Your social media pages can be very rewarding, driving traffic and conversions to your website. However, it's also very challenging to stand out when you're competing against other businesses and individuals for attention. You need to make sure that your content and marketing strategies are up to date and effective.
\r\nHaving a strong presence on social media affects traffic, conversions and brand awareness. It's also an important place where customers communicate with you. Making the best use of your social media platforms benefits you and your audience.
\r\nHere are the seven ways your brand can stand out on social media.
\r\nMany businesses still treat their social media content as an afterthought. Irregular posts, quickly typed in content or just shares from other pages is very low-effort, and it shows. People will not pay attention to pages and profiles that don't offer original and eye-catching content. You're not making the best of social media pages if you're only occasionally posting something because you're waiting for inspiration.
\r\nYou need to be proactive about your social media content by creating a content calendar. A content calendar is where you clearly map out for your social media for each day and even multiple times a day.
\r\nYou can use a spreadsheet or work with paid content calendar tools online. All you need to do is have a clear idea of what you're posting and when.
\r\nThis gives you a clear idea of whether you're posting a variety of formats, such as videos, images and articles. It also ensures that you're prepared for major holidays. You never leave your audience hanging when you have a content calendar. It also lets you see the big picture and if you're on track with your social media goals.
\r\nContent is at the core of a business's online success. However, it's harder than ever for good content to stand out. Users are more likely to pay attention to content when it creates interactivity.
\r\nInteractive content gets input from your audience. Users aren't passively consuming content. They become part of creating it. You've already seen interactive content like polls, quizzes, contests and tests.
\r\nAdding interactive content as part of your social media content strategy is a powerful way to get more engagement. It creates personalized content for users, and tells you more about user behavior and preferences.
\r\nYou can use online tools to create interactive content. Interactive content includes interactive infographics, maps, graphs and charts, and educational video content. Interactive content is a growing trend in content marketing. Some 93% of marketers find interactive content effective; however, 88% of marketers do not make any of their content interactive. Incorporating it into your marketing strategy will create more engagements for your business.
\r\nYou can make your brand more recognizable and appealing by using a consistent theme across all your visual posts. Today, merely grabbing an image that suits your content and posting it will not have a strong effect. Using poor quality images can harm your brand.
\r\nYou not only need to use good quality images, but you also need to make it consistent in aesthetics. You are more likely to be rewarded with followers and engagement by creating a brand aesthetic.
\r\nYou can do this by making all your posts, especially images, conform to a common theme and style. This is quite crucial if your main social media platform is image-based, like Instagram. You can set a color palette for all your images. Make sure that you use the same filter or a common theme across all of them.
\r\nThis doesn't just make your social media pages look good. It has a powerful impact on branding. It makes your brand more memorable and can even be a way for people to identify you with just an image.
\r\nPeople trust user-generated content because it's created by their own peers. There's an enormous amount of user-generated content that you can use for free on social media. They are also a very effective way to get more engagement.
\r\nUser-generated content gets more attention because the people making it are not backed by a business. They have nothing to gain from creating content and are simply sharing their experiences. It is very likely that there is a lot of user-generated content online related to your business and product.
\r\nUser-generated content can be
\r\nYou can feature your customer's content on your social media pages. Using them in ads is very effective as well. You will increase engagement and get subscribers on your website and social media by leveraging user-generated content.
\r\nThe other advantage of using user-generated content is that it creates social proof and shows people that you're listening.
\r\nYour audience is most likely spread out on different social media platforms. While you don’t need to be on every single social media platform out there, it’s good to have a presence on the most relevant ones.
\r\nWithout posting content and marketing on other channels you're going to lose potential visitors and engagements. You need to have a presence on multiple channels to make money online.
\r\nBy having profiles and posting content on diverse and multiple platforms you're reaching more people. Cross-channel marketing on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other places will create a huge reach.
\r\nYou will very likely find it difficult to post content to different platforms. But there are social media management tools like Hootsuite to help you out. Hootsuite and other platforms have free versions that do a great job, and you can always upgrade for more features.
