One thing we can consistently expect from social media is for it to constantly change and shift. So it’s no wonder we constantly get asked how to grow a stagnant community—when all the things you used to do are no longer producing the results you’ve been used to seeing.
A Crystal Media Insider told us recently, “I suddenly feel like I don’t ‘get’ Instagram anymore”. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, received a similar message from a question box prompt on his Instagram Stories: How does one grow followers with the Instagram algorithm? I’m sure these users are not alone in their confusion.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest are all powerful marketing platforms. Hence, we can expect to have to stay on top of weekly updates and new features. This week, to cut out all the noise, I want to share the number one thing every retailer needs to know about social media in 2022.
Try Something New and Test The Results!
Many experts suggest trying out something