Maybe it is a business post telling the world about the fantastic new product or service you have to offer.

Or perhaps it’s a cute photo of your kid doing something funny on vacation, and you think everyone should enjoy it.

You hit post and wait for the wave of reactions that are sure to come…

Crickets.

We have all had this happen.

For a personal post, it is disappointing.

But if your business is on social media, this can be downright frustrating.

You know the importance of social media engagement, but how do you improve it?

Keep reading to find out.                        

What is Social Media Engagement?

Social media engagement is a measurement of people interacting with your content.

Engagement will vary depending on which platform you are using since they each have unique features.

Why is Social Media Engagement Important?

Seventy percent of Americans use social media.

The amount of social media engagement reflects how much your customers connect with your content.

If you post about an exciting new product and get a lot of engagement, it is likely something people can see fitting into their lives.

On the other hand, if you get very little engagement, you may need to course correct a bit in products you offer in the future.

Social media engagement also helps your content to reach a broader audience.

Platforms show engaging content to more people.

Engagement will increase your ranking in search engines, too.

Types of Social Media Engagement

There are endless social media platforms, and each has specific ways to engage with content.

1. Likes and Saves On a Post

Likes are an easy way for viewers to react to your content with a single click.

When a person saves a post, it means they want to be able to find it again later – often to reference valuable information.

2. Comments and Questions

Comments and questions are a valuable type of social media engagement.

Since they require more effort, they show your post truly touched someone.

They also give you the chance to respond and show care and appreciation.

3. Post Shares and Clicks

When someone shares your content, their followers also see what you posted, allowing new people to find your account.

Clicks show the number of times someone clicked on your post – whether to read the entire post or see the photo or video.

4. Mentions

Mentions can be positive or negative, depending on the individual’s opinion and experience with your brand.

Either way, they allow more people to see your content.

Best Platforms for Social Media

There are so many social media platforms these days, but each has unique attributes.

These can help you decide which is the best fit for you and your business.

Here are a few of the most popular:

• Twitter: Twitter’s strength is in constant short messages. Their length is limited, so you do not need much time to create content, but you will need to post often to stay visible.
• Facebook: Facebook allows several types of posts, including text, photos, video, and lives, giving you many ways to reach your audience.
• Instagram: Instagram is an image-focused platform, so if your brand is in a highly visual field – such as art or fashion – you could gain traction on Instagram.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn focuses on professional relationships, so if that’s your niche market, LinkedIn is a good place for you. Or you can build relationships with other professionals.

Defining “Good” Social Media Engagement

Good engagement on social media can vary by the type of post.

You will have posts that inspire a lot of reaction, and others may be necessary but not as engaging.

If you post about an exciting new service, product, or event, you can expect a higher engagement.

It is a post that people will talk about and share with friends.

If you are closing your store early one day, you post about the change in your business hours, so people will know not to stop by during that time.

It does not mean that the information about your hours is unimportant or is not reaching people.

It is just not something that encourages interaction.

What is a Good Social Media Engagement Rate?

The exact measure of “good” social media engagement is somewhat elusive – and honestly, a bit of a downer.

It sounds like a really small number, but good social media engagement is generally between 1% and 5%.

These numbers seem low, but think about what percentage of the posts you scroll by make you stop and interact with them.                                                        

How Do I Measure a Good Social Media Engagement Rate?

There are some mathematics-heavy ways of figuring your social media engagement rate.

However, at its simplest, you can take your number of engagements divided by your number of followers and multiply by 100.

That will give you the percentage of your followers who engaged with a given post.                                                        

Examples of Good Social Media Engagement

When looking to grow your social media engagement, it can help to look at what other successful brands are doing on their social media accounts.

1. Slim Jim

Slim Jim’s following grew from 5,000 to 500,000 on Instagram in a year by posting witty memes and seemingly random comments on other social media accounts.

The sheer wackiness of their humor has made it a fun account to follow.

2. GoPro

GoPro lets its followers market for them by posting videos taken by users with their GoPros.

This allows others to see what type of footage they could get if they had a GoPro.

3. Elon Musk

Elon Musk is not ashamed to be completely authentic on social media.

He engages with his followers and consistently shares their posts, letting them advertise for him.

His company Tesla is famous for having an advertising budget of 0.

Instead, word-of-mouth and social media marketing made the company the most valuable automotive company globally in 2020.

How to Boost Social Media Engagement

Below you will find several strategies that can help boost your social media engagement.

The more you incorporate, the more your engagement is likely to increase.

1. Define and Follow a Social Media Strategy

A social media strategy is essentially a roadmap that lays out what to post, when, and on which platform.

It can also help you plan what type of content to post and ensure that you are getting a good mix of engagement posts and sales posts.

Keep reading for more about the importance of that detail.

2. Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience is possibly the most crucial step in marketing, especially on social media.

If you do not know your audience, you cannot effectively engage with that demographic.

Your social media engagement will go down because you are not reaching the right people.

3. Understand the Algorithms

Algorithms are maybe the trickiest part of using social media for your business.

While old-school social media just showed people everything posted by the accounts they followed, these days, it is not so simple.

Social media platforms now show people content based on an algorithm.

This algorithm takes into account various factors, including:

• The popularity of the content
• How recently it was posted
• Type of content
• Relationship of the person to the account posting content

Each platform has its algorithm, and they change from time to time.

Make sure you understand the algorithm for each platform you use and stay updated.

If your engagement suddenly drops from what it was, there may be an algorithm change behind it.

4. Do Keyword Research

When people search for content online, the terms they use in their search are what determines the results they get.

The better your content incorporates these keywords, it will be more visible in the search results.

If you are focusing on a niche market, find out which keywords they are often searching, and you will increase your views and engagement.

5. Produce Quality Content

Quality content matters. You can post consistently, target the right audience, and do everything right.

But if your content is full of errors or dark, blurry photos or videos with poor sound quality, people won’t stick around to look at it, much less engage with it.

6. Establish Social Proof

People look for opinions from others to confirm value. It’s why they read reviews before purchasing a product or ask their friends about their experience at a certain restaurant.

You can establish social proof by sharing testimonials from satisfied customers, sharing how many of an item you’ve sold, and more.

Be creative for your specific brand.

If it shows followers that people are loving what you offer, it establishes social proof.

7. Avoid Being Transactional: Don’t Just Sell

This is where your social media strategy comes in.

If every post is a sales pitch, people won’t engage and will likely unfollow you.

People don’t want to be sold to constantly.

They follow your brand because they are interested in you.

Yes, that includes what you are selling, but it also includes who you are, what you stand for, and the behind-the-scenes of your business.

Make sure your sales posts are scattered among a good number of engaging posts.

A good metric to shoot for is keeping your sales posts to only 10 to 20 percent of your content.

8. Keep the Conversation Going

Take time to interact with followers.

If someone posts a question, answer it.

If they post about how much they love what they bought from you, show them sincere appreciation.

When users see that you respond to comments and questions, they are more likely to comment themselves.

It also demonstrates that you care about them.

In the world of social media that is highly saturated with self-promotion, a brand that demonstrates a true interest in its followers holds tremendous appeal.

9. Leverage Marketing Automation

Social media platforms have tools you can use to make it a bit easier to up your engagement.

For instance, tools that allow you to schedule posts ahead of time let you focus on other projects rather than being tied to the platform.

Another example is automated responses to messages.

If you’re not always able to reply immediately, having an automated message sent back can let the person know that you received their message and will get to it as soon as you can.

10. Track Your Progress and Monitor Your Results

Keeping track of your social media engagement is the only way to improve.

You have to know what is working (and what isn’t), so you know what to do more (and less) of in the future to continue to grow engagement.

Social Engagement Strategies to Try

Want to boost your social media engagement?

Try these proven strategies.

1. Run a Poll

Polls encourage engagement with little effort – either on your part or your followers.

Simply ask a question and give some options of answers.

Your followers only have to click to engage with you and maybe provide valuable feedback, too.

2. Run a Giveaway

Everyone loves getting something for free.

Offering a giveaway in exchange for likes, shares, follows, or comments is a surefire way to get a lot of people doing the very action you request in hopes of being the lucky one chosen.

It doesn’t even have to be something big.

You’d be surprised how many people will engage with you for even a small-dollar item.

3. Try Beta Testing Products and Features

You can increase both your social media engagement and your social proof by offering beta testing to your fans.

They get the benefit of trying out something new, and in return, they share their experience with it, showing other potential customers the value.

You also get valuable feedback on what users like or don’t like about your product.

Maximizing Your Social Media Audience

Social media engagement can be tricky, and it can sometimes feel like your posts are just disappearing into the ether.

Don’t be afraid to try new methods and see how they go.

If they work, then use them more regularly.

If they don’t, then don’t.

If you have any questions about social media engagement, feel free to comment.