\r\nAnother way to stand out is to have giveaway contests for your audience. Contests create excitement and anticipation. Users get the chance to win something by participating and risk nothing.
\r\nPromoting a giveaway contest on social media is very powerful. This is because you benefit from the viral nature of the platform. When users engage with your contest posts their friends and acquaintances get notified as well.
\r\nThis leads to more shares, more follows and more brand awareness. When you create an online contest you're getting more attention, and your brand becomes memorable. You'll also drive traffic to your membership site and other platforms to get conversions.
\r\nWith impressive developments in artificial intelligence, the use of chatbots is becoming more commonplace on social media. For businesses looking for alternatives to outsourcing customer service, chatbots are effective tools. They help users communicate instantly with businesses. This leads to faster and more convenient problem resolution.
\r\nFacebook's Messenger service for businesses is a good example of the use of chatbots on social media. Twitter also allows businesses to send automated messages to users with chatbots.
\r\nYou can train chatbots to answer your customer’s most common questions and even use them to schedule appointments.
\r\nThis helps your business save on resources. Not to mention your audience will get a response instantly. With chatbots on your social media platforms, you’ll never miss a customer’s message and you’ll be able to help them right away.
\r\nThis creates an instant line of communication between your customers and business, making them feel like you're listening. Staying ahead by using chatbots while it's still growing is a certain way to stand out on social media.
\r\nSocial media platforms are used by billions of people every day. It has the potential to help your business grow if leveraged properly.
\r\nContent will always play a key role in social media success. However, it’s necessary to leverage it by making it interactive and aesthetically pleasing.
\r\nWith consistent effort and communication, your social media pages will add to your business's success. By using the seven strategies mentioned above, you can drive conversions and traffic on social media and your website.
\n","docType":"article","guid":"articles_22681e7dcf2f84bc497351bda8f758ba","lastModified":"2019-11-05T14:00:00.000Z","published":"2019-11-05T14:00:00.000Z","structuredData":null,"subtitle":"Make sure all your hard work on branding pays off.","template":"v1","title":"7 Ways to Stand Out on Social Media","type":"article","author":{"avatar":null,"bio":"Co-Founder of WPForms, one of the largest WordPress contact form plugins in the market. I have been programming for over a decade and enjoy creating plugins that help people create powerful web designs without touching code.","name":"Jared Atchison","image":null,"slug":null,"social":{"facebook":"","linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredatch/","twitter":"https://twitter.com/jaredatch","website":"https://wpforms.com/"},"status":"enabled","title":null,"type":"New BDC Member","user":{"imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/uploads/user/profile/56fb0d4068e911338bafae9b81049fd27bb76.jpg","profile":{"company":"WPForms","jobTitle":"Co-Founder","website":"https://wpforms.com/"}}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Marketing","slug":"marketing"},"sub":{"name":"Social Media","slug":"social-media"}},"meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"Social media is a powerful platform you can't afford to ignore. But how do you stand out when there are so much competition and great content?","title":"How to Stand Out on Social Media - business.com"},"parsedContent":{"toc":[{"id":"1-use-a-content-calendar-to-plan-and-schedule-content","title":"1. Use a content calendar to plan and schedule content"},{"id":"2-use-interactive-content","title":"2. Use interactive content"},{"id":"3-create-consistent-aesthetics-for-your-visual-media","title":"3. Create consistent aesthetics for your visual media"},{"id":"4-leverage-user-generated-content","title":"4. Leverage user-generated content"},{"id":"5-cross-channel-marketing","title":"5. Cross channel marketing"},{"id":"6-create-contests-and-giveaways","title":"6. Create contests and giveaways"},{"id":"7-consider-chatbot-marketing","title":"7. Consider chatbot marketing"},{"id":"build-an-audience-by-standing-out-on-social-media","title":"Build an audience by standing out on social media"}],"json":[{"component":"p","children":["Your social media pages can be very rewarding, driving traffic and conversions to your website. However, it's also very challenging to stand out when you're competing against other businesses and individuals for attention. You need to make sure that your content and marketing strategies are up to date and effective."]},{"component":"p","children":["Having a strong presence on social media affects traffic, conversions and brand awareness. It's also an important place where customers communicate with you. Making the best use of your social media platforms benefits you and your audience. "]},{"component":"p","children":["Here are the seven ways your brand can stand out on social media. "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"1-use-a-content-calendar-to-plan-and-schedule-content"},"children":["1. Use a content calendar to plan and schedule content"]},{"component":"p","children":["Many businesses still treat their social media content as an afterthought. Irregular posts, quickly typed in content or just shares from other pages is very low-effort, and it shows. People will not pay attention to pages and profiles that don't offer original and eye-catching content. You're not making the best of social media pages if you're only occasionally posting something because you're waiting for inspiration. "]},{"component":"p","children":["You need to be proactive about your social media content by creating a content calendar. A content calendar is where you clearly map out for your social media for each day and even multiple times a day."]