18 Fun Social Media Marketing Ideas to Spice Up Your Social Media Campaigns

One of the hardest parts of managing your company’s social media campaigns is coming up with fresh social media marketing ideas.

Your audience looks to your brand to provide quality content, but it can certainly be challenging to come up with new and engaging social media content on a regular basis.

Luckily, you have us to help!

We’ve put together a huge list of our favorite social media marketing ideas that you can use to engage your fans and followers throughout the year.

From developing unique video content marketing to using more emojis.

These ideas will help you provide more diverse and appealing content, no matter what kind of business you run.

Without further ado…

18 Fun Social Media Marketing Ideas to Spice Up Your Social Media Campaigns

Let’s jump right into our list of the best social media marketing ideas to help you increase engagement and boost sales:

1. Share user-generated content from your fans and followers.

Sharing user-generated content is a great way to give your fans and followers a fresh perspective on your brand while building stronger relationships with your customers and leads.

Often, consumers trust content from the average person more than they do from brands.

According to AdWeek, 76% of people surveyed said they were more likely to trust the average person, and almost 100% of consumers trust other consumer recommendations.

User-generated content is a great social media marketing idea because it is a way to show followers that you aren’t the only one that thinks your company is great.

Here’s an example of an effective user-generated content campaign on Instagram:

The versatile drum design of these modern tables make it easy for @bridepauw to switch up her living room design as needed. Don’t you love when beauty and function align? {shop link in profile} #wayfairathome #homedecor #design #regram

A post shared by Wayfair (@wayfair) on Mar 8, 2017 at 5:52pm PST

Here, furniture store and home décor retailer, Wayfair shows followers how their products can be positioned in the home with content shared by a customer.

They then provide a link in their profile to the products shown in the image so that customers can purchase them for themselves.

2. Hold a giveaway or contest.

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Contests can be a great way to engage your fans and followers while working to increase exposure and grow your audience.

In fact, Tailwind reports that running an Instagram contest and giveaway on a regular basis grows about 70% faster than the accounts that don’t.

Here’s a fun example of an Instagram photo contest from Dominos:

Your chance at winning $10,000 is just a ?and a ? away. Follow @Dominos, post a pic proving you’re a superfan, and use #PieceofthePieContest for a chance to win.

A post shared by Domino’s Pizza (@dominos) on Mar 26, 2017 at 5:36pm PDT

The rules here are clear and simple. And not only does Dominos gain new exposure among their super fans’ follower-base, but they also get the awesome opportunity to share user-generated content on their own page.

3. Create “tag a friend” content.

Often, you’ll see that social media users will tag their friends in the comments of posts that they think their friends will enjoy.

You can take advantage of this quick and easy exposure by posting relatable content and inviting users to tag a friend that they think will enjoy or relate to the content.

This Facebook post from MVMT is a great example of a “tag a friend” post that features their product and gives users a feel for the brand without being overly promotional:

4. Post behind-the-scenes photos and videos.

One of the more intimate social media marketing ideas is to post behind-the-scenes photos and videos from your brand.

This helps to show your audience that behind your company is a group of people who are working hard to provide quality products and services, which helps you build stronger relationships with customers and leads.

Here’s an awesome example of how Flight Media uses behind-the-scenes content to engage their target market:

This post gives users a look at the company’s growth and progresses through an image of its new office.

Not only does it highlight the company’s recent milestone of moving to a new office, but it also gives users a chance to see what the company’s workspace looks like.

5. Take advantage of “reactions” on Facebook.

One of Facebook’s most fun features is the reaction button. With this feature, users can respond to Facebook posts using one of five different reaction emojis.

Now, instead of just “liking” a post, users can choose from “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and “angry”.

Though these may typically be used to react to content from friends and family, brands can also use these buttons to engage their followers and gauge interest or feelings about a certain topic.

On this Facebook post from Axe, you can see at the bottom where users have reacted to the content:

The like, love, and wow reactions let the brand know that viewers generally liked the content and found it entertaining.

If you find yourself getting angry reactions, it may be time to revisit your social media content strategy.

6. Use more emojis.

Using emojis in your social media posts can be a great way to engage your audience while having a little fun at the same time.

According to HootSuite, using emojis in tweets can increase engagement by 25.4%, and using them in Facebook posts can increase engagement by 57%.

