Ah, yes. The season of love.
Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday that shows no sign of stopping. According to the National Retail Federation, the amount of people anticipated to celebrate has dropped tremendously over the years, but it doesn’t even matter – spending for the holiday has continued to rise and is expected to reach more than $20 billion this year. Perhaps this potential success could have something to do with a couple of favorable social media marketing strategies?
Whether you adore or despise the sweet celebration, now’s a great time to show your love and appreciation for a valentine of the digital realm: social media! According to We Are Social, the number of active social media users in 2018 reached 3.196 billion, which can show great potential for social reach in your content marketing strategy.
In this issue of Content Marketing Weekly, we’re rounding up some updates that will remind you that you don’t need a significant other to feel mushy and gushy around Valentine’s Day – you just need some wit for tweeting, some good lighting for Instagram pics and some top-notch content to share on Facebook to show your audience how much you love it.
Maximising Social Media’s Role in Lead Generation
If you want to watch your business grow in 2019, social media is a must. You can’t just activate your accounts and call it a day, though. Business Matters recommended the following tips for increasing your business leads:
Weigh your options – With so many platforms available, how do you know which ones will benefit your business most? Use analytics to determine which accounts are performing the best and commit your energy where it matters most.
Create fun, interactive content – Going viral is one way to “grab the spotlight” but start small with interactive content like contests and giveaways that intrigue your readers and encourage them to do business with you.
Make your platforms actionable – Increase customer engagement by modifying your accounts with buttons to make it easier for your readers to connect with you. Examples of potential links could include: Get directions, Reserve a table, call or email.
Devise a gate – Share content that guides your readers down the lead generation pathway. An asset like a white paper, for example, can be used to collect contact information from your readers before they can access the content.
A smart social strategy makes the most of content marketing. Read the full article by Business Matters magazine here.
Franchising and Social Media
Everyone loves taking a picture of an aesthetically pleasing meal and posting it on social media. The result? A spot in the food industry gets free advertising, just so long as the photos are hashtagged and geotagged. But restaurants and self-made chefs should promote their businesses on their own social media platforms, too.
Chris Conner, co-founder of Franchise Marketing Systems, recommended food industry professionals have an engaging website, but also sign up for – and maintain – social media accounts that can help build brand awareness. Creating original posts and distributing them via social is a smart way to give a restaurant or chef personality or “human touch” and encourage followers to stop by and try out new dishes and classic menu items for themselves.
Dive into the article by Total Food Service here.
Legit.ng Presents Masterclass on Creating Compelling Stories at Lagos Social Media Week
The first week of February kicked off the 2019 Lagos Social Media Week, a tech and media event in Africa that brought together entrepreneurs, global thinkers and business leaders. On Feb 5, Legit.ng’s editor-in-chief, Bayo Olupohunda, led a session on creating engaging content through impactful storytelling and how to carefully use social media to distribute it.
“The present challenge is to tell the stories responsibly,” Olupohunda said. “As content creators look more and more to social media for sourcing and downplay the traditional news gathering method, fake news has become a danger to telling authentic stories devoid of hoaxes. This development is causing concern for publishers who are struggling in a fast-paced environment with the risk of publishing fake news.”
His advice: Create compelling stories backed by audience preferences, authenticity and ethics. Social media can be the springboard for sharing content that generates brand awareness, but it should never be taken advantage of to spread clickbait titles that could ultimately tarnish the reputation of your business.
Read more about how to tell stories responsibly here.
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Content Marketing Weekly. Come back next week for more of the latest trends and updates in content and social media marketing!