},{"component":"p","children":["You can use a spreadsheet or work with paid content calendar tools online. All you need to do is have a clear idea of what you're posting and when. "]},{"component":"p","children":["This gives you a clear idea of whether you're posting a variety of formats, such as videos, images and articles. It also ensures that you're prepared for major holidays. You never leave your audience hanging when you have a content calendar. It also lets you see the big picture and if you're on track with your social media goals. "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"2-use-interactive-content"},"children":["2. Use interactive content"]},{"component":"p","children":["Content is at the core of a business's online success. However, it's harder than ever for good content to stand out. Users are more likely to pay attention to content when it creates interactivity."]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/articles/industry-stats-and-how-to-grow-your-small-business-with-interactive-content/"},"children":["Interactive content"]}," gets input from your audience. Users aren't passively consuming content. They become part of creating it. You've already seen interactive content like polls, quizzes, contests and tests. "]},{"component":"p","children":["Adding interactive content as part of your social media content strategy is a powerful way to get more engagement. It creates personalized content for users, and tells you more about user behavior and preferences. "]},{"component":"p","children":["You can use online tools to create interactive content. Interactive content includes interactive infographics, maps, graphs and charts, and educational video content. Interactive content is a growing trend in content marketing. Some",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://optinmonster.com/content-marketing-statistics","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow noopener external"},"children":[" 93% of marketers find interactive content effective"]},"; however, 88% of marketers do not make any of their content interactive. Incorporating it into your marketing strategy will create more engagements for your business. "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"3-create-consistent-aesthetics-for-your-visual-media"},"children":["3. Create consistent aesthetics for your visual media"]},{"component":"p","children":["You can make your brand more recognizable and appealing by using a consistent theme across all your visual posts. Today, merely grabbing an image that suits your content and posting it will not have a strong effect. Using ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.blogtyrant.com/blog-images/","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow noopener external"},"children":["poor quality images"]}," can harm your brand. "]},{"component":"p","children":["You not only need to use good quality images, but you also need to make it consistent in aesthetics. You are more likely to be rewarded with followers and engagement by creating a brand aesthetic. "]},{"component":"p","children":["You can do this by making all your posts, especially images, conform to a common theme and style. This is quite crucial if your main social media platform is image-based, like Instagram. You can set a color palette for all your images. Make sure that you use the same filter or a common theme across all of them. "]},{"component":"p","children":["This doesn't just make your social media pages look good. It has a powerful impact on branding. It makes your brand more memorable and can even be a way for people to identify you with just an image."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"4-leverage-user-generated-content"},"children":["4. Leverage user-generated content"]},{"component":"p","children":["People trust ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/articles/user-generated-content/"},"children":["user-generated content"]}," because it's created by their own peers. There's an enormous amount of user-generated content that you can use for free on social media. They are also a very effective way to get more engagement."]},{"component":"p","children":["User-generated content gets more attention because the people making it are not backed by a business. They have nothing to gain from creating content and are simply sharing their experiences. It is very likely that there is a lot of user-generated content online related to your business and product. "]},{"component":"p","children":["User-generated content can be"]},{"component":"ul","children":[{"component":"li","children":["Reviews and ratings"]},{"component":"li","children":["Emails from customers"]},{"component":"li","children":["Photos of customers using your product"]},{"component":"li","children":["Posts about your product made by your customers"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["You can feature your customer's content on your social media pages. Using them in ads is very effective as well. You will increase engagement and get subscribers on your website and social media by leveraging user-generated content."]