If you plan to use emojis in your social media posts or responses, it’s important that you choose relevant emojis that you understand the meaning of.

Though adding a few emojis in your post can certainly help add a little flair to your content, don’t be afraid to get a little more creative.

Here’s an Independence Day post from Bud Light:

7. Create a how-to video.

Video is an excellent format to use to break things down for your audience.

And did you know that based on a survey conducted by GlobalWebIndex, 60% of users stream and watch videos whether they are live or not, even those random videos?

Although you might want to consider creating video tutorials or “how-to” videos.

These are eye-catching and engaging pieces of content that you can post across social platforms.

This type of video content allows you to break things down into actionable steps, providing visual guidance along the way.

Not to mention, it’s very shareable, which means you’ll have a greater opportunity to get your content in front of new audiences.

Here’s a fun example of how-to video content that is taking social media by storm:

? Here comes ? Santa Claus right down ? Santa Claus Lane?

A post shared by Tasty (@buzzfeedtasty) on Dec 23, 2017 at 10:25am PST

This short and simple video content from Buzzfeed Tasty gives users step-by-step instructions for making fun and tasty recipes at home.  

8. Poll your audience.

Polls are a quick and easy way to engage your audience and learn more about what makes them tick.

You can easily create a poll on Facebook or Twitter to start engaging your audience in a matter of moments.

This can be a great way to find out more about their preferences so that you can adjust your strategy to improve their online experience.

Here’s an example of a Twitter poll from The Muse:

The Muse is a website that offers career advice and other job-related content. This poll helps them engage their audience while also gaining new insights into what type of content their followers want to see.

9. Run a Facebook Live or live Instagram Story campaign.

Live video is one of the most compelling forms of content that you can use on social media.

In fact, according to Sprout Social, people spend up to 3x longer watching Facebook Live videos than those that have been previously recorded.

Use this to your advantage by “going live” on Facebook and Instagram.

You can hold a Q&A session, do a live product demonstration, or even just vlog.

The real-time interaction of live video makes the experience more engaging for your followers.

This can help you build a more personal connection with fans as you are able to answer their questions and respond to comments on the spot.

10. Partner with another brand.

If you have the opportunity to partner with another brand that has a similar target audience, this can be a great way to increase your exposure across the best social media platforms.

The goal is to choose a company that is not a direct competitor but whose audience may also benefit from your products or services.

Here’s an example of a social media campaign that was the result of a partnership between dog toy retailer and 1-800-Flowers:

Both companies saw an opportunity for a partnership that would be mutually beneficial for both parties.

By working together to host a social media contest, both companies can benefit from exposure in new markets.

11. Repurpose content like blogs and videos.

Creating great content doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel every single time.

There are plenty of ways that you can repurpose your content to get the most value out of it over time.

This goes beyond just reposting links to your content on your social media channels.

It can also include transforming content into different formats that can engage different audiences.

This short Instagram video from First We Feast does just that by showing a quick sneak peek of a longer video on the company’s YouTube channel:

This little sneak peek helps build excitement for the longer piece of content while driving more traffic to the company’s YouTube page, where users can find even more valuable content.

Repurposing isn’t just for video. You can also take infographics” data-scayt-lang=”en_US”>infographics and make them into longer blog posts or combine articles into an informative e-book.

This allows you to get the most out of each piece of content over time.

12. Curate third-party content.

There’s no social media law that states you can’t share content from other sources.

Now, of course, you don’t want to share content with your competitors.

However, sharing relevant and interesting articles and content from third-party sources allows you to provide even more value for your fans and followers while at the same time demonstrating that your company is up-to-date on the latest news and trends in your industry.

Here is just one example of how you can curate relevant third-party content to share with your followers and fans:

In this Facebook post, Buffer shares an article from Inc. that they think will be valuable for their followers.

In order to engage their audience, they share a meaningful quote from the article and follow it up with a question that gets their followers thinking.

13. Jump on trending topics.

If you’re looking for social media marketing ideas that will help you increase exposure, you may want to keep an eye on what’s trending on social media.

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook make it easy to see what’s popular on these platforms by providing a list of trending topics in the side bar.

