Sure, ink-on-paper isn’t going away any time soon (well, not too soon). But tomorrow’s decision-makers have been conditioned on social media and visual storytelling, so expect those mediums to converge. Whatever you’re doing to add visual elements and social media to your communications plans, you probably need to crank it up. Below are several ways.
Spice it up.
When it comes to social media, the same thing gets old fast, even faster than on traditional platforms. Incorporating a variety of content will keep fans alert and consistently checking in for more. Make your followers feel special by providing behind-the-scenes pictures, videos and news bits.
It’s time to play.
Nothing gets people excited like the possibility of winning something. Reward fans while attracting new ones by offering them the opportunity to win a prize for participating. Just remember to keep it simple. The lower the barrier to entry, the higher the participation.
Showcase corporate culture.
Sharing your company’s personalities and how they shape your corporate culture is a great way to build goodwill with an audience. Showcase the people behind the scenes at your company. Your audience is more likely to connect with your brand if they feel a connection to the people who are behind the brand.
Share the love.
Fans just want to be heard and appreciated. Show them you care by engaging with them and responding to their interactions with your brand through various social media platforms.
By encouraging and sharing the content they have created around your brand, users will be more likely to view your brand as human. The human touch can be a powerful incentive for people to open their wallets.
Be a leader.
Knowledge about your product or industry is valuable to customers. Share the latest inside scoop and give tips that can familiarize potential customers with both. The better people understand your product and how it can be useful to them, the more comfortable they will be purchasing it and incorporating it into their lives.
Link, link, link.
Likes and Comments are great, but sales are the bottom line. Make it easy for your fans to find what they are looking for by always including an ecommerce link. Online shopping is easy, quick and painless.
#SpreadTheWealth.
You’ve worked hard to capture your brand with attractive visuals, now you want to get them in front of as many eyes as possible. Incorporate relevant hashtags to extend the reach of your content.
Promote across platforms.
The great thing about visual content is the ease with which it can be shared across all social media platforms. Not only can you post on other image-based platforms but you can easily share and promote content on more traditional platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to get the most mileage out of your images.
And while it’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel for each post, it’s important to use best practices and proper etiquette for each platform.
Source: AJ Gerritson, founding partner of 451 Marketing. The above content is an excerpt from PR News’ Book of Content Marketing Strategies and Tactics. To order a copy, please go to prnewsonline.com/prpress/
This article originally appeared in the May 4, 2015 issue of PR News. Read more subscriber-only content by becoming a PR News subscriber today.