},{"component":"p","children":["The other advantage of using user-generated content is that it creates social proof and shows people that you're listening. "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"5-cross-channel-marketing"},"children":["5. Cross channel marketing"]},{"component":"p","children":["Your audience is most likely spread out on different social media platforms. While you don’t need to be on every single social media platform out there, it’s good to have a presence on the most relevant ones."]},{"component":"p","children":["Without posting content and marketing on other channels you're going to lose potential visitors and engagements. You need to have a presence on multiple channels to ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/make-money-online/","rel":"nofollow noopener external"},"children":["make money online"]},"."]},{"component":"p","children":["By having profiles and posting content on diverse and multiple platforms you're reaching more people. Cross-channel marketing on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other places will create a huge reach. "]},{"component":"p","children":["You will very likely find it difficult to post content to different platforms. But there are social media management tools like Hootsuite to help you out. Hootsuite and other platforms have free versions that do a great job, and you can always upgrade for more features. "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"6-create-contests-and-giveaways"},"children":["6. Create contests and giveaways"]},{"component":"p","children":["Another way to stand out is to have giveaway contests for your audience. Contests create excitement and anticipation. Users get the chance to win something by participating and risk nothing. "]},{"component":"p","children":["Promoting a giveaway contest on social media is very powerful. This is because you benefit from the viral nature of the platform. When users engage with your contest posts their friends and acquaintances get notified as well. "]},{"component":"p","children":["This leads to more shares, more follows and more brand awareness. When you create an online contest you're getting more attention, and your brand becomes memorable. You'll also drive traffic to your ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://memberpress.com/membership-sites-101/","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow noopener external"},"children":["membership site"]}," and other platforms to get conversions. "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"7-consider-chatbot-marketing"},"children":["7. Consider chatbot marketing"]},{"component":"p","children":["With impressive developments in artificial intelligence, the use of chatbots is becoming more commonplace on social media. For businesses looking for alternatives to outsourcing customer service, chatbots are effective tools. They help users communicate instantly with businesses. This leads to faster and more convenient problem resolution. "]},{"component":"p","children":["Facebook's Messenger service for businesses is a good example of the use of chatbots on social media. Twitter also allows businesses to send automated messages to users with chatbots. "]},{"component":"p","children":["You can train chatbots to answer your customer’s most common questions and even use them to schedule appointments."]},{"component":"p","children":["This helps your business save on resources. Not to mention your audience will get a response instantly. With chatbots on your social media platforms, you’ll never miss a customer’s message and you’ll be able to help them right away."]},{"component":"p","children":["This creates an instant line of communication between your customers and business, making them feel like you're listening. Staying ahead by using chatbots while it's still growing is a certain way to stand out on social media. "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"build-an-audience-by-standing-out-on-social-media"},"children":["Build an audience by standing out on social media"]},{"component":"p","children":["Social media platforms are used by billions of people every day. It has the potential to help your business grow if leveraged properly."]},{"component":"p","children":["Content will always play a key role in social media success. However, it’s necessary to leverage it by making it interactive and aesthetically pleasing. "]},{"component":"p","children":["With consistent effort and communication, your social media pages will add to your business's success. By using the seven strategies mentioned above, you can drive conversions and traffic on social media and your website. "]}]},"resource":null,"sponsorship":null,"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/5db/f44c09c658a61258b4567/1500-0-","caption":"dusanpetkovic/Getty Images","isBlurred":false},"bestPicks":null},"related":{"relatedArticles":[{"title":"Facebook for Business: 25 Tips and Tricks to Supercharge Your Business","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/facebook-for-business-tips-and-tricks/","slug":"facebook-for-business-tips-and-tricks","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d1/4bf325a215e7c3b8b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Master social media and reap the rewards for your business.","lastModified":"2019-06-27T15:00:00Z","published":"2019-06-27T15:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"7 Questions to Ask Before Connecting With Your Audience on Social Media.","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/questions-before-connecting-audience-on-social-media/","slug":"questions-before-connecting-audience-on-social-media","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f3/2b6459c658add188b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Before competing with other businesses