This document provides 73 social media marketing ideas. Some of the key ideas discussed include spreading your Twitter handle widely, engaging with popular hashtags like #ThrowbackThursday, creating photo and video contests to generate user-generated content, using location-based platforms like Snapchat and Pinterest to reach customers, and promoting contests on deals websites to attract large volumes of traffic. The ideas are meant to help marketers overcome creative blocks and get results from their social media efforts.
9. FOLLOW PEOPLE, AND FOLLOW
YOUR FOLLOWERS BACK
It's very important to keep followers and gain them, and one of the
best and easiest ways to attract followers is to make the first move
and follow them. Everyone loves followers, and interacting with
your audience this way shows how approachable your brand is.
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21. USE EVERYTHING AROUND YOU
Your surroundings are waiting to be used, and best of all they are
free. Use your imagination to stir the audience's mind.
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27. 'SUBMIT YOUR VOTE' CONTESTS
Ease to use reigns here too, and they always get tons of entries.
Make them straightforward (i.e. 'click this button') and you're done.
A bonus for these is that you can use any information received
from these as a mini data study. You can then share these findings
as a blog post for your audience to be entertained.
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31. GO TO DEALS AND OFFERS WEBSITES
Tastes vary, but everyone loves free and cheap stuff. Those who have
a passion for deals often live in offer sites and forums, and you are
guaranteed to find a sweepstake or contest forum where you can share
your contest.
The results are always impressive, with some contests getting upwards
of 90% of their traffic from these sites. One may argue that the quality of
these leads falls short, but if you are looking for quantity this is the place
for you. Slickdeals is a great starting point, particularly if you are
working with restaurants.
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35. EMAIL ALL YOUR SUBSCRIBERS
Because what's the point of having all these emails if you don't use
them to spread your news? These people love you enough to trust
you with their mailing address. They want to be messaged. Who
are you to argue? The customer is always right!
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38. CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE
Every word you publish must be
geared towards the audience and
the audience only. You need to
know your customer, their problems,
their pain points and their interests.
Get them hooked, and they will do
whatever you tell them to.
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41. TEMPLATES ARE YOUR FRIENDS
These are easy and inexpensive ways to keep your client focused
and establish a regular format that is easily recognisable. This
visual framework lets users create a custom piece without having
to spend time on the basics. Here is an example of a custom
landing pace layout. It teaches the essentials without forcing the
user to commit hours to designing it.
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47. USE OTHER SOURCES
TO DIVERSIFY
YOUR CONTENT
'Borrowing' content from elsewhere is
surely easier than sending your own
employee to Alaska to take quality photos of
that thing your customers are dying to see.
Share, do not steal, and use common sense
when doing it. If you are looking for ideas,
see our guide to the best SEO Reddit
AMAs. A golden rule here is to ALWAYS
credit the original creators, and anyone else
you find deserving.
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50. LISTS, AND LISTS
OF LISTS
Case in point:
you are reading a list right
now. See how popular and
effective they are? Share it
while you're at it, by the way!
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56. IF THE TEAM IS
WINNING, DON'T
CHANGE IT
If you are ever in doubt about what to
write, follow this recipe: go to your
analytics of choice, and find out what
is your top rated content. Note the
subjects, the approach, the format and
so on. Next, make new content that is
a spin off the original. It can be a
variation, an extension or else, if the
formula worked before it is granted to
work again.
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74. MAKE IT A GAME
Whose Line is it Anyway presents you with meaningless points, but the fun
is still there, isn't it? People love getting points even if they don't go any
beyond a number. Look at the effort people make to keep their Tripadvisor
pages up-to-date so they can compare the number of places they visited to
their friends. Belly and Foursquare also take it to the next level, together
with Starbucks. Think about giving your customers some points. It's free,
and they will come.
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75. GET YOUR FRIENDS
AND THEIR CONTENT
ONBOARD
Sharing good content and pieces by others in the industry shows you
care about spreading the good material over selfishly pushing out
your own stuff viciously. Find the right balance, and your readers will
think of you as a good sport and a friendly brand.
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77. LEARN FROM THE MASTERS
This is basic, but people often forget about it. Take your time to watch
who is creating great content and getting a good response for it, and
learn from their experiences. Likewise, see what doesn't work and
steer away from it. Think about your audience's needs and interests
and apply the lessons you've picked up from other brands'
experiences to your own content. Buzzfeed and Upworthy have crazy
numbers because of how shareable their clickbait articles are.
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