Six Ways to Throw Your Audience a Curveball (in a Good Way)

Posted by Wayne Jagoe on Jan 31, 2012 in Ideation | 0 comments

This is a guest post by Garrett Ira, a digital marketing strategist who blogs at garrettira.com.

Over the last few years, just about everyone has given their two cents on how to “do social media” the right way. You know what I’m talking about: connect with your audience, add value, it’s about relationships, and all the other advice we hear over and over.

Something has happened that few are ready to admit: companies have gotten much better at social in 2011. Yes, there are still plenty of companies doing it terribly, but if you compare the present day to two years ago, there’s a huge difference.

Now that (some of us) have our heads on straight, the question transitions from “how do we do this the right way?” to “how do we do this differently than everyone else?”.

Here’s the problem: if you’re constantly asking the same questions, distributing content at the same times, refusing to take risks and fitting in with the crowd, you’re going to lose. Here are six simple ways to get the ball rolling in a fresh new direction.

1. Post in the evenings and on weekends

How many businesses post content around 11:00PM? Probably about zero, and that presents an opportunity for you. The vast majority of businesses post content during the work day, between 9:00AM and 5:00PM. Do you think your audience uses social media at 5:00AM, 7:30PM, or 10:54PM? Yes, they do – but no one posts at that time.

The benefit here is obvious: start posting when others don’t and your content is more likely to be seen – you have less competition. But there’s another opportunity here: posting at times that you haven’t ever before opens you up to new people. Maybe there’s a hidden portion of your audience that doesn’t use social media due to restrictions at work. Post at unusual times to reach them.

2. Mix up your post tactics

Even if diverse content is included, the average Facebook page is full of posts that look, feel, and smell the same. Each post has 4 lines of copy asking you to visit the link below. Each post has two paragraphs expressing their opinions on a certain subject. Each post uses lots of exclamation points begging you to donate!!

If you keep each post looking and feeling the same, you’re eventually going to put people to sleep. Now is the time to do something different, to say something differently, to get their attention.

Post pictures that REALLY stand out in the news feed. Use bright colors, close-ups of human faces, and images that stir up emotion. Start using ultra-short copy instead of the usual 4 lines. Ask people to fill in the blank or describe a photo in just 1 word. The idea here is to always bring something a little different that they can see quickly and interact without much thought. Remember, you aren’t just competing against other businesses – you’re competing against people and their favorite pets, games, teachers, friends, parents, and everything else in their lives.  [more...]