Don’t give up.

Implement some of the proven social media engagement strategies discussed here, be consistent, and watch your audience grow.

Many on social media are concerned about shadow banning, but what is shadow banning?

Shadow banning is an indirect censorship method that uses proprietary algorithms to restrict controversial content while keeping the person banned unaware of the ban.

Social media companies insist it is not used or only used on abusive accounts.

Others insist it gets employed often to suppress political viewpoints.

The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Shadow banning does exist, is used, and has been misused, but usually not intentionally.

Here is what shadow banning is and is not, and how it might affect you.

What is Shadow Banning?

Shadow banning is a method of censorship that uses blocking or partial blocking of user content by altering algorithms (such as search algorithms) to restrict who can see posted content.

The practice is shadow banning for the following reasons:

• Not obvious to the poster shadow banned that their content is censored or restricted
• Not an outright ban or a ban on specific individuals, but rather topics or terms
• It can be used to suppress all content but usually targets content available to potential followers
• It provides “plausible deniability” to those using it because it is not a specific ban

Is There Any Basis for the Idea That Conservatives Are Being Targeted for Shadow Bans?

It depends on who you ask. Hard evidence is difficult to come by.

Social media company execs say “no.”

Conservatives have experienced shadow banning more than most other groups, although that might be because of what conservatives post.

Is Shadow Banning Legal?

The short answer is yes.

You sign an agreement that lets the social media platform control (and usually own) all content you post or permit it to access.

The trade-off for you is that the agreement gets you free access to the platform.

While you can leverage social media for your own benefit, this is a double-edged sword.

If the platform wants, it can legally shadow ban or fully ban you.

Your options are to follow their policies or leave the platform.

The strictness of those options is partly why some conservatives have tried to start their own social media platforms, to varying success.

How Does Shadow Banning Work?

Altering an algorithm can prevent specific terms and topics from appearing in certain search results.

How each social media platform handles shadow banning is slightly different.

In most cases, only potential followers will be affected.

In some cases, the shadow banning is more direct and draconian.

No matter how it is applied, the effect is generally the same: Your content gets restricted, and who can see it, if anyone can, is reduced or even eliminated.

Meanwhile, you have no idea beyond a fall-off on engagement that anything is amiss.

How Shadow Banning Affects Engagement

Those alleging they are shadow banned often state that the ban affects their social media effectiveness because it limits engagement with:

• Existing and potential followers
• Potential followers

When this happens, the scope of a user’s impact is limited, which can affect their influence or income-making potential in some cases.

For example, if a political commentator is shadow banned, their scope of influence is affected, potentially depriving them of new users, advertisers, and association with other major media outlets.

Only Visible to Current Followers or Visitors

It depends on the social media platform (and the mechanism for shadow banning.)

The logic behind restricting content to potential users is that most users do not want to see content the platform deems spam or offensive.

Slows Growth

If potential users cannot see what a user posts, it limits that user’s ability to grow followers, friends, etc.

As mentioned, that can affect the sphere of influence of a user, which can directly affect how advertisers view them and, in the cases of political entities, how major media outlets like FoxNews regard them.

What Are Some Examples of Shadow Banning?

Perhaps the most infamous example, which Twitter maintains was a bug and conservatives insist was intentional, happened in 2018 when certain Republican accounts were shadow banned.

The shadow ban resulted in several prominent Republicans, including the head of the Republican National Committee, being banned.

Another example of shadow banning pertains to COVID-19 posts.

There have been several examples of this, most having to do with alleged “cures” of the virus.

What Are Some Sites That Shadow Ban?

Here is a summary of how different social media platforms allegedly handle shadow banning.

• Facebook: Facebook admits it shadow bans based on content, including restricting all access to misinformation, flagrantly wrong information, and spam.
• Instagram: Instagram maintains it does not shadow ban individuals but does ban certain content and restricts content potential followers can see for any affected account.
• TikTok: TikTok allegedly restricts how videos show up on the For You Page (FYP) and in hashtag results.
• Reddit: Reddit allegedly shadow bans any content that it finds violates its rules. When you are shadow banned on Reddit, your content is limited to your profile page, and only you and the moderator can see it.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn rarely will shadow ban, it is usually temporary, but when it happens, you become invisible to your followers and prospects.
• YouTube: YouTube does not shadow ban but will remove content it finds violates its user policies.
• Twitter: Twitter says it does not shadow ban but does rank Tweets and search results. That can have the same effect as shadow banning but is not technically shadow banning.

What is a Shadow Ban on Social Media?

It depends on the social media company.

Some say certain companies do not shadow ban, while others do.

Most admit social media companies will shadow ban in extreme cases (such as promoting fake COVID cures.)

What Do Social Media Companies Say About It?

This also depends on the company.

Facebook (Meta) is the only company that admits it outright shadow bans spam, although it is murkier whether it goes further than that.

All insist they do not restrict, ban or prohibit content based on political viewpoint.

Some disagree with that.

What Causes a Shadow Ban?

Here is a rundown of how you can get your content and scope restricted per platform.

• On Instagram: Instagram will restrict based on content that violates its policies. It will restrict content prospects see.
• On Twitter: Twitter does not shadow ban, per Twitter. It does rank search results and Tweets.
• On Reddit: Reddit will restrict content access when it finds content violates its policies.
• On Tik Tok: TikTok will restrict access to certain videos via the FYP and hashtags.
• On Facebook: Facebook will restrict, ban and delete content it deems violates its policies.

How Long Does a Shadow Ban Last?

The following is the policy for major platforms for the length of any type of restriction or shadow ban on content.

• On Instagram: Instagram restricts content, so there is no limit as it does not target specific accounts.
• On Twitter: Twitter does not shadow ban but will rank your content, which can restrict what users see it. You can try changing your Twitter username, but the ban is usually applied at the account level, not the handle-level.
• On Reddit: Reddit’s restrictions are largely subjective, so there is no limit on how long you can be restricted.
• On Tik Tok: TikTok restricts based on content, which lasts about a week or two. You can uninstall and reinstall the app to get past a shadow ban.
• On Facebook: There is no time limit. Most people find taking a break from posting for about a week can result in you being allowed to post with no restrictions.

How to Tell if You’ve Been Shadow Banned

The best way is your engagement is way off from normal.

After that, each platform has different ways to tell if you have been shadow banned.

• On Instagram: Your new users will drop sharply as well as your engagement. You can also check a personalized hashtag you use, as your content will not appear there.
• On Twitter: Search on “From USERNAME” on Twitter’s search bar. Your name goes under “USERNAME.” If you are shadow banned, your Tweets will not show up.
• On Reddit: There are several ways to see if you are shadow banned on Reddit, although none are definitive or easy to implement.
• On Tik Tok: The best way is to monitor your views and likes, which will drop sharply. The second way is with an uncommon hashtag test.
• On Facebook: The best way is to monitor your engagement stats. Those will fall off dramatically if a post is restricted.

How to Get Unshadowbanned

The only way you can usually get “un shadow banned” is to follow the process the sites have as their internal policies regarding restricting content.

In most cases, taking a break and avoiding the topic that got you shadow banned is the best approach.

You will be cleared to post unless the site bans you outright.

With some platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn,) you can appeal to a moderator or help desk with varying degrees of success.

How to Avoid Getting Shadow Banned

The easiest way to avoid getting shadow banned is to follow the policies you agree to follow when you join a site or use the platform.

Final Thoughts

Shadow banning is a practice most social media platforms use, although how and why is somewhat arbitrary.

The best way to avoid getting shadow banned is to ensure your content does not violate the platform’s rules.

Whether these platforms target specific groups is also subjective, but likely, any restrictions have to do with content rather than affiliation.

Leave your inquiry in the comment section if you have any questions regarding shadow banning.

Due to the recent pandemic and its effects on business, social media has become one of the critical channels for official communication, customer service, and advertising. 

The catch is that you have to know the best times to post on social media, or your posts can get lost in the endless feeds.

But this can be a challenge if you or your businesses operate across multiple social media platforms.

Each platform may have different best times to post, so understanding why and when are vital to making sure your posts get seen. 

We will dive into the best times to post on social media this year, going platform-by-platform to make sure you see the engagement you need.

Does Timing a Social Media Post Matter?

Absolutely!

The timing of social media posts can be the difference between engagement and nothing.

The algorithm of the social media platform you currently post on will be vital.

It will be the primary deciding factor in whether your audience sees your post or whether it is at the bottom of their nearly-endless feed.

The most basic effect of these algorithms is that newer posts show up higher in the feed while older ones will only be published at the bottom.

Understanding the best times to post on social media is incredibly important.

Not just to businesses either, but for those who may be trying to become an influencer or build their own brand.

Even the ability to post at the best times won’t mean that you’ll automatically show up at the top of everyone’s feed.

