1. Create High-Quality Visual Content

Visual content is more engaging than text-only posts. When we have monthly analytics calls with our clients to review their social media activity, posts that show people tend to perform better that posts with just text content. People like to connect with other people. Invest in high-quality images and videos that are visually appealing and relevant to your target audience.

• Use eye-catching visuals that grab attention. All you need is your phone! By adjusting your settings on your phone, you can capture high-quality images that will visually appeal to your audience. Don’t forget about lighting as well! You want to make sure that they subject of your picture is well lit and in focus. A simple ring light, like this one, can make all the difference!
• Utilize strong calls to action to encourage user interaction. By using direct calls to action like “Shop Now”, “Learn More”, and “Sign-Up”, you are telling your customers exactly what you want them to do. By using “Limited Time Offer” or “Last Chance”, you are creating a sense of urgency causing customers to act quickly. But calls to action give your customer direction and help to drive your goal of a sale to the finish line.
• Use infographics, short videos, and GIFs to break up text-heavy posts. Remember Quality over Quantity! Gone are the days of posting 5-7 days a week. We have seen greater engagement across social media platforms by posting 2-3 times a week and utilizing Reels in your weekly content calendar. Don’t forget to use trending audio on your reels to give them an extra boost in viewership.

By prioritizing visual content, you can make your brand more memorable and increase engagement with your audience.

2. Leverage User-Generated Content

You can tell your potential customers until you are blue in the face that your business is the best thing out there, but until they hear from other customers, they may not just take your work for it. Customer testimonials go a long way! A great way to get business and product testimonials is by leveraging User-Generated Content.

User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool for building brand authenticity and trust. Encourage your followers to share their experiences with your brand on social media.

• Run contests and giveaways to incentivize UGC. Ask users to share photos of themselves using your product or service in a creative way. By them sharing these photos, they are giving you content that you can share on your social media platforms. You can also align contests with specific holidays, seasons, or product launches to encourage relevant content.
• Repost user-generated content with proper credit. This has worked great for our client, Blue Mountain Fans. In exchange for a ceiling fan, the creator provides pictures and a finished reel showing them installing the fan. Its a great exchange that helps BMF to get their name out into the world and they get some wonderful content of their fans that can now be shared on their social media channels as well as their website. 
• Engage with users who share content about your brand. Engagement isn’t a one-way street. Be sure to log into your social media accounts daily to respond to likes, comments, and messages. This encourages an open dialogue with your customers and lets them know you see them and their voices are being heard. 

By leveraging UGC, you can create a sense of community and foster stronger relationships with your audience.

(ex: User-Generated content for our marketing client Blue Mountain Fans) 

3. Utilize Social Media Stories

Even if you’re posting consistently on your feeds, sometimes the algorithm doesn’t push your posts out to your followers. Social media stories are a fantastic way to share behind-the-scenes content, run polls, and interact with your audience in real time.

• Use stories to share quick updates, announcements, and limited-time offers. Stories are a great option to share content if you don’t want to inundate your feed with posts or if you already have posts scheduled to out that day. Sharing real-time updates or special offers that you are running for the day is perfect for sharing on your story.
• Experiment with different story formats, such as polls, quizzes, and question stickers. Don’t forget to utilize the story features! Run polls, ask questions, or run a quiz for a chance at a prize. This helps with engagement and gets more eyes on your business. You can also share your most recent post on your story along with a link to your website to further encourage engagement.
• Use story highlights to showcase your best content. Remember, stories only last 24 hours. If you want your audience to be able to access those stories, creating story highlights on your page is a great way to boost page engagement. Creating highlights for past events or even page mentions are a great way to add extra content to your profile.

By utilizing social media stories, you can increase brand visibility and drive traffic to your website or other social media profiles.

(ex: Sharing recent posts to your stories and utilizing story features such as polls, tags, and questions.) 

4. Run Targeted Social Media Ads

It’s difficult to stand out organically on social media. That’s why we recommend running targeted social media ads or boosting content. Social media advertising allows you to reach a highly targeted audience with personalized messages, helping to ensure that your business is getting seen by the right audience.

• Use detailed targeting options to identify your ideal customer. Who is your perfect client? And, no, the answer is NOT everyone. By knowing who your customer is, you can better target that audience with direct ads to help get your business in front of someone who will be more likely to need your product or service.
• Create compelling ad copy and visuals that resonate with your target audience. Think of what grabs your attention when you are scrolling through social media. What are the things you see that lead you to click on a profile or make a purchase? Highlighting a product or service that you offer, and having clear and direct calls to action, will help grab the attention of a potential customer.
• Track your ad performance to optimize your campaigns. It’s so important to track your ad analytics, otherwise, you are just throwing money away. You want to make sure that the money that you are putting behind an ad or a boost is working and drawing in customers who are interested in your product or service. Checking things like Impressions, Clicks, Click-Through Rate, Cost per Click, and Conversions are all important metrics when monitoring your ad analytics. 

By running targeted social media ads, you can generate leads, drive sales, and increase brand awareness.

(ex: Targeted Social Media Ads for our marketing client Georgia Peach Truck) 

5. Partner with Complementary Brands

Teamwork makes the dream work! We love getting a chance to collaborate with other local businesses in the community. Collaborating with brands that complement your own can be a powerful way to expand your reach and attract new customers. 

Here are some strategies for successful brand partnerships:

• Co-Created Content: Create unique content together, such as blog posts, videos, or social media campaigns. We work with Farmhouse Printing, a local print shop based in Senoia, GA, for all of our merchandise and swag. The FH team recorded themselves creating our merch and we shared that reel across our platforms. 
• Shared Audiences: Leverage each other’s audience by cross-promoting each other’s content on social media. This helps to encourage audience growth and engagement across platforms and profiles. Be sure to tag one another and share mentions on your Stories!
• Joint Events or Workshops: Host joint events or workshops to engage your combined audience and build brand awareness. We love getting to work with our local Chambers. Hosting Lunch & Learns and sponsoring events are great ways to get your name out into the community. Our CEO, Joe, just recently held a Lunch and Learn at the Coweta-Newnan Chamber on In-Person and Digital Marketing. 

By partnering with complementary brands, you can tap into new markets, increase brand visibility, and strengthen your brand’s reputation.

Ready to elevate your social media presence?

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve your social media performance and achieve your marketing goals.

If you need help creating a standout social media strategy, our team at Country Fried Creative is here to assist you. Contact us today to learn more about our social media marketing services. Get Started Today!