brand, you are sure to have more people engaging with your video content than they will with all-text content.

9. Memes and Gifs 

Social media is also transitioning to the world of memes. Your audience on social media wants to laugh and have fun. With memes, you have a high possibility of going viral, especially when the memes talk about trending issues affecting your target audience. Memes also give your brand a more relatable persona.

10. Infographics 

Social media is not all fun and games. People come online to also get educated. Infographics help you educate your customers and also get them engaged with your content. Instead of sharing a long list of information and data with text, you can shrink all the data and processes into an infographic. Because images have high engagement, infographics get more people talking and sharing your posts.  

11. User-generated content 

User-generated content drives engagement by 6.9 times. User-generated content is a great way to get your audience talking, and also make them feel special and loved. As the name implies, your followers are the creators of this content, not you. For example, you can ask your followers on social media to share photos of how they use your product. Then you repost these videos on social media handles. When people see themselves, they are more willing to share and tell others about your product or services.

12. Ask Me Anything (AMA) 

This is a method many celebrity brands use to engage their audience. People love an authentic brand, and authenticity means you are not faking your persona. Ask Me Anything also helps you show the human side of your business, your business’s soul. When your audience connects with you, they are more likely to become ambassadors, sharing the gospel of your business to their friends and family.

13. Animations 

I saw a video from a food tech brand that shared an animation of how customers can book their service. And boy were the audience engaging with the content! A good animation can be entertaining, educational and engaging all at the same time. Once you create an animation, you can rest assured that your audience will engage with your content. So, get busy with those animations. And remember, the animation doesn’t have to be grand; something simple will do.

14. Inspirational Quotes 

Sharing inspirational quotes is quite easy. The important thing with inspirational quotes is to share what people might be interested in. While you can’t predict correctly what people would like, you can use your social media analytics to predict the type of audience that you have.

15. Tutorials 

They say content is King. The beautiful thing about tutorials is that it positions your business as a thought leader in your niche. The value you give with your tutorials should be premium, something that your audience will love. Most “How-Tos” tutorials get a lot of engagement because they help people solve one knotty problem or the other.

16. Behind the Scene Videos 

Your audiences don’t always want to see what you do, but once in a while, sharing what happens behind the scene allows your audience to perceive your brand as more human. Behind the scenes should be simple personal-esque videos that show your business’s processes.

17. Leverage on Trends

Social media beehive of trends. Taking full advantage of social media trends positions your brand as vogue and interesting.

Social platforms are great places to educate, entertain and communicate with your audience. Create engaging content and connect with your customers now!