You’ll also need to make sure you’re creating top-tier content that your customers want.

The Importance of Picking the Best Time to Post on Social Media

Picking the best time to post on each social media platform means your post will be seen by the most people possible at that time.

Posting 

What Are the Best Times to Post on Social Media?

This is the big question, and finding the winning answer can put your posts in front of thousands or even millions more users. 

The most significant caveat, though, is that the ideal times for your posts will depend significantly on which platform you or your company are using.

Here are the best times to post on the leading social media platforms.

What is the Best Time to Post on Facebook?

Facebook has fascinating and sporadic engagement hot spots.

Monday through Friday, the best time to post on Facebook is at 3 am, with an additional less powerful window running from 8 am to noon.

Tuesday has higher engagement during midday than other weekdays, at 10 am and noon, with a dip in activity at 11 am.

Posts made on Saturday will generally go to waste. 

What is the Best Time to Post on Instagram?

Instagram sees its highest engagement on weekdays, from about 10 am through noon.

The best days to post are Tuesday and Wednesday, with Saturday and Sunday being relatively uneventful for posters.

Posts made on weekdays from 9 pm to 6 am generally see low activity as well. 

What is the Best Time to Post on Twitter?

The best times to post on Twitter are weekdays & Saturdays at 9 am.

Following 9 am, the activity declines steadily through the afternoon.

Thursday tends to see less engagement than other weekdays, but the only dead spots for Twitter engagement are Sundays.

Times to avoid are between 9 pm, and 6 am.

What is the Best Time to Post on LinkedIn?

The best times to post on LinkedIn tend to occur during the height of professional activity.

The best times to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays from 10 am to 12 pm.

The best days overall to post on the platform are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with the times being mainly in the middle of the day.

Days to avoid on LinkedIn are the weekends. 

When is the Best Time to Post on TikTok?

The current short video darling has its prime engagement window Fridays at 5 am and again from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Unlike many other platforms, the weekend is also relatively productive, with Saturday seeing late morning engagement at 11 am and in the evening from 7 pm to 8 pm.

Sunday can create traffic in the mid-afternoon, but late Saturday through early Sunday is a dead zone.

When is the Best Time to Post on Reddit?

Reddit is most active Monday from 6 am to 8 am.

A second opportunity for peak engagement comes on the weekend, with posts Saturday from 7 am to 9 am and Sunday from 8 am to noon being relatively popular.

Keep in mind that each subreddit will have its own peak engagement times, with the middle of the week generally being slow for most. 

What is the Best Time to Post on Pinterest?

The best time to pin and post is going to be on Saturday from 8 pm to 11 pm, with activity dropping sharply after 11 pm.

There are also peak engagement times that happen from 2 pm to 4 pm on most days of the week.

Pinterest also enjoys a late-night pinning peak, 8 pm to 1 am. 

Is There a Global Best Time to Post on Social Media?

Unfortunately, there’s “global” best time to post on social media.

This is mainly because there are billions of people using social media around the world.

Each country, and even each time zone, will have times when the most significant portion of its residents happen to be on social media. 

In the pre-pandemic business landscape, social media use was far more predictable.

This is because there was a far larger population going to and from their job each day, and this schedule meant that most people were using social media outside of those work hours. 

Since the pandemic forced many companies to pivot to a remote workforce, these business hours have become increasingly non-standard.

As a result, people are using social media at much less predictable times.

However, there are some times that have been shown to be much more effective for reaching people than others. 

Finding these hot spots for the platforms you use is key to driving engagement.

Why is the Best Time to Post Different for Every Social Media Platform?

The biggest reason that each platform has different “best times” to post is that they are used by different audiences.

Not only are they used by different types of people, but they are used for very different purposes as well. 

Looking at the differences between each platform can help illustrate this point.

Let’s take a look.

Facebook is the leading social media platform.

It’s used by both the largest and most varied audience, but it’s also used on the greatest array of devices.

It’s frequently used by people at work and at home, which can impact how your posts are viewed based on the use of the platform at the time you post.

LinkedIn, on the other hand, is mostly used by professionals, those working, and those looking for work.

This means it’s primarily used for work-related purposes and for sharing content related to employment.

Twitter is a platform used to directly engage and interact with end-users.

It is one of the most common platforms to be used while on breaks or while commuting to and from work.

It has a wide variety of users, and the post brevity is a big reason that there are millions of tweets each day.

Pinterest is a platform built around leisure and personal interests.

This means that most Pinterest users are browsing during their personal time, like evenings after work. 

As you can see, just from the four platforms we’ve dug into here, there is a huge variety of uses.

There are several more major platforms that also have their own unique uses and best times to post, including TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit.

Knowing as much as you can about each one can help you make more sense of the best times to post on each.

What’s the Worst Day to Post on Social Media?

Overall, the consensus for the worst day to post on social media seems to be Sundays.

This is because no matter what demographic or audience the platform hosts, most people are using Sunday as a day for resting and taking part in activities outside the digital space.

However, this isn’t to say that Sundays are a desolate, digital desert.

But while the highest social media traffic is generally seen Tuesdays through Thursdays, Sundays do see the least.

This means that the worst day to post, particularly for any sponsored posts that will measure the return on investment, will be Sundays.

How to Find Your Own Best Times to Post on Social Media

Even though there are some general “best times” to post, your own best times may be slightly different.

Before you schedule any posts, you should compare the generally accepted best times for each platform to the insights and analytics your platforms provide.

Use the Data and Trends

One of the most reliable ways to check your own social media impact is to look at the data provided by your various platforms.

On nearly all platforms, any pages other than conventional personal accounts will be given access to analytics for their posts. 

These analytics can be crucial to finding trends among posts you’ve already made.

They can help you isolate times and days where you get the best engagement, as well as days and times where you’re getting lower numbers.

The exact name will differ depending on the platform you’re using, but the function will be the same.

The social media provider will mine the data for you; all you have to do is look at it. 

Use a Tool Like BuzzSumo or SproutSocial

For companies or celebrities that have accounts across many or even all of the major social platforms, analyzing engagement data can become complicated.

Worse than that, it can eat up a tremendous amount of time for the social media team that runs the accounts. 

Using cross-platform tools like SproutSocial or BuzzSumo can help unify and collate much of that engagement data.

These tools can help you form a more cohesive view of your post’s effectiveness across all channels.

They can help you see, at a glance, what’s working and what isn’t and can highlight what may give you the most significant improvements.

How to Find Out When Your Fans Are Online

Finding a tool like SproutSocial that can give you a deep analysis of your audience is the first step to finding out when most of your fans are online.

It can also help you determine when you’re likely to be able to engage with your customers, but your competition isn’t. 

How to Find Posting Times of Successful Posts

The reports generated by your platform-specific insights and analytics, as well as by cross-platform tools like BuzzSumo and SproutSocial, are the key.

They can help you perform a deep analysis of your past posts and engagement trends.

Looking at this data can give you practical, actionable input on when your posts tend to be the most successful.

Conclusion

No matter what platform you use or why you use it, understanding the best times to post on that platform will make the best use of your time there.

Whether you post to drive traffic to your personal content or to bring engagement and reach to posts that your business makes, knowing the best times will make those posts much more effective.

The biggest thing to remember is to be as informed as possible about your chosen platforms and the audience you’re trying to reach. 

Having a large following has various profitable benefits and is overall an extremely rewarding endeavor.

Still, getting attention isn’t as easy as it seems, and it’s most likely going to take some time and effort.

Fortunately, there are hashtags tailored for small businesses that allow them to express themselves and more easily gain an audience.

What Are Hashtags?

Hashtags are bits of user inputted metadata that increase the searchability of social media posts by appealing to relevant audiences.

They are usually indicated by the “#” key and represent a collective group of related posts with related content.

For example, an Instagram user could post a cat picture with “#cats” in the caption.

Within this Instagram hashtag are a collection of images and videos relating to cats.

This Instagram hashtag allows this content to appear more frequently to users who enjoy cat-related content.

Why Should You Use Hashtags?

Don’t underestimate the capabilities of hashtags; they’re there for very good reasons.

Trying to build your success without hashtags is a fruitless endeavor, especially if you lack a preconceived audience.

Here’s why you should probably be using hashtags in your business’s social media posts:

Expand Your Audience

As previously explained, hashtags increase the findability of your social media.

Increasing discoverability will inherently help you expand your audience and bring attention to you and your business, especially if you provide something people are interested in, which hashtags also help with.

Get Wider Outreach

Only people following your business’s social media will be able to see what you post if you don’t use hashtags.

Using tags allows you to show up to people who aren’t following your accounts and gain a broader audience.

Your goal shouldn’t be to build a following and remain stagnant.

Instead, the best way to constantly see exponential growth is to make yourself an intertwined community of supportive customers, related businesses, and fans of your content.

