Social media marketing is one of the most used digital marketing techniques since almost 67.5% of the world population uses the internet, and many have an account on at least one social media platform. This means more opportunities to target the right customer, recording measurable results for the business. Now, the need for engaging with the customer has come to light and brands are adopting interactive strategies to engage with the audience even more. They try relating themselves to characters, and movies, or being personal with the audience.

In this blog, we are going to look at how social media marketing engages audiences today.

The Simulation Of A Lottery Game

Nowadays, social media marketing has evolved into a more interactive experience rather than just presenting information. This involves using simulations of real-world experiences or characters. One such rising trend is the simulation of online lottery games where brands use creative competitions to attract users. These gamified strategies are effective because of people’s interest and the rise of online lottery games, which determine the success of their campaigns.

For example, we can see how brands often post announcements that ask their followers to tag a friend or put an emoji in the comments to enter a giveaway. They will then use a random selection tool to select a winner who complies with fair play. This is similar to how lottery games are played, where people can get a chance of winning with luck.

Interestingly, since games are part of pop culture, in this case, they may influence marketing strategies based on people’s attraction towards the lottery. Especially in recent years, online lottery games gained a lot of popularity amid the rise of digital gaming platforms. Although this industry is rich in various offerings, the lottery has positioned itself as a distinct option due to the long history it has, meaning that people in different times were attracted to the game.

The psychology behind this is simple. We love getting rewards and surprises, and when that reward is presented randomly in a competition, it can hook users into participating. The trend of online games and lotteries has also influenced people’s perception of viewing competitions as more of a fun banter than just a marketing trick.

Social Media Polling: An Easy Way To Connect With Audiences

Polling is also an emerging and engaging social media marketing trend that involves creating quick polls with a question and options for the users to interact with. Companies can ask a wide range of questions from simple ones like “What’s your favorite weekend activity?” to something that is more related to their business like “Which product feature would you like to see next?”.

All these questions aren’t just for mere fun; they provide insights and data into what the customer is currently looking forward to. Polling provides real-time feedback to the businesses and also shows that the brand is actively listening to its audience.

A great example of this would be Subway’s “This or That” campaign which involves asking audiences to pick between different flavors or packaging designs. Subway itself is widely known for its creative marketing campaigns and integrating polling in such a way is sure to engage many of its followers more.

Collaborative Content: Building Stories Together

Collaborative content building is also another emerging strategy used by social media marketers where they invite audiences or influencers to create content together. This can be in the form of shared posts, user-generated hashtags, or joint campaigns. On platforms like LinkedIn, you can create collaborative articles where professionals can contribute insights to trending topics.

This creates a more community sense of approach and improves public relations since the influencers or the audience can directly take part in the campaigns of the brand and feel more valued. For example, a fitness company can ask its followers to film a workout video with a specific hashtag that can be later reposted. This increases the engagement rate and also turns the customers into co-creators without having any additional cost.

Trending Formats: Stories, Reels, and Beyond

Short-form content is all over social media with shorts on Youtube and Reels on Instagram. People also use TikTok to market products and services in creative and fun ways that are quick, snappy, and hold the viewer’s attention for just long enough to pique their interent.

Nowadays, the majority of businesses use video as a marketing tool in social media due to its high ROI and engagement rates. 60% of short-form video viewers watch almost 80% of the whole video, which means more chances for conversion.

Many beauty brands these days use short-form video formats to explain makeup tutorials and more in 15-second clips that can attract users who prefer quick, visually rich content over long-form videos or written posts. In these short-form videos, marketers usually focus on providing the hook in the first three seconds of the video since that is what decides whether the user will stay engaged or not. That is why today, we see many reels starting with an attention-grabbing title that gets clicks almost every time.

Social media marketing is presenting marketers and influencers with new ways to promote their products/services. With new hashtags and trends coming up, marketers need to adapt to any scenario and use engaging ways like polling or public relations to build their reputation among their audience.