The Secret to Getting Noticed on Social Media

Social media marketing is all the rage these days. And with good reason. Marketing on social media has been shown to have a much higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing. It also is a great way to get your brand the attention it deserves.

If you are considering using social media to market your products or services, you are not alone. Over 50 percent of businesses are taking advantage of social media marketing and this number is expected to grow.

Of course, the popularity of social media marketing means that many businesses are using the same techniques. The result is a social media marketplace saturated with the same old same old. If you are looking for new and different ways to use social media to market your brand, product or service, we’ve got some creative ways to stand out among the crowd:

• Hand it over: If you have one person handling your social media posts, consider guest posters such as a customer or another employee. When different people post to your account they offer another perspective which can be refreshing.
• Hashtag it: Encourage satisfied customers to share the good news about your business with a hashtag you have created for just that purpose.
• Say cheese: Give customers a behind the scenes look at your business by posting pictures of what goes on behind the scenes at your business./li>
• Ask others to say cheese. Ask customers to post pictures of themselves using your product or service or anything else related to your brand.
• Play some games: Caption contests or trivia questions are great ways to engage customers. Give the winner of these contests a gift certificate or some other prize. The chance of winning something is sure to increase engagement.
• Make a difference: Support a local charity and encourage your followers to get involved. A diaper drive for a local shelter or a dog wash to raise money for the local humane society are examples.
• Ask questions: Surveys and polls are an excellent way to engage with customers and prospects. Create surveys around specific events or holidays. Ask followers to respond with their favorite type of Halloween candy or a must-have side dish at Thanksgiving. The key is to make it light and fun.
• Share some stats: Readers love statistics. What’s best, when those stats confirm something one of your follower believes, that follower is likely to share it—driving more traffic to your site. Top 10 lists are another way to share stats.

The best part about social media marketing is that you don’t have to sink a ton of money into it for it to be successful. Likewise, if a particular tactic isn’t working, you aren’t out a great deal of money. In the end, the key to social media marketing success is standing out from the crowd.