Whether you’re launching a new product, communicating updated service times, or sharing your thoughts on an important cultural moment, social media provides a multitude of opportunities to find and engage with your target audience. It’s also the perfect place to roll out new ideas and help them gain traction. 

Here are a few of our top tips when it comes to leveraging social media for your brand campaigns.

Showcase Your Values.

Social media is an extension of your brand. That’s why it’s critical that you use your brand’s values to inform and guide your social content. Here are some questions to consider when evaluating your existing social platforms:

  • Is your organization’s mission/vision clearly articulated through the content you post?
  • Do your posts reflect your brand’s voice and tone?
  • How would people describe your brand values based on your content?

When you showcase your organization’s values on social media, audiences can more easily connect with you, understand why your organization exists and determine whether that aligns with their own values. This is especially important if this is one of their first touchpoints with your brand. Provide opportunities for your followers to participate and join the conversation as a next step.

Engage With Your Audience.

Transform spectators into brand advocates through two-way interactions with your social media followers. Some easy ways to engage with your audience include:

  • Following back people who follow you.
  • Liking and commenting on your follower’s posts with thoughtful responses that are open-ended and prompt them to respond back.
  • Sending DMs to specific followers.
  • Posting questions or requesting feedback through surveys/polls (this could include asking followers about their experience with your products/services, potential pain points, etc.). An easy way to do this is by using the Instagram Stories poll sticker or question sticker, then sharing the results with your followers.
  • Sharing user-posted content to show that you appreciate their support and that interactions go both ways.

Social media creates opportunity for two-way engagement. Your followers want more than content — they want to interact with you. When considering how to leverage social for your next campaign, include interactive elements. And remember to respond back!

Read More: 8 Tips to Create Effective Surveys to Test Ideas

Go Live Often.

Photo by @joshsrose on Unsplash

This was true for many churches who started live streaming their services to continue to stay connected with their congregations. The increasing trend toward live-streaming in the past year shows no signs of slowing down and will likely remain popular in 2021 and beyond.

It might require you to muster confidence to go live, but simply be yourself and engage with your audience. Here are some tips:

  • Announce the livestream ahead of time.
  • Customize the topic, style and length of content to match audience interests. For example, a gardening shop might do a live DIY flower bed tutorial.
  • Invite special guests or followers to participate by adding them to your live broadcast through the app’s guest features.
  • Practicing what you’re going to present or explain before actually going live.
  • Keep it short, to the point, and interactive.

Facetime builds authenticity, and authenticity builds trust in your brand. According to a 2020 report by Edelman, 60% of customers are more willing to share their personal information with a brand they trust, 75% will likely continue to purchase from you, and 78% may encourage others to support your brand. That makes live streams a great way to add value to your audience and include a more personal element in your brand campaigns. 

Be Creative.

Creative content is the number one reason a brand’s social media presence stands out. Here are some ideas you can use in your brand campaigns to help you reach people creatively:

  • Giphy stickers. It’s fairly easy to create a Giphy account and use your own photos to make stickers.
  • Create Augmented Reality (AR) filters for your brand. These filters are similar to Virtual Reality but only require a smartphone. According to Sprout Social, “Augmented reality experiences are inherently interactive and highly effective for engagement.”
  • Utilize Instagram and Facebook story features to make surveys and ask your viewers questions.
  • Sharable content equips your followers to become brand advocates rather than simply spectators. It also expands your brand reach as your followers share the elements you create on their own profiles.

Having these different types of sharable content equips your followers to become brand advocates rather than simply spectators. It also helps your brand reach further as your followers begin to use and share the elements you create with their friends and across their own social media channels.

Read More: Transform Your Church’s Creative Process with Design Springs

The Takeaway

Social media can showcase your creativity, engage your followers and ultimately, create a personal connection with people who align with your brand values. Find ways to leverage authentic interaction on social media for your next campaign, and watch your brand reach expand.