Once you begin to gain a broader outreach, you’ll start to truly realize your potential as a business as a whole.

Get More Customers

It should be a given, but a more extensive audience equals more customers.

People’s search histories indicate their wants and needs, so if you offer a product/service that someone is interested in, you’re more likely to appear to them.

When you advertise your business with social media, it’s different than a banner ad or a sponsorship.

Your followers aren’t just random people you’re trying to sell something to.

They’re supportive customers interested in the growth and development of your business.

Why Should You Use Small Business Hashtags?

If you’re running a small or local business, use it to your advantage by using small business hashtags.

There’s actually a good amount of merit to using small business hashtags, and you’ll find yourself in a more favorable position when using them.

Capture a Niche Audience

Niche audiences are small yet dedicated followings that support their cause more generously than casual ones.

You won’t be appearing to quite as many people, but you will show up to the people who care.

As a result, you’ll see lower views but a much higher conversion rate of views/followers to sales.

Sometimes it’s better to find devoted customers by appealing to your niche through small business hashtags than trying to capture the attention of everyone through general hashtags.

Advertise Yourself as a Small Business

In most cases, people prefer to pay a little more to support a local business.

You can translate this sense of community into larger profits by advertising yourself as a small business.

By promoting your company as a small business, you’re avoiding the stigmatization of corporate greed and identifying yourself with the public.

As a result, people are more akin to a company they can relate to as it’s run by someone just like them.

Where Should You Use Business Hashtags?

Many social media platforms use related hashtags as a form of user-generated tagging, but there are two you should pay attention to as they are hotspots of digital marketing and e-commerce.

Instagram

Instagram followings can be the make-or-break social media platform for your small business.

They’re a massive hub of interconnected companies, many of which are mini, sole proprietorships, and the perfect place for a small company to make a name.

Viral sensations can happen overnight here, and a popular hashtag or trending hashtag can increase your overall chances of gaining an audience.

Twitter

The modern-day use of relevant hashtags was brought into the world by Twitter back in 2007, so you can probably guess that you should be using them here.

Twitter makes posting easy since they’re usually short text-based quips with the occasional picture or video.

Given the simplicity and effectiveness of making Twitter “tweets,” you will want to capitalize on hashtags to accelerate your growth.

What Are Good Small Business Hashtags?

Branded hashtags aren’t meant to be too complex.

The keywords in the branded hashtag of a subject are predictable and exactly what you’d expect.

This form of simplicity makes it easier for users to utilize and find specific content without using complicated metadata and algorithms.

That said, here are six hashtags you should be using because they’re optimized to help you grow your small business.

#shoplocal

Remember the statement about how people prefer to support small, local businesses over big corporations?

You can appeal to people near your area with this business hashtag and promote a healthy sense of community.

#smallbusiness

Sell yourself as a small business by using #smallbusiness.

When trying to create a company image, you’re not just selling products and services: you’re selling your business as well.

#entrepreneur

In addition to marketing your business’s image, you’ll want to market yourself.

People are more likely to back a business if there’s a face behind it.

For example, if you sell yourself as an ambitious go-getter, people will associate that with your business.

#startup

Using the startup hashtag is a great way to gain recognition, especially if you have an innovative product or service to sell.

Many people love new, creative ideas, which is an excellent way to appeal to them.

#smallbusinessowner

This one is a variation of the entrepreneur hashtag.

Using altercations of crowded hashtags allows you to avoid obscurity and be seen more.

The smallbusinessowner hashtag can also be more advantageous than the entrepreneur hashtag because it directly promotes you as a small business owner.

For instance, Bill Gates is an entrepreneur, but he’s certainly not a small business owner.

#smallbusinesslove 

Lastly, #smallbusinesslove is the perfect rallying cry to bring in support for your company.

A great way to build up nichefollowings is to build upon the support of your customers and express gratitude to your followers.

Understanding that people are willing to give love and support is essential for your company’s growth as long as you know it’s a mutual exchange.

Your supporters will expect a great amount of dedication and effort from you.

How To Use Small Business Hashtags

Small business hashtags are easy to implement into your social media posts.

You simply implement whichever hashtags you wish to use in the text portion of your social media post.

It’s recommended to accompany these hashtags with a short description about the post.

Be sure to use numerous hashtags and be consistent with which ones you use.

Being all over the place seems like a good idea in theory, but it’s more like handing out flyers to random people on the street in practice.

What You Get Out of Using Small Business Hashtags

Now it’s time to go over the benefits of specifically using small business hashtags.

Better Conversion Rates

By using hashtags, you’re appealing to your target audience.

Since you’ll constantly be showing up to people interested in your business, you’ll almost certainly see a higher conversion rate of views to customers.

New Supporters

There’s no reason for people to support big-name corporations, but they love supporting small businesses.

Hashtags make it possible for these small businesses to be found and supported by loyal followings.

More Followers

Having followers means a bigger audience.

People can find and follow you way more organically if you use hashtags, so don’t miss out on the opportunity.

Once you begin to amass a following, there will be a snowball effect indicated by a steep climb in growth.

Greater Out

Having more followers and supporters ultimately means having a greater outreach.

When the public favors you, there are usually many opportunities that follow, such as business relationships, supportive customers, and better finances.

Wrapping Up

So, all things considered, you’re going to want to use hashtags to get your company’s name out there.

Furthermore, you’re going to want to crack down on your target audience and use hashtags relating to small businesses.

In the end, it’s up to you how you grow and develop your business, but having a devoted following of people cheering you on can help in more ways than you think.

Twitter, indisputably, has the potential to reach target audience when infused with the right campaign, right tools, and right influencer.

Influencer marketing has a great impact on almost all the age groups, especially on the millennial.

If you go with the stats, 74% of internet users rely on social media to inform about their purchase decisions.

On an average, 200 million users send out more than 200 tweets every day.

Now, that is humongous! So for businesses, especially the emerging ones, targeting potential audience with Twitter is a wise option.

Also, with the decline in TV viewership and demand of ad blockers, the necessity for the brands to accept the influence marketing has increased considerably over the years.

If you are wondering how influencer marketing on Twitter works, here is the step by step guide to connect with your audience and maximize your returns.

What is Influencer Marketing?

According to Wikipedia, Influencer marketing (also influence marketing) is a form of marketing in which focus is placed on influential people rather than the target market.

Essentially, influencer marketing is the way of partnering with the influential people to drive your message as a brand to the target audience.

Individuals who create a brand out of their comedic, entertaining or informative content, thereby, getting the brand integrated within their content.

This way the brand scores not only in terms of high-quality content but also in creating awareness.

Moving forward, let’s understand the process step by step

Step 1: Know your target audience

Before you start with the execution, it is imperative to know your audience.

Do your homework and determine how large or small the target audience should be, what kind of content they are interested in and what social platforms they use regularly.

It is also essential to reach out your audience directly rather than just relying on the influencers.

This makes the brand more connecting and more credible.

To make it less complex, there are many brand monitoring tools in the market which let you check and understand your target audience better.

HootSuite is one such widely used tool to connect with your audience.

Step 2: Identify influencers in your niche

To find the right influencers who can reflect your goals is a big task.

While considering an influencer, you may have to consider certain points such as:

• Number of followers
• Have a record of posting relevant posts
• Shares the same goal as yours

If your firm is a footwear retailer, know your audience and pick your key influencers with hashtags, using Twitter advanced search and third-party tools like Little Bird and Traackr that let you discover potential influencers, content marketing, and competitive intelligence.

Remember, the moment a key individual is zeroed in; he is an extension of your brand and thereby is responsible for any changes that your brand experiences in the future.

Step 3: Research and understand your Influencer

Once you find your amplifiers or key leaders within the niche, next step is to make a thorough research of their profiles.

Spend quality time on understanding their interactions and overall activities across social platforms like Facebook, Instagram etc. Find out what drives and motivates them.

With experience, you will get to know that it is not always about the monetary returns, but also how they see your brand, its quality, and authenticity.

For instance, a sports person can connect immediately with footwear, energy boosters and so on.

Similarly, celebrities can relate to fashion and beauty.

Knowing what they are inclined towards will help you get an idea of how you can set a plan that can be profitable to both your brand and the influencer.

You can check for the following to be sure of your decision about an amplifier for your niche:

• Scan their social media profile
• Read their blogs if any
• Whether they are already engaged with your competition or other brands and how the past marketing records are
• Monitor their social activity
• Understand the type of content that earns them the most engagement

Step 4: Strengthen your relationship

So, you have figured out the ideal influencer to reach out to your target audience, what’s next?

Well, there are two major steps:

1) Reaching out:
The simple rule is to approach in a subtle way and rely on more of an interactive rather than a robotic reply.

