Social media has exploded in recent years, becoming one of the most effective forms of online advertising.
Whether you run a brick-and-mortar retail store, e-commerce site, affiliate website, or if you are just a local service provider, you can benefit from the use of social media.
Maintaining an active presence on networks like Facebook and Twitter will boost your brand recognition while driving more customers to your business.
However, the effectiveness of a social media campaign relies largely on the number of shares your content receives.
1. Make It Emotional
If you scan through the Facebook pages of some of the country’s leading brands, you will notice a pattern: the content they choose to post is highly emotional and engaging.
Social media users are morel likely to share content if it triggers an emotional response.
Whether it’s an image, video, text, or just a link, focus your social media efforts on emotional, engaging content and you’ll find that shares come more naturally.
2. Simple Designs
One of the most common social media mistakes business owners make is posting complex images.
Why is this a problem? Even if it successfully conveys your message, many users may overlook it simply because there’s too much going on.
Numerous studies have shown that simple images and designs are more visually appealing than complex ones.
Rather than writing text over an image, for instance, try placing the text on a single-color background (of contrasting color).
This practice allows the text to “pop,” making it more attractive and easier on the eyes.
3. Make It Relevant
When posting images to social media, make sure they are relevant to your brand’s image and what it stands for.
This tip may sound like common sense, but you would be surprised to see some of the off-the-wall images and content published by some brands.
If you run a dog training service, for instance, the bulk of your social media content should be focused on dogs.
Just because you come across a cute picture of a cat doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s right for your Facebook page. Keep your posts relevant and meaningful to boost your social shares.
4. Color Matters
You might be surprised to learn that the colors of your social media content will affect the number of shares it receives.
According to a study conducted by Georgia Tech, content containing red, purple and pink yield the most shares, whereas green, black, blue and yellow get the least amount of shares.
Why do social media users prefer to share red, purple and pink? According to the study’s researchers, it’ because these colors trigger visceral emotions in the observer, such as excitement, anxiety and even fear.
5. Analyze
About all else, keep an eye on your social media accounts to see which types of content users are sharing and which ones they aren’t.
Using this information, you can optimize your social media strategy to encourage likes, shares, comments and other forms of engagement.
Contact us today to discuss your social media marketing strategy.
