In social media marketing, asking questions can generate significant engagement.
If there is one word that sums up what social media marketing is all about, it is undoubtedly this: engagement.
Like the event that happens when a girl agrees to marry a guy, engagement is all about connecting meaningfully with a target audience who may or may not want to say yes to your brand. Social media is tailor-made for engagement, but many brands are lost when it comes to how to engage successfully.
Fortunately, there is one thing you can do to get engagement going for your brand on social media. It’s simple, easy to do, and powerful. It’s called harnessing the power of the question mark – and asking things of your audience.
Why Ask? How Questions Drive Social Media Engagement
Social media success is predicated on doing things that people like. And people like answering questions – a lot.
Dave Kerpen, the best-selling author of Likeable Social Media, brings up a great point when he discusses engagement on social media. He likens social media to having a conversation – and what is something we all do in conversations? We query our conversation partners.
Asking questions also creates further engagement because the responses your followers provide show up on their profiles to their followers, which can create a steamroller effect. This is often how pieces go viral – interesting content and questions inspire people to post responses.
Examples of Good Questions to Ask
What kinds of things can you ask about? What types of content drives engagement and activity from your followers?
Types of questions include:
- Polls and surveys
- Reactions to things in the news
- Opinions on a certain topic or idea
- Comparison pictures (where followers choose between two pictures or concepts)
- Queries about user experience with a product or service
- Favorites (where followers list their favorite destination, food, sports team, etc.)
- Ideas for improving a situation, product, or service (can be related to your business or something in the news)
Here’s an example of a simple question asking what people thought of a living room:
Coca-Cola generated tons of responses when it asked its followers their opinion on a controversial topic:
Disney knows people love surveys, especially surveys that give them a chance to share something about themselves, so they created a Frozen-themed quiz:
Finally, Avon did a comparison picture showing two products and asked its followers to pick one:
The best thing you can do to increase engagement is to try to understand your followers and give them a podium, a place where they can share their opinions. Use pictures, ask questions, and aim for insight. Give your followers a chance to tell you what they think and they’ll take you up on it.