• Influencers are generally busy and have no time to read your flowery and lengthy content.
  Make sure the message you drop is crisp and up to the point.
  Talking about the benefits and how your product is relevant to the influencer’s motive can help.
• Compose your mail or message with an introductory note, your campaign strategy and what’s the role of the influencer.
• Give some time for your request to be acknowledged.
  Give at least 10 days of time; if you haven’t heard back from them, you can always follow-up.
  Again in a subtle way rather than pissing him off.

2) Pitching:

• Once you feel that the influencer is convinced and is interested to take this further, now is the time you need to be extra careful.
• Presenting your plan and highlighting how he can be benefited by this is the initial step to start with.
• To raise the bar and increase the influencer’s authority for a healthy long-run relationship.
• Incentivize and sharing codes for special offers thereby building loyalty among the followers.
• Availability of future discounts on their future purchases.

Above are some of the tactics to sustain the relationship that can reap benefits when implemented properly.

Let the influencer have the freedom to give a personalized touch while promoting instead of limiting them to some cliché tagline.

Step 5: Devise a marketing strategy

Now it’s time to devise a plan on which you and your influencer will be working on together

1. Running hashtag campaign – It is the proven way of creating brand awareness among your followers as 95% of the time Twitter communication contains #hashtags
2. Sharing video content – Video content has always made an impressive element as the followers grasp the idea faster as compared to textual advertising and promotions.

3. Fun contests – There are contests happening all the time on twitter wherein the brand can send out gifts to active participants without forcing them to promote the brand.
   If impressed, they naturally tend to share their experience and thereby spreading the word all by themselves.
4. Announcing special offers on participation – This applies to both influencers and followers
5. Incorporating influencer’s twitter handle – This is an ideal way to let your followers know about the influencer better.
   Especially for those who are not aware of the influencer and thereby can trust your product based on the authenticity.

Step 6: Run the campaign

Now that you have a strategy devised, it is show time fellas!

Before running a Twitter hashtag campaign, one should review all the elements which will become the backbone of your strategy

You can concentrate on the following to get a better idea of a sure shot success in running your campaign…

• Discover relevant tweet using various online tools available in the market
• Schedule your tweets based on the demography, language, and other preferences.
• Opt A/B testing and research what has worked in the previous campaigns.
• Curate your content in advance

Step 7: Track your activities

To check the progress, it is essential to track key metrics and analyze how it’s building up.

Gaining social insights is important which gives a clear perspective of how to go ahead with the campaign.

Measure your campaign, whether it is working for your audience, what are the changes to implement.

One can also use Twitter tracking tools to check the reach, the engagement of the campaign, mentions of your business and content engagement.

For example, retweets and sharing content over other social platforms.

Also, tools like Google Analytics let you know where your traffic is coming from so that if anything doesn’t work out as you have planned, you can make adjustments accordingly.

Final words:

Whatever your strategy is, Twitter makes it easier to communicate with your audience and lets you tell your followers engaging stories.

This when collaborated with industry influencers, increases the credibility and builds trust factor which is the base for generating leads.

Today with the software applications like AdBlock plus and YouTube Red, where you can effortlessly get rid of ads, traditional advertising is gradually going out the window and this is when influencer marketing steps in.

It makes the whole process effective, transparent and more involved.

In the recent study, it was found that people looking for a particular product apparently end up buying something totally different.

This is mainly due to the influence created by the social media platforms like Twitter.

Do you have your personal experience with Influencer marketing on Twitter or any other platform?

Do let us know in the comments below.

A social media marketing enthusiast, Pankaj is determined to shape his ideas into perfect products.

CoFounder of Twitter Tracking Tool Socialert, he believes in coming up with engaging tools to redefine the face of digital marketing.

Learn more about him on his blog.

So, what does tagging mean?

Read on for more information on this practical and user-friendly tool and how it may benefit your account.

What is Tagging?

Tagging allows social media users to connect without private messaging.

Customarily, tagging involves typing usernames or first names of account holders, and the option shows up in a dialogue box.

Consider the game you may have played as a kid – called Tag.

You may have chased other children around, tapped them on the shoulder, and called them It.

Tagging on social media is essentially the same process, but without the running around.

You can also think of it as graffiti.

It gets the other user’s attention.

What is the Result of Tagging?

After you tag someone, they will likely receive a notification and can like or reply to the post, comment, or photo you tagged them in – unless they have your account blocked.

If you tag a celebrity or well-known brand, they may not acknowledge you, as they get thousands of tags each day.

Local stores, however, usually respond well to tags and appreciate the shout-out!

What Kind of Posts Can You Tag?

You can tag almost anything or anyone in any post form (depending on the platform).

For example, on Facebook, you can tag people in comments, posts, groups, pages, photos, or statuses.

Instagram allows users to tag others in posts, photos, comments, stories, and reels.

If you see a funny video or fascinating news story, you can tag a close friend or relative in the comments so they can enjoy it, too.

It also works well for recommending businesses, as you can tag them in your status for your followers and friends to view.

What Does it Mean to Tag Someone or Something?

The most basic definition of tagging is to get the attention of a brand, page, friend, or relative that you may or may not have on your friend list.

Tagging lets the recipient know you are thinking of them or want them to see a specific post.

A tagged post often leads to interaction, praise, or sharing.

On Facebook, if someone tags you, it will show up on your profile unless you hide it or un-tag yourself.

What if I Do Not Want to Be Tagged?

While we love our family members, sometimes they tag us in odd posts or photos that we would rather not see on our profiles (particularly on Facebook and Instagram).

Enter the remove tag tool, a handy function that lets users remove themselves from a post if they do not want to see it on their profiles.

If a spam account tags you, you can also report or block that account to prevent them from harassing you any further.

Difference Between Tags and Hashtags

At its core, tagging and hashtagging have similar effects.

The primary difference between the two is the subject matter.

Hashtags

Hashtags (represented by the pound sign) reference events, people, subjects, and more general topics than a traditional tag.

Common uses for a hashtag include:

• Celebrity fan accounts
• Food or recipes
• Fitness
• Challenges

Remember the cinnamon challenge?

People that recorded themselves doing the challenge used a hashtag – so if people clicked on the hashtag, it would take them to an entire archive of every cinnamon challenge existing tag.

Hashtagging does not take you to a single post.

It sends you to a page featuring every post with the hashtag in its description.

Where Can I Find Hashtags?

Most people type hashtags after they finish their initial post, whether text (such as on Twitter) or a photo on Instagram.

Small businesses often saturate their descriptions with hashtags, so they appear on multiple hashtag archives.

If a company requests a sponsored post from a popular account, they usually use a hashtag to attract more followers and attention to the brand.

Tags

As mentioned earlier, tags only apply to singular accounts, people, groups, or posts.

They do not take you to an archive of every post the tagged user has ever been in – they only send the account notification and show up on their profile.

Tags are more personal than hashtags, as they connect two specific accounts.

Hashtags are much more general.

What is a Tag on Social Media?

A tag is a shout-out or attention-getting measure directed at the user of your choice.

You can tag anyone you choose at pretty much any time.

If someone tags you, it will show up on your page, and vice versa.

The only time it will not work is if you block the other account or they block you.

Why Should You Use It?

Use tags when you see a post that reminds you of a friend or loved one.

You can also use a tag for photos, memories, and comments in groups you both may be members of – posts are the most common.

Another reason to use tags is to recognize a local company for its services or products.

The engagement boosts their chances of appearing on more pages, and small business owners appreciate knowing that you enjoyed their product.

Recognizing others is the principal goal of tagging, but it is also a great way to connect with friends or share a laugh.

You can make someone’s day by tagging them in a cat video!

When Should I Tag?

Since you tag from your profile or account, you can tag people whenever.

However, you may want to do so during the day if you want a quick response.

Otherwise, you can tag your friends in lighthearted content or interest groups at any point – whenever you feel compelled.

How Do I Tag on Social Media?

Every platform has different social tagging systems.

Below are some of the most popular outlets and how to tag people through your account.

Facebook

One of the oldest platforms, Facebook is one of the most widely used sites for connecting with friends and family.

Although the website has had its fair share of controversies, people never shy away from posting.

What is Tagging on Facebook?

Tagging on Facebook is the quickest way to acknowledge another user or brand.

If you see a post featuring something that reminds you of a loved one, you can tag them to let them know they’re on your mind.

You can tag people in almost anything on Facebook.

Photos, comments, and shared posts are all fair game.

How Do I Tag Someone on Facebook?

If you want to tag someone on Facebook in any post, follow these steps:

1. Begin typing the name or page in the text box above the post.
2. When a dropdown box appears, click on the account you want to tag.
3. Write a comment or description after the tag and click share.

Twitter

Short, sweet, and to the point, Twitter is among the most popular social media platforms for its 140-character limit and less-restrictive-than-Facebook policies.

What is Tagging on Twitter?

Tagging on Twitter is similar to Facebook but on a smaller scale.

