Engage and Delight: 10 Strategies to Connect with Your Social Media Audience

59.4 percent of the global population are social media users. Yes, that’s 4.76 billion users as of January 2023. This data proves just how crucial social media is to businesses. It also shows that social media platforms are excellent tools for companies to engage with their audience, promote their brand, and increase their online visibility. 
 

However, creating social media content that resonates with your target audience can be a daunting task, especially with the ever-changing trends and algorithms.
 

Here, we'll explore effective strategies to engage your audience on social media. We'll also look at successful social media posts created by companies to inspire and give you social media content ideas.

Below are 10 examples of excellent social media content.

1. Know Your Audience 

The first step in creating engaging social media content is understanding your audience. Who are they? What are their interests? What social media platforms do they use? Understanding your audience helps you tailor content to their needs.

For example, Nike, a leading sportswear brand, understands that its audience is passionate about sports and fitness. They create content that reflects their audience's lifestyle, such as inspiring quotes, motivational posts, and fitness tips.

2. Use visuals

Visual content such as images and videos are more likely to capture your audience's attention than text-only posts. According to Digital Glue, tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those without.
 

Using visuals in your social media posts can help your brand stand out from the crowd and make your content more shareable. However, ensure that your visuals are high quality, relevant, and aligned with your brand's style.
 

For instance, Airbnb, a global online marketplace for short-term home experiences, uses stunning visuals to showcase its properties and destinations, encouraging its audience to book their next trip.

Here’s another example of how AirBnB incorporates visuals seamlessly.

3. Tell a story 

Humans are hardwired to connect with stories. Incorporating storytelling in social media posts can help establish an emotional connection with your audience. Stories can be in the form of testimonials, behind-the-scenes footage, or user-generated content.

For example, Coca-Cola, a leading soft drink brand, uses storytelling in its social media posts to create an emotional connection with its audience. They often feature stories of people sharing a coke, celebrating special moments, and spreading happiness.

Even when advertising its products, it doesn’t feel like a sales advert because it’s engaging and relatable. 

4. Share Behind-the-Scenes Content

Sharing behind-the-scenes content is a great way to humanize your brand and showcase the people behind your products or services. By doing so, you can create a sense of transparency and authenticity, which can help you build trust with your audience. 
 

For example, Starbucks shared a behind-the-scenes look at its iced-shaken espresso production process. By doing so, Starbucks not only engaged its audience but also gave them a glimpse into the people and processes behind its popular seasonal drink.

5. Use User-Generated Content

User-generated content is a great way to engage your audience on social media. By featuring content created by your audience, you can create a sense of community and encourage your audience to share their experiences with your brand.
 

For example, Airbnb often reposts photos taken by clients describing their positive experiences. By doing so, Airbnb engages its audience and and showcases the unique experiences it offers.

6. Share Testimonials 

Testimonials are an effective way to market your brand, product, or service. It allows potential customers to view your brand from other people's perspectives and therefore build trust. 
 

The best testimonials persuade through emotion which can be communicated through words and images, such as the facial expression of your customers showing happiness, satisfaction, joy, or other emotions.

Here’s an example of Starbucks featuring a witty, relatable customer review.

7. Use humor

Humor is an excellent way to break the monotony of serious content and make your brand more relatable. Social media users appreciate light-hearted content that can make them smile or laugh. However, be careful not to offend anyone or use inappropriate humor.

For instance, Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant, uses humor in its social media posts to engage with its audience. They often post witty replies to customers, memes, and funny videos, making them stand out on social media. 

It all startswith their social media profile: 

Then comes the meme-inspired promotion posts.

8. Engage with your audience

Social media is a two-way street, and engaging with your audience can help you establish a relationship with them. It shows that you value their input and are willing to listen to them. Here is how you can engage your followers. 

Respond to comments and messages

Replying to comments and messages tells your audience that you value their feedback. See these replies by Wendys.

Create a poll or quiz

Interactive posts are a great way to engage your audience on social media. By asking your audience to participate in a poll or quiz, you can create a sense of community and encourage them to share their opinions. 

Host giveaways

Contests and giveaways are a great way to engage your audience on social media. Offering a prize or incentive encourages your audience to participate and share your content with friends and followers. 

For example, Oreo hosted a contest that asked its audience to use a promo code. The first 109 people would win custom-made Oreo cookies. By doing so, Oreo not only engaged its audience but also generated buzz and excitement around its brand.

9. Create How-To Guides 

How-to guides are also a great way to engage your audience on social media. By creating informative and helpful content, you can position yourself as an expert in your industry and provide value to your audience. See this post by Lowe's.

Lowe's created a how-to guide on how to create a DIY succulent planter. By doing so, Lowe's not only engaged its audience but also provided them with valuable information and positioned itself as an expert in home improvement 

10. Share Relevant News and Trends

Sharing relevant news and trends is a great way to position your brand as a thought leader in your industry. It shows that you are up-to-date and knowledgeable about your industry. See the example below.

Microsoft shared a Facebook post highlighting the importance of managing cookies while surfing the web. By doing so, Microsoft not only engaged its audience but also positioned itself as a thought leader in technology.

What Are the 5 Types Of Social Media Posts?

Your success on social media will be determined by how successful your content is. You need to produce effective, high-performing content which adds value to your customer experience. 

But with massive competition on social media, using one type of content or sharing on only one platform can limit your success. You should mix various content types and share across various, if not all, social media platforms. Here are 5 types of social media posts you can use to engage your audience on social media.

1. Written Posts 

Written posts such as blog posts, How To articles etc., demonstrates your knowledge and expertise, which help build credibility and reputation. 

But because there is a huge competition for written posts, you must be creative and write about topics your audience is interested in. You can use keyword research tools and trending searches to get ideas. The best platforms for written posts are Facebook and LinkedIn. 

2. Pictures 

Pictures are the most frequently posted content type across social media. The colors and composure will give your audience an immediate impression of your brand. 
 

You should accompany the image with a caption detailing what your audience should do after viewing the image (CTA.) Capturing pictures of your products is easy as you only need a smartphone with a good camera and editing tools.

3. Videos 

There is no better way to drive a message home than using videos. You can create video tours, how to guides, testimonials, or product updates. Videos are ideal even for small businesses because you can record with a smartphone. Popular video platforms are Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. 

4. Infographics 

Infographics are visual representations of complex information. You can use charts, images, icons, texts, and diagrams to simplify report data or research. 

5. Live streams 

Live streaming can position your brand in the social scene as personal and exciting. It gives your customers an idea of what happens behind the scene and gives your business a face. This can increase their interest, customer loyalty, and trust in your brand. It also enables you to get immediate feedback. 

You can live stream on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, etc. 

What's The Best Time To Post On Social Media?

The best time to post on social media will depend on your audience. However, the general best time to post is in the morning, 6 am - 9 am, because it's when people catch up on the newsfeeds. Lunchtime between 12 pm - 3 pm also works because people tend to have the biggest schedule gaps. You can also opt for 6 pm - 9 pm after working hours because people check out what they missed during the day.

Wrapping Up 

Engaging your audience on social media requires creating content that is entertaining, informative, and relevant to your target audience. You need to understand your audience, use humor, create interactive posts, tell stories, and share relevant trends.
 

Zoey Writers can help you create engaging and fun social media content for your brand. 
 

Reach out today so we can start on your social media content strategy. 

Photo by Free Walking Tour Salzburg on Unsplash. Thank you!