There is a quickly widening gap between the social media marketing tactics of the past, and those of the future. Where small adoptions would usually keep you in the loop and allow you to remain relevant, now users are savvy enough to make the process of remaining on top a lot harder.
A great example is the use of quizzes on social media pages. These are most common on platforms like Facebook, but you may have noticed them widening to sites like Youtube. They can be an effective way to both gauge the opinion of your audience, and engage them directly. But while the tactic itself remains strong, there is a fair chance you aren’t utilizing the tool correctly.
Here is how you are (probably) using social media quizzes wrong, and the simple changes you can make to do them right.
Doing It Wrong: You Have No Goal
If the only reason you are posting quizzes is to post them, you aren’t going to have the results you hope for. You need to specify your goals in order to meet set milestones that you have set up to best fit your brand needs.
Doing It Right: You Establish Goals Prior To Posting
What is it you hope to accomplish? Do you want to engage your audience on certain topics in order to get their feedback? Are you attempting to improve your social media engagement? Fine tune your product line? Increase the usability of your site? Just get them talking and coming back to have a conversation?
By defining what you want to accomplish you can begin to tailor quizzes to better hit these targets. Start a list of goals and deadlines you wish to meet them in. Never attempt to accomplish more than one goal at a time, and instead focus all of your energy on each item before moving onto the next.
Doing It Wrong: You Ask Things No One Cares About
If you are posting quizzes that are getting little to no traction, there is a good chance no one cares about the question.
Why would someone want to take their time to answer you if what you want to know doesn’t align with their interests?
Doing It Right: Research Interests To Keep It Relevant
A little bit of research is critical here. Luckily, you have a certain amount of access to personal information thanks to your social media posting.
Take some time to go through profiles, demographic information, and even competitor pages. See what people who follow you like, care about, and post. Begin to gauge their responses, and narrow down their field of interest.
Some of this will be done through trial and error. Keep track of the posts that gather the most engagement, to those that gain the least. From there you can see what your social audience is willing to communicate about, and what they are extremely interested in.
From there, you will know what quizzes to publish in the future. Here are some great resources to inspire some unique and interesting quiz topics!
Doing It Wrong: Your Topic Is Old News
You might be interested in the study that was published last year on your industry. But for those who are on your page, it could likely be old news.
When it comes to quizzes, people will often expend their opinions and passions early on. If the topic is no longer relevant they may have spent all of the interest they have and moved on.
Doing It Right: Keep It Fresh
Addressing an old topic is possible, but you should try and keep it timely and fresh. So wait until something new about it has been published elsewhere.
Using the study example, if someone comes out with new research on something that was popular a year or more ago, it is a good time to bring it back up.
Otherwise, keep your eye on the news and see what is trending right now. Monitor hashtags and social news trends, as well. If you manage to capture your audience’s attention right when the peak of interest on any subject, you will see many more followers more than happy to answer your questions.
Example: How well do you know The X-Files? (The timing couldn’t have been better!)
Doing It Wrong: You Are Afraid To Push Boundaries
Sometimes an innocent and uncontroversial topic is a nice way to spark a conversation without any potential strife. But if you are always keeping things mild, it gets boring quickly.
No one cares what kind of Doritos they prefer, and most won’t bother answering a question based around it. There are exceptions, but they are certainly not the rule.
Doing It Right: You Push The Envelop
Don’t be afraid to get in there and ask about something people
disagree about. Even if it isn’t related to your industry, it can be a major source of engagement. It may even bring attention to your brand from those who have never before heard of it.
Example: What’s Your Political DNA?
People saw the quiz being answered on Facebook friend’s feeds, and they flocked over to give their own opinion.
Here are some resources to help you brainstorm some edgy topics:
- First Site Guide offers some great tips on writing edgy and timely content here
- Here are some ways to come up with and use edgy content
- Demotivational posters: What are they? These can be great sources of interesting content inspiration.
Quizzes Are Great, But Only If Done Right
There is no point in posting quizzes if you aren’t utilizing them properly. When done right, a simple question can pack more punch than an entire essay. So start taking advantage!
Image sources: Quiz, List, Green grass, Envelope, Chile House
from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1Knrha7 via transformational marketing
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