You can tag other users in tweets, threads, photos, and videos.

Additionally, you can follow hashtags and view an archive of past tweets, similar to Instagram.

How Do I Tag Someone on Twitter?

Tagging on Twitter is even easier than on Facebook.

All you do is type in the @ symbol and enter the name you want to tag – click post tweet, and you are good to go.

Instagram

Instagram grew exponentially in popularity over the past few years due to the rise of influencers and celebrity accounts.

Brands and companies also use Instagram and often share posts to their Instagram story (short clips or images that disappear after 24 hours).

What is Tagging on Instagram?

The tagging feature on Instagram follows the same construct as Facebook and Twitter, but you may see giveaways or prizes more often.

Influencers or brands with sponsors run ad campaign giveaways by asking users to tag friends in the comment section.

The more you comment and tag, the more likely you will win.

How Do I Tag Someone on Instagram?

Instagram has a few options for tagging, including:

• Stories – you tag someone in your story by clicking on the icon that looks like a piece of paper. Click on the @mention sticker to enter your desired account.
• Posts – after you edit your photo(s), Instagram will allow you to tag others by clicking on the image at the location you want the tag.
• Descriptions – if you do not want to tag someone in a photo, you can tag them in the description. Just type in the @ key and enter the account name.
• Comments – like Facebook, you can tag other users in comments using the @ symbol and their name.

When you tag another user in a photo, other accounts can tap the image to view the tags.

LinkedIn

If you want to build your professional network or find a new job, LinkedIn is the way to go.

While their tagging system operates comparably to the other networks on this list, the end goal is typically different.

What is Tagging on LinkedIn?

Tagging on LinkedIn is a great way to connect with other team members or praise employees for their hard work.

You can tag other users on LinkedIn if you follow them, but most people on the professional outlet have their accounts set to private.

How Do I Tag Someone on LinkedIn?

You tag on LinkedIn the same way as Facebook – typing a name and selecting it from a dropdown box.

Your scope on LinkedIn will likely be more narrow on LinkedIn.

You may only be able to tag people you work with or those with public accounts.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a hub for food, clothing, home decor, and cosmetic inspiration, and users often tag followers and friends to share ideas.

What is Tagging on Pinterest?

While users can tag followers in posts, one of the most common tagging features on Pinterest is the ability to share a board with other followers.

A communal board is an excellent method for gathering travel plans, wedding ideas, and social activities.

How Do I Tag Someone on Pinterest?

You can tag accounts on Pinterest by entering the @ sign and typing in the username.

Pinterest also allows you to tag brands and companies and use hashtags.

YouTube

Another platform that has been around forever, YouTube maintains its status as the most-used video-sharing social media network.

What is Tagging on YouTube?

YouTube has relatively limited tagging capabilities.

You can only tag other users in comments – or the description of your video if you create content.

How Do I Tag Someone on YouTube?

If you want to tag someone in your favorite YouTube clip, head to the comment section and type in the @ symbol.

Enter their name, click, and share.

TikTok

Reminiscent of the now-defunct Vine, TikTok is a video-sharing platform with billions of accounts.

As TikTok only features videos, you can only tag other accounts in video posts.

What is Tagging on TikTok?

Tagging on TikTok customarily works through comments or descriptions on video clips, like YouTube.

How Do I Tag Someone on TikTok?

Like YouTube, you can tag someone on TikTok by entering their name in the comment section.

Click their account from the dropdown box, and hit the post button.

Other Cases

The social media platforms above may be the most popular, but other platforms use electronic tag systems as well.

WordPress, for example, allows users to tag accounts in posts or comments related to the blog they create.

Tap the spacebar and enter @, followed by the account username or blog title.

You may notice that almost all platforms utilize the @ key to tag other accounts, and while it may seem odd at first, it streamlines the process across social media outlets.

If all else fails, type in the @ symbol to tag!

Cloud-based tools use tagging features by providing users with a tag cloud database of resources and other accounts.

If you work remotely, cloud-based tools work well for monitoring productivity and operational processes.

Finally, if you want to keep things simple, try tagging someone on Facebook with their first name.

You do this by entering the name as you ordinarily would but deleting the last name.

The first name should remain bolded.

Keeping Track of Tags

If you have a popular account, tracking your tags can become cumbersome.

The best way to manage your tags is to check your notifications frequently or disable them altogether.

Tracking services are also an option and can help you find legitimate sponsors and influencers to collaborate with or show public support for your business.

Wrapping Up

Tags work wonders for connecting with friends, family, people with shared interests, and even your favorite brands.

If you own a small business, tagging can make or break your social media success.

Remind customers to tag you if they post anything positive about your company and acknowledge it if they do so.

For casual users, it lets people know you think about them – even if you live hundreds of miles apart.

There’s a warm glow of excitement in the air that anyone – even dyed-in-the-wool grinches – can feel.

People are in a giving spirit and are thinking about the coming year.

Often, this leads to lots of online browsing and shopping.

Leveraging social media marketing is vital to gaining and maintaining customers if you run a business.

Be it a classic holiday, like Christmas or New Years Day, or one of the smaller holidays, like Columbus day or Memorial day, the holidays are a prime time to post. 

Read on to learn some tips and advice to help you post relevant content that appeals to your target demographic and increases your online presence.

What Is a Holiday Post? 

As the name implies, a holiday post is any post that has holiday-related content.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be an ad for your product or business – although it can be – as long as it is holiday-themed and draws attention to your brand somehow. 

Should You Post on Holidays? 

Posting on holiday helps you connect with potential customers, making them feel like they are a part of your family during this special time.

You’re sharing your holidays with them in a small yet significant way, and they’re likely to remember them in the coming years.  

Why Publish a Holiday Post on Social Media? 

There are plenty of reasons why posting about a holiday on your company’s social media could benefit your business.

Here are some that stand out the most. 

1. Emotional Appeal 

The holidays are an emotional time for most people.

It’s common for individuals to seek connection and meaning during these seasons.

Advertisers have known this fact and capitalized on it for decades. 

We’ve all seen the change in T.V. advertisements in the weeks before Christmas.

More ads feature nostalgia, children, romance, and other powerfully emotional topics. 

You can use similar strategies for your holiday content, but keep in mind that people want to feel that your effort is honest and genuine and not manipulative.

2. Advertise Holiday Shopping

Does your business offer products or services people can give as gifts or use during the holidays?

Then you want to create holiday posts about shopping. 

Many shoppers enjoy buying things for their loved ones, but life gets busy.

They may not know they want or need your products until they see an ad and think, “THAT’S where I need to go!”

3. They’re Timely and Relevant 

This is the most apparent reason to post during the holidays.

Posts that draw attention to your business should be relevant and speak to the current mindset of your potential customers. 

When you frequently post content for different seasons and holidays, your timelines will show a healthy, robust activity history.

4. Get Shares 

If your holiday content is compelling, people will want to share it.

That’s good news for your company. 

When Should You Post on a Holiday? 

Generally, it is wise to post once early, wishing your customers and potential customers a happy holiday. 

Then, you can post again later with a cute ad or video showing something personal, like your own Christmas festivities or your employees at the annual holiday party/barbecue. 

Best Times To Post (In U.S. Time Zones)  

Some suggestions:

First post:

Morning.

Schedule it early.

Let’s say 6 am Pacific time.

That would mean that it would be 9 am EST, and 8 am C.T.

If you’d prefer not to get up that early on a holiday, you can simply post the night before, wishing them a safe, happy holiday in advance.

If someone wants to buy from you that day or order online, they can see your ad first thing on the holiday morning. 

Second Post:

Evening.

On the evening of the holiday itself, when you are ready to post your warm fuzzy content, aim for around 9 pm EST, 8 pm C.T., and 6 pm P.T.

That’s around the time a lot of folks are relaxing after their holiday meals, scrolling social media, and feeling happy and relaxed. 

[box_with_button title=”Post Your Content When It Matters” link_url=”https://bloggingtips.com/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/” link_text=”The Best Times To Post On Social Media”]

Learning the best times to post on social media can make or break your content strategy.

Are you familiar with when these times are? If not, familiarize yourself today!

[/box_with_button]

Tips for a Holiday Post 

Every holiday has a different meaning or appeal, so it might seem daunting to find the perfect way to celebrate it on your social media.

However, you’ll be able to successfully complete the task with these tips in mind. 

1. Place the Emphasis on a Charity

Giving feels good.

People tend to be generous around holidays, and they like seeing others make a difference in the world, which is why donations to charitable organizations skyrocket around the Christmas holidays. 

If you can show your business reaching out to those in need, you’re demonstrating to potential customers that you’re an ethical, caring company active in the community.

You can also encourage your followers to get involved in a good cause. 

2. Show Gratitude 

We all have something for which we are thankful.

You can join in this feeling of gratitude by posting highlight reels of your year and thanking your customers for being loyal. 

