As a small business owner, you know running a business takes time, energy, and a lot of brain power. Coming up with engaging ideas to post on social media may not be as much of a priority as your sales or other essential business matters, but don’t worry! If you're looking for well-tested, tried-and-true ideas to boost engagement from your audience, you have come to the right place.
These 10 ideas will save you time and help you boost engagement with your social media audience.
Famous Quotes
Quotes are an easy way to boost social media engagement, especially Facebook and Instagram. You can use quotes from influential people or other people for your business (in-house or customers). You can create your own visually appealing posts with a photo editor, or use websites such as Canva, where you can access quote templates to easily download and share on social media.
User-Generated Content
Posting user-generated content (UGC) is a great way to show your audience how to use your product or service. UGC can be photos, videos, reviews, or anything created by users. This will feel more personal, which makes for great content! Social media users tend to trust the opinions shared by their peers more than those published by brands. Best of all, user-generated content is free!
Live video
Sharing a live video is an incredible way to boost engagement. The average organic reach of a Facebook live video is six times higher than that of a regular post. This makes sense, as it is similar to watching live TV.
Live streaming allows you to connect with your customers more personally. When potential customers tune in to your live sessions, it feels as if you're inviting them into your business to get to know them. Unlike a real conference hall, where just a few people can sit in the front row, live streaming allows anyone to sit in the front row.
Memes and GIFs
We all love a good meme or GIF, and these are great ways to bring humor into your social media marketing. If a meme has recently gone viral and feels relevant to your brand, you can use it in a post. These posts will lead you to join the conversation and enjoy what everyone's talking about — which can go viral too!
Here’s a great example of a comical post from HowTo.agency on Instagram:
Milestone Posts
Every business has milestones. Heck, every person has milestones. These personal or business achievements are worth celebrating. Milestone posts examples include the achievements of you or your company, such as anniversaries, new employees, new offices, etc. Pat yourself on the back and always let your fans know about it. This will also help humanize both your brand and yourself if you're the face of your company.
Educational guides
Educational guides are a great way to boost engagement on Facebook and Instagram. They build trust between your company and your followers and provide helpful information in a format that's easy to consume.
You can create educational guide posts for any topic that aligns with your brand. For example, if you run a bookkeeping service, you can share how to calculate the total value of inventory assets or how to manage the accounts payable process. If you sell fitness equipment, you can write about performing joint exercises using your products or share tips for achieving specific fitness goals.
Contests and giveaways
Contests and giveaways are very effective ways to boost engagement on social media. There are no rules that say you have to give away something expensive. Your goal is to engage them with your brand, so be creative with your contests!
Encourage the people who enter your contest to share it with their friends and family. This will help promote your business and reach more people interested in joining the contest who may have never heard of your business.
Questions to your customers and followers
Curious about what your followers want? Ask them! Encourage people to ask questions about your products or brand. You can even ask how their day is going! This is an easy way to get insight into what people think about your business and what content they want to see. A “Questions” post is also great for generating engagement because it's so simple to participate in. Creating a quiz is also a great way to boost engagement. People love the opportunity to post their opinions on just about anything!
Before and after posts
There are dozens of before and after posts that receive massive engagement on Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms. Consider showing the benefits of your product or service through a before-and-after post. You don't have to be a cosmetic company to make this work. Businesses like carpet cleaners, landscapers, auto repair shops, and more can use this technique to show customers what their companies can do for them.
How-to videos (for example, how to use a cooking tool or garden tool)
You can post video tutorials of how to do just about anything! Even if the skill is something your followers already know how to do, they may be interested in learning a new approach or technique. Not sure which skills would be interesting? Ask your audience what they'd like to learn how to do. It's a wonderful way to start a conversation and find out more about their needs.
Check out our blog 10 Awesome Instagram Reels Ideas for Your Local Business for more on “how-to” a how-to video!
Final Thoughts
The key to creating great content is to be consistent. The goal is to develop a community around your brand while creating a personal connection with your audience. By creating engaging, genuine content on Facebook and Instagram, you can build a community of customers genuinely interested in what your business offers.
After you have incorporated these priceless ideas into your marketing, wouldn’t you like to share your knowledge in different ways? Feature your business in a new, unique way by meeting with Jay Vics of JVI Mobile on the Meet the Experts podcast. Get your name out there!
Looking for more help with your online marketing? We want to help! Contact us to learn more!