There are a few things you should consider before jumping on the latest trend. First, make sure that you understand what the trend is and why people are using a certain hashtag. Then, make sure that it’s relevant to your brand or your product or service offering. If you have something valuable to add to the conversation, you can take advantage of the topic’s trending to gain a new audience for your content.

And speaking of hashtags, you have to be careful in using them when you’re posting on Instagram.

Instagram allows users to use up to 30 hashtags in a single post but there’s no need to use all those 30 hashtags.

Actually, in research by TrackMaven, it was stated that using 9 hashtags in a post performs best.

14. Share tips.

Great social media content isn’t just about promoting your products or services.

It’s about helping potential customers better understand their greatest challenges.

Sharing tips and advice that help users navigate these challenges is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and build stronger relationships.

This Facebook video from Logitech is a great example of a short and sweet video that provides valuable tips for Logitech’s target customer-base:

By engaging with users who work from home, Logitech is working to appeal to and build a relationship with a group of consumers who are likely to use and find their products valuable.

15. Participate in Throwback Thursday.

Throwback Thursday or #TBT is a fun topic that trends on social media every Thursday.

Looking through posts with this hashtag, you might come across embarrassing pictures or fun memories from a person’s past.

However, this is also a fun way for brands to engage with their users while showing a little of their own history.

In this example post from BMW, we see a throwback to an older car model that most BMW fans will find interesting or nostalgic:

#ThrowbackThursday: Sunshine on a cloudy day in a BMW 3.0 CSL. pic.twitter.com/PXCHN2XK3Q

— BMW USA (@BMWUSA) December 5, 2013

Be sure to use hashtags to indicate that your post is a throwback memory from your brand.

That way, others can find your photo on Twitter and Instagram.

16. Post video testimonials.

Who better to advocate for your brand than your current customers?

Video testimonials are a great way to show potential customers how others have found success with using your products or services.

Ask some of your best customers if they would mind offering a short testimonial video about why they love your brand.

If you want to add a live element, you can even interview customers at tradeshows and events and make this live content available for your fans and followers.

This video testimonial from Slack is a unique take on the testimonial:

The video is a testimonial in that the company who made it, Sandwich Video, used Slack to collaborate on their project.

However, it also provides a quick demonstration of Slack’s features, which helps the viewer better visualize how Slack can be used.

17. Host an AMA series.

The AMA, or Ask Me Anything, series has become popular on Reddit, and it offers companies an awesome opportunity to truly engage and educate their followers.

AMAs consist of questions from the audience that the expert answers.

This is a great chance to see what your followers care about while also sharing your industry knowledge and expertise.

You don’t have to host your AMA on Reddit. In fact, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are all great channels for fielding questions.

Here’s an example of a promotion for a Twitter AMA:

This is fun: My first official AMA! Go to @df_has_tweets and ask me your copywriting/freelancing Qs. https://t.co/ObQ8mBgxtq pic.twitter.com/9XcP7EyGXU

— Kaleigh Moore (@kaleighf) November 13, 2017

Here you can see that Kaleigh Moore is offering users the opportunity to learn more about growing their freelance business through quality copy.

This gives her the opportunity to help potential customers while also establishing herself as an industry expert.

18. Host a social media takeover.

The social media takeover is another creative option for brands that work with influencers and industry experts.

The takeover involves allowing another person to take over your social media account for a certain period of time, posting their own content.

Not only does this allow your brand to show a fresh perspective, but it also allows you to get your company in front of some new faces.

Here’s a great example of a recent Instagram Takeover on Wilton Cakes’ Instagram page:

A post shared by Wilton Cake Decorating (@wiltoncakes) on Dec 14, 2017 at 9:52am PST

For this takeover, American baker and YouTube celebrity, Rosanna Pansino takes over the Wilton Cakes Instagram page for an entire day, sharing her favorite cookie decorating tips for the holidays.

Pansino is someone who Wilton’s audience will like and identify with, and Pansino’s follower-base may be more likely to check out Wilton Cakes since Pansino is posting.

When you’re having trouble coming up with social media marketing ideas, just choose one of the options above to help you add fresh content to your social media campaigns.

If you need help developing a strategy or getting started with social media advertising, consider partnering with our social media marketing agency.

Our team of talented social media marketing experts can help you grow your audience and improve conversion rates across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Contact us today to get started!