Then, you can invite them to participate in the conversation, commenting on what they are grateful for in their own lives. 

3. Celebrate 

Mark the passing of time and the rituals people enjoy during these meaningful times of the year. 

4. Advertise a Holiday Sale

Are you having a sale around the holidays?

Let people know! Using relevant imagery and inspiring words, tell your followers what you’re offering, how long it will be available, and how they can buy it. 

5. Holiday-Themed Contest or Giveaway 

Holiday contests and giveaways are popular ways to draw new customers or get people more involved in your social media.

Invite your followers to guess how many Christmas candies are in a jar or where the Elf On the Shelf will appear next. 

Make it something fun they want to participate in, and make sure the prize is something desirable but realistic. 

6. Share Fun Holiday Content 

Sometimes you just want to have fun.

The holiday season brings out the kid in us.

Let your holiday posts reflect that by sharing positive, joyful, and funny content. 

Blooper reels, pets being adorable, content showing food or family traditions, and more are all great ways to make your followers feel like they are celebrating the holidays with you. 

You don’t have to show your own family or customers in these holiday posts if you don’t want to.

Instead, you can share cute, fun content from around the internet and caption it to remind people about your business. 

7. Create Holiday Hashtags 

Hashtags help your content get seen by more people.

They help your post get categorized under a commonly searched topic or saying so that you appear in more social media search results. 

For example, holiday hashtags that are common around the holidays include #christmastime, #holidayfun #holidayshopping, #holidaysale, and many more. 

If possible, try and get your business’ product or service in the hashtag to make it more specific so that people searching for your type of business can find it easily. 

If you sell cars, you can use a hashtag like #carforchristmas. 

8. Share Holiday Tips 

Lists of tips and suggestions are always popular around the holidays.

Let people know how to do things more conveniently and more streamlined.

Let them in on life hacks for saving time and money. 

If you can showcase your product or service, all the better.

For example, if you have a clothing store, you can make a holiday post featuring tips for staying warm while still looking stylish. 

How to Write a Holiday Post on Social Media

Want some step-by-step instructions on holiday posts for social media?

Here are the basics:

Find your image.

Always use high-quality photos and videos in your posts.

Be sure the image prominently features whatever you want to draw attention to, whether it’s your employees, your products/services, a fun message, or a general holiday greeting.

Posting an eye-catching photo of inventory on a holiday-themed background is a good strategy if you’re advertising a product or sale. 

Holiday posts should be short yet impactful.

People are busy during the holiday season and won’t have time to read long or complicated posts. 

Give vital info.

If your post is a sales post, remember to let people know the date and location of the sale and when it will begin and end. 

Decide on some hashtags.

Look up which ones are trending at the moment and see if any could apply to your post.

Be sure to include your business name as a hashtag, as well. 

Include links.

Make sure your post contains a link that takes your viewers to your business’s website or wherever you sell your products/services. 

Share, share, share!

You can share your post across many social media platforms, and you can ask your friends to share it too.

The more eyes on your business, the better.

Pro Tip: If you’re looking to take your holiday post to another level, you can even look into asking questions on your Instagram story, an easy way to drive additional content engagement.

Holiday Post Examples 

Depending on the business, what you post for the holidays could be generic or related back to your niche.

Large companies like Coca Cola have found their stride with their holiday advertising.

However, small businesses can create effective holiday social media posts using their own branding with extra decoration and personalized messaging specific to the holiday.  

Ideas for Holiday Post Captions

General Holiday Greetings 

Not all holiday posts involve a sale or reference to any product.

Earlier, we covered posts you can make on the day of the holiday that should include a general greeting. 

Sometimes a simple shot of a Christmas wreath, Hanukkah menorah, fireworks, or whatever applicable holiday symbol you want is all you need, along with a good caption.

Try something like “From our family to yours, have a safe and happy holiday.” 

Your customers just want to know you value them and remember them during the holidays.

You can still include a link to your company website or any other relevant links.  

Christmas Caption Ideas 

You can go with classics like “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the year” for General Christmas Greetings or “Warm wishes for a cozy Christmas.” 

Or, if you want to be naughty and playful, try a caption along the lines of “We’re all like candy canes; sweet but a little twisted” and feature a photo of your crew/employees in Santa hats. 

Hanukkah Caption Ideas 

Many fun Hanukkah-related captions are food-related.

For instance: “Happy Challah-Days!”

Or “Have a latke fun this Hanukkah ”

Or you can go traditional with “May your light always shine” or “Celebrating the season of miracles.” 

Fourth of July Caption Ideas

It’s easy to forget that the Fourth of July is a significant holiday because it gets overshadowed by the immensity of the Christmas season.

However, you can make the most of this summer holiday with some patriotic or warm weather-related social media posts. 

“Wishing you a sparkling independence day” (with a photo of a sparkler).

Or “Happy Birthday USA” (with an image of a waving flag).

You can also use “Summer fun has just begun” with a video or photo of a tropical beach.  

Wrapping Up

Social media can be one of the best ways to connect with your customer base during the holidays and all year long. 

These are just some basic suggestions on holiday posts for social media.

Use your imagination and have fun coming up with new captions, photo ideas, and hashtags. 

For even more inspiration, check out our guide: Things to Write About.

Before the emergence of online platforms, a high number of businesses, especially the small ones, were struggling to live up to their expectations because the markets were mainly dominated by the large businesses.

However, with the introduction of the internet, the migration of small business to the online platform has been overwhelming.

The online environment is generally friendly and welcoming although the presence of thousands other businesses is bound to make matters a little complicated.

This is why you need to adopt workable and effective social media strategies to help you capitalize on every available opportunity to increase profitability.

Keep reading this article to find 3 of the best tips to effectively set your social media strategy and measure it.

Set A Clear Goal
The first thing you ought to do when starting a business is to set goals and develop a step by step procedure on how to achieve them.

While goals set for online business vary drastically from those of local business, there is a common agenda which is to make as much profit as possible.

Some of the questions you should ask when setting goals for an online business include;

Do you want to a solid reputation for your business brand?

How are you going to generate more traffic to your business website?

How are you going to ensure that all your customers needs are well-taken care of?

These questions should ultimately lead you to an effective social media strategy.

Running a genuine online business is not enough to build a solid reputation for your brand.

A social media campaign with the aim of promoting your business will add to your reputation as well as registering positive customer reviews.

The social media is a very reliable platform when it comes to generating traffic to your website.

Taking your brand to the various online communities increases you presence and your website will no doubt record more traffic.

Thirdly, taking care of customers needs can prove to be quite a headache if you havent adopted a functional social media strategy.

Social sites are very useful in taking care of customer relations because they facilitate interaction between business owners and customers.

The success of this step is easily evaluated by the magnitude of online presence your brand gains, positivity of user reviews and the number of website visits.

Identify your market

One of the reasons why small online businesses find a hard time progressing is failing to identify their market.

One could think that it is impossible to know the age or gender of internet users and set a social media strategy which is inclined towards make use of their availability.

Indeed, it could be difficult to know the age and gender of an internet user were it not for the introduction of social networking sites.

Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have tools which require a user to identify their age, gender and interest among other things.

Knowing your market by employing the required social media strategy enables you to market your products or services to the right market thus increasing the volume of sales made.

Similarly, knowing the demographics of the social media sites you are targeting gives you the power to estimate who make up a majority of its users.

If you realize that a majority of your subscribers are mobile users, then you should develop a mobile business website.

Again, you will be able to measure the success of this social media strategy by evaluating whether your brand is selling to the identified market or not.

Use the right technology and evaluate your progress.

Each social media site calls for a unique strategy.

This is because one site can be efficient in allowing you to directly communicate with customers while another can be very effective in brand marketing and promotion.

Using the right technology means you have to work with a site which provides the most suitable platform for a particular strategy.

This way you will not waste so much time working on the right social media strategy but on the wrong site.

Monitor your progress from time to time so that measuring the success of your social media strategies becomes easier and cheaper.

If the results are pleasing, then you should be confident with your strategies because they are working.

Success in the social media is all about tapping the potential of social media sites.

Hire a outside firm to help grow your social media presence as well.

Sometimes hiring a social media expert can pay huge dividends for your company.

The key words there, in case you missed them, are “short term”.

Giveaways tend to generate interest to a large number of people, but you do need to keep in mind that a lot of people will just stop by for the free goods and then be on their way.

That is not to say that you won’t gain some new followers or readers, but you should always keep this in mind beforehand because it can help you tweak your giveaway to try to appeal to a larger audience who may just end up sticking around.

Holding a contest can be a great way to attract people to your site who may not have known about you before, and that is always welcome!

What is the Purpose of Your Blog Giveaway?

Before you begin your giveaway, think about the purpose of it.

• What is the goal of the giveaway?
• What kind of outcome are you expecting?

