Growth Hack Your Social Media with These 8 Tried and Tested Techniques

There are currently 4.7 billion social networking users around the world. Having a social media marketing strategy is crucial for businesses of all sizes and customers expect to be able to interact with a brand across multiple networks.

But simply being present on each channel won’t cut it in today’s competitive landscape. Here are eight social media hacks to optimize your efforts and stand out from the crowd.

1. Use video content

We live in a video-first world, and 86% of businesses currently use video as a marketing tool.

Video posts on social media get 48% more views than text-based ones. Social platforms have understood that video posts are what the public wants and have shifted to being more video-oriented, with features like stories and reels driving the most engagement.

There are various kinds of video content you can share on your socials, including

• Entertaining or informative stories or reels
• Explainer videos
• Tutorials
• User-generated video content
• Product demo videos
• Interviews and Q&As
• Behind the scenes videos

2. Automate social media activity

Social media automation enables companies to schedule social posts ahead of time. Doing this will not only allow you to maintain a regular posting schedule, but also free up time to focus on other aspects of your business.

There are plenty of tools you can take advantage of that’ll help you stay on top of your social platforms by automating activities. It’s important to note that although automation is a helpful growth-hacking method, don’t forget to interact with your followers regularly and monitor sentiment.

3. Leverage the reach of stories

Stories began as a Snapchat feature but have since spread to other platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

With stories, you can share images or videos that appear at the top of the app and expire after 24 hours. More than 500 million people use Instagram stories on a daily basis, making it one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience.

Stories can be used to promote products or services, share company announcements or advertise sales or discounts. Moreover, stories don’t require nearly as much time to create and are often less polished and more spontaneous in nature than feed posts.

4. Turn your social platforms into ecommerce stores

To keep users engaged, many social media sites have introduced ecommerce features to their platforms.

For instance, Facebook and Instagram enable users to complete purchases within the app by allowing brands to share shoppable content.

The convenience of being able to shop within a social network means brands can maximize their reach and boost purchases.

5. Make data-driven decisions

This applies to both your paid social and regular content. Using social media analytics tools to practice social listening can help you grasp which topics are trending with your audience, what they expect from you and what other brands in your space are doing to effectively engage with their followers.

Armed with the insights gleaned from various analytics tools you can quantify the ROI your social channels bring in and take steps to refine your strategy.

6. Share snackable content

Scientists think that the average human’s attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish.

For this reason, most social platforms focus on shorter, snack-size content that can typically be consumed within 30 seconds.

Features like stories and reels on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok allow brands to create and share digestible video content that’s highly engaging. But you don’t have to focus solely on video - other forms of content like infographics, memes, quotes and image graphics are also effective.

7. Have meaningful conversations

One of the easiest ways of growth hacking your social media presence is to focus on sharing content that’s meaningful to your target audience.

The content you share should address challenges your customers are facing, educate them about your industry and current trends or simply provide them with memorable entertainment.

The point of everything you share should be to nurture your audience until they’re ready to make a purchase decision. By doing this, you can stand out from other companies that focus solely on ads and try to convince consumers to spend their money.

8. Create a lead magnet

This traditional marketing technique can also work for social. Develop a lead magnet, which can be anything from an ebook or webinar to a template or product sample, to draw in your followers.

Offering your audience something of value can help convert followers into customers. Moreover, if they’re satisfied with your content they’re more likely to spread the word to their own followers.