When brands become involved with social media, information can easily be spread to others but what makes this networking so valuable are the interactions between brands and their audience. From likes, shares, comments, retweets and favorites, there are numerous ways your audience can get involved with your content. The key to maximizing your content capabilities is to evoke conversations and share it on the web. Here are some tips to help you expand your social media base and spread your content as far as possible.
Content Participation derives from posting content on a scheduled basis. This is content you plan, create and publish based on your editorial calendar. It’s in sync with your general marketing plan and contains the main information your company provides your audience. This is the most basic form of content marketing and doesn’t steer away from your usual tactics. It is the safest bet, but doesn’t really give way to maximum shareability unless your content is exceptional.
On-going participation works for cross-platforming and can be anything from a video, image or link; something sharable across all social media networks. This kind of content is the easiest to spread as you can expect your audience to retweet or share it. This content can range from something really inspiring, “cool” or hilarious. Something that you “HAVE” to share with your friends would go in this participation category. It is the most popular content for sharing. It’s also convenient because you can place it on one social media platform or several and others will spread it for you. With something as easy as a screenshot, “share” or retweet, your content will make it farther.
Opportunistic participation involves content that is specifically created to take advantage of an event. Knowing that people look at their mobile devices and social media during a blackout, Oreo’s “You Can Still Dunk in the Dark” tweet is the perfect example of this as it was released immediately after the Superbowl blackout. This is the least common type of participatory content as you need to wait for the perfect moment to release such content. However, it is the most effective and is border-line genius to your audience. It allows them to see your creativity and involvement with current events and allow you to really relate to your audience.
There are many different types of participation and different opportunities that come with each. When it comes to content, you can be safe and have a decent amount of shares and followers but in order to have maximized participation, creativity and timing is really what it comes down to.