Maybe you want more Facebook followers, or more email subscribers.

Thinking about this from the start will help with the entire planning process.

Think about your prize

Obviously the prize is the most important part! It is going to be what attracts visitors to your site and encourages them to enter.

First and foremost though, make sure your prize reflects your blog and your readership.

What can you give away that will interest your readers and won’t stray from your blog’s content?

If you were to give away a power tool on a cooking blog, it just wouldn’t make sense and would confuse your readers.

Think about products that you personally love and think that your readers would also love!

Once you’ve got a basic idea in mind, you’ve got to obtain that prize. You can do this in various ways.

If you’ve got the PR pull, emailing companies about a possible partnered giveaway is always an option.

Show them past posts or reviews you’ve created of their products, or similar products.

Show them the benefit of working with you.

I realize this method cannot always work if you’re just starting out and don’t have the readership yet, so another option might be to team up with smaller shops (Etsy sellers might surprise you and want to work with you if they like your blog!), or you could always purchase your prize with your own cash.

Related: What is Etsy?

Think of it as an advertising expense and decide if it would be worth it to you in exchange for the boost in traffic.

A good giveaway usually has a prize with a retail value of $100 or more.

Setting up the post

The post is going to be what draws people in and encourages them to take action and enter your giveaway.

Keep it simple, and keep it genuine.

A great way to get a person’s interest is to review the product and then give one away.

You’re showing them what the product is or does so they can decide if they like it (or LOVE it!) and want one for their very own.

This also gives your post more substance and increases it’s share-ability because it becomes more than just a contest… it becomes a review which can stay active after the giveaway is finished and continue to be shared on social media sites.

Take great photos of the item. If you don’t have photos available (i.e. if a shop is providing you with a prize and will be sending it out for you) make sure to have them send you some pictures that fit nicely inside your content area.

It’s not necessary to fill up your post with a dozen photos, so pick two or three of the best and keep it simple!

Tons of photos tend to bore your readers if they aren’t necessary.

Pro Tip:Facebook contests is a recently-launched service that allows users with a business page to quickly and simply launch contests to their audience.

Additionally, there are multiple Facebook contest apps that make the problem even easier.

Collecting entries and call-to-actions

Remembering your initial goal of the giveaway, come up with a few required entry types.

This is where you can ask your readers to perform an action to be entered into the contest.

Giveaway widgets can help make this entire process easier, such as Rafflecopter or PromoSimple.

With these widgets, you fill in all of the requested information, choose your entry types, and grab a widget code to paste into your post.

They make picking a winner easy if you are doing a random draw.

If your goal was to increase Facebook followers, be sure to include a requirement that the entrant must “Like” your Facebook page to be entered.

If you wanted email subscribers, have them sign up for your newsletter instead.

Any social network site you want them to follow should be required, but do remember once again to keep it simple!

If you are looking for more Facebook followers, don’t include a bunch of other requirements such as following you on Twitter and Pinterest.

The more options you give the visitor, the more flustered they are going to feel which may defer them from taking any action at all.

For example, I’m sure you’ve seen those massive giveaways with numerous “giveaway hosts” that require you to Like, Tweet, Share, Pin, and take them out for breakfast the next morning.

The list of “things to do” goes on and on and takes a lot of time for a visitor to complete.

Not to mention the fact that they have just been required to follow a whole bunch of social profiles of bloggers or shops they’ve never heard of before that are completely irrelevant to the prize or original blog they were reading (more on how this can actually hurt them below).

So you can see why it is important to stick with your initial goal, and keep it simple, for the sake of everyone.

Besides your call-to-actions (these are very important for increasing conversion rates), you’ll want to collect other information from the visitor, such as their email address and location (if your giveaway is restricted to certain countries this is important!).

You will also need to list any rules, state when the giveaway will end, and share how you will contact a winner.

Promoting your giveaway

Once you’ve published your giveaway, you can’t just expect people to find it, so you’ll need to promote it!

Start with your own social networks. Make an announcement that will draw in visitors.

It has to appeal to them! Why should they visit your giveaway?

Create a nice vertical image announcing your contest and Pin it on Pinterest.

When you can, using hashtags like #giveaway or #win can prove effective.

Schedule a couple social media posts for the future so that you can continue to get the word out at specific times.

For example, maybe you schedule one for the afternoon, and one for the evening when people get off work.

Related: The best times to post on social media

If you were working with a shop or a company, be sure to send them the link and ask if they would mind sharing it on their social sites as well… it could mean an instant boost of traffic!

Think about your blog a few days from now.

Your giveaway post probably won’t still be front and center on your site, so be sure to create a sidebar graphic linking to the original post and place it somewhere visible.

What you should not do: Don’t go around leaving comments on other people’s blog posts announcing your contest.

It is spammy and won’t gain you any blogger cred.

Instead, there are a bunch of giveaway sites you post your giveaway link to.

Just search Google for “giveaway linkups” and you will see what I mean. Just remember: do not spam!

Choosing a winner

After your contest period ends, you can use your installed widget to pick your winner, or do things the manual way.

If your giveaway wasn’t a random draw, now is the time you’ll need to go through the entries and choose a deserving contestant.

Figure out how you will send the product, or if the company/shop you collaborated with will send it.

All that is left to do after that is to let the winner know they’ve won!

Deciding on the Type of Giveaway

One of the first things to consider when creating a giveaway post is the type of contest you want to make.

Surprisingly, there are several online contest options to choose from that will fit right into your niche.

Some of the most prevalent include:

Refer-a-Friend Giveaways

With the refer-a-friend model, the giveaways are mutually beneficial between you and your audience.

You provide a giveaway prize in exchange for people spreading awareness about your brand.

Each participant would need to refer one or multiple friends to your blog to obtain an entry, increasing your reach.

One of our top recommendations for refer-a-friend giveaways is to make them as simple as possible.

By adding buttons to the page or post, you can allow participants to send the giveaway to a friend or family member quickly.

Alternatively, you can add buttons to help them share the content to their socials within seconds.

The faster it is to enter, the more likely you are to attract another follower.

When paired with easy-access rewards, such as a gift card, your total number of followers is bound to increase.

Engagement Giveaways

Another option for a successful contest is to encourage participants to engage with your content.

Multiple facets of social media determine the success of a business, including likes and comments.

With successful giveaways, you’ll have your audience leave a comment on a specific post as well as leaving a “like.”

By doing so, they’re boosting your post’s engagement, making it more likely to be recommended.

Also, the more popular your giveaway post is, the more eyes there will be on it; thus, improving your outreach.

Depending on how attractive your prize is, you could have thousands of people viewing a single post!

Hashtag Contests

If you’re a fan of beauty bloggers, you’ve undoubtedly seen hashtag contests paired with an Instagram loop giveaway in the past.

These giveaways are pretty similar to engagement giveaways in that you encourage your audience to interact with a post.

However, in their comments, they have to use a specific hashtag, like “#forthewin.”

Typically, influencers will pair the hashtag with an effective photo for maximum reach.

Like any other type of marketing material, you want to ensure the image is eye-catching, relevant, and engaging.

One of the most significant advantages of this type of contest is it helps boost your visibility on specific hashtags.

Considering tags are frequently used to find content online, you want to have a high-ranking tag.

Before you know it, you could take over one of the most popular and trending hashtags in minutes.

It’s important to remember to include your giveaway rules with these types of contests.

Typically, you can add a small graphic with the giveaway rules to add transparency for your audience.

Reviewing Entry Analytics

One of the top tips for managing your follower engagement levels is to review entry analytics.

Not only does it help satisfy curiosity, but it can also give you invaluable information for future giveaways.

When you have an idea of your engagement rate with a specific campaign, you can determine its benefit.

For example, if your metrics show that you experienced 40% growth with a giveaway, you would want to consider doing more.

Ignoring metrics and analytics is the biggest mistake that you can make, especially as the data is easy to read.

Your metrics are also essential to determine which types of giveaways are the best to use, such as an Instagram loop giveaway.

Your analytics will show you the CTR of a specific post and where participants found your content.

You can quickly determine if they came from your email list or another service entirely.

With this information, you can identify where to advertise your giveaway for the most effectiveness.

The Downsides

I couldn’t end this post without mentioning some of the downsides of holding a giveaway.

As I said at the beginning of this post, there are some people who will enter your giveaway just for the free stuff and have no intention of sticking around in the future.

Nobody can be forced to stay a fan of a Facebook page unfortunately, so you may notice a drop in your new followers after your contest has ended.

“Unliking” a Facebook Page can also have an affect on your Edgerank (what Facebook uses to decide how many people you reach) and is what they call “Negative Feedback”.

That’s just the reality of it though, so you need to decide if those risks are worth it to you.

I hope this guide helped answer your contest questions, and I would love to know what has worked for you!