on social media, ask yourself these questions to help you craft a brand voice that sells.","lastModified":"2020-08-11T20:41:00Z","published":"2020-08-11T20:41:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Why and How to Create Video Content to Help Your Business","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/video-content-marketing-for-business/","slug":"video-content-marketing-for-business","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e0/698359c658a464e8b456e/1500-0-","dek":"Find out why viewers respond to video content marketing and how it can help your business.","lastModified":"2020-07-23T17:48:00Z","published":"2019-12-30T13:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"10 Ways to Take Better Social Media Campaign Photos","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/how-to-take-better-photos-for-social-media/","slug":"how-to-take-better-photos-for-social-media","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f2/017169c658a07518b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Follow this expert advice to make your photos stand out on social media.","lastModified":"2020-07-28T12:19:00Z","published":"2020-07-28T12:19:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"10 Social Media Networks to Use for Personal Branding","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-for-personal-branding/","slug":"social-media-for-personal-branding","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5cc/335cd5a215eec7e8b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are just the tip of the social media world.","lastModified":"2019-04-29T14:00:00Z","published":"2019-04-29T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Instagram Best Posting Practices 2020","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/instagram-best-practices/","slug":"instagram-best-practices","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f3/52e227b437434018b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Follow these Instagram best practices to improve engagement and grow your following.","lastModified":"2020-08-13T12:18:00Z","published":"2020-08-13T12:18:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Measure Your Brand Awareness Online","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/measure-brand-awareness-online/","slug":"measure-brand-awareness-online","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d2/ca6d27b43743d478b457b/1500-0-","dek":"The more consumers are aware of your brand, the likelier you are to gain their business.","lastModified":"2019-07-16T14:00:00Z","published":"2019-07-16T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"8 Ways to Build a Spectacular Online Presence","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/building-online-presence/","slug":"building-online-presence","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5dc/dfa625a215e777f8b4569/1500-0-","dek":"In order to succeed in today's climate, it is critical your business has a solid online footprint.","lastModified":"2019-11-15T16:00:00Z","published":"2019-11-15T16:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Marketing Campaign Is Failing (and How to Fix It!)","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-marketing-strategy/","slug":"social-media-marketing-strategy","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e4/42cf29c658a69598b457a/1500-0-","dek":"Are you struggling to gain traction on social media? These five reasons could be why, and luckily they are easy problems to fix.","lastModified":"2020-02-13T14:00:00Z","published":"2020-02-13T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Give Your Business a Digital Makeover (and Why You Should)","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/give-your-business-a-digital-makeover/","slug":"give-your-business-a-digital-makeover","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5eb/abd069c658aa53e8b458b/1500-0-","dek":"Updating your business's digital appearance and strategies is essential to stay relevant and appealing to your audience. Let's explore ways for businesses to give themselves a digital makeover.","lastModified":"2020-05-12T22:59:00Z","published":"2020-05-12T22:59:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Create Quality Content That Goes Viral in 2020","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/viral-content-marketing/","slug":"viral-content-marketing","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5de/5b0cf9c658a406b8b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Give your business a head start by launching viral content. Creating viral content isn't easy, but you can boost the chances of your posts going viral by using the helpful strategies discussed here.","lastModified":"2019-12-02T15:00:00Z","published":"2019-12-02T15:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"6 Lesser-Known Metrics to Consider When Evaluating Your Social Media Strategy","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/best-social-media-metrics/","slug":"best-social-media-metrics","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e8/f8e8c9c658a67718b4585/1500-0-","dek":"Time is money, and that’s particularly true of small and medium-sized businesses operating on tight budgets.","lastModified":"2020-04-08T19:14:00Z","published":"2020-04-08T19:14:00Z","sponsored":false}],"relatedReviews":[{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5b99633151ee47a8528b4582/Call_center_bbernard.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/call-center-services/","title":"The Best Call Center Services for 2021","dek":"Our team has compared the best call center services for 2021. 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