If you’re a business owner, then you’re well aware that your business needs to be on social media, and more than that, it needs to have an actual social media strategy. That’s right—having a Facebook page isn’t going to elicit any ‘oohs!’ and ‘ahhs!’ from your target audience anymore, and neither is having Twitter accounts, a YouTube channel, Pinterest boards or a Tumblr page. Today’s tech-focused consumers expect nothing less from businesses and this has left many entrepreneurs and marketers somewhat stumped: ‘What next?’ seems to be the phrase on everyone’s lips.

Fortunately, the ever-evolving Internet doesn’t lend itself to stagnation, and there are always fresh online trends hot from the social media oven, just waiting to boost your marketing morale and reinvigorate your social media strategy—and since we’re social media specialists at Point and Stare, we’re here to tell you all about them.

Share quality content and drive interaction
First things first: sharing a status update or a tweet is not enough to get your products or services noticed anymore. Online users are more discerning than ever, and businesses have to earn their attention by sharing quality content that users actually want to see. Secondly, the main thrust behind successful, dynamic social media campaigns today is interaction. You want your target audience to do the promoting for you by using your custom hashtags, interacting with your content, and so on.

Social media ‘bribes’
One of the most avant-garde ways of using social media today is in exchange for actual goods or services. The trend is slowly starting to catch on, with a Marc Jacobs pop-up shop in Covent Garden inviting shoppers to take and tweet photos of the shop using the hashtag #mjdaisychain in exchange for a free keychain or free manicure. Earlier this year, frozen food brand Birds Eye launched a pop-up restaurant in London that encouraged guests to share photos of their meals on Instagram with the hashtag #BirdsEyeInspirations to get their meal on the house. These off-the-cuff social media tactics are bold, attention-grabbing, and exactly the burst of social media energy that most businesses need.

Photo and video chain challenges
Similarly, viral photo and video challenges have proved immensely successful, with the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS and the No-Makeup Selfie for breast cancer both raising millions of pounds for charity and garnering global attention over just a few weeks. Any business can undertake a similar initiative, using chain challenges in which social media users are nominated to keep paying it forward; what matters is that the challenges are engaging so that people will want to participate.

Call in the specialists
If you think your business’ social media strategy could benefit from a fresh new approach with inventive tactics, contact us at Point and Stare today. We have the expertise and experience to help you navigate the complexities of online marketing and create a powerful online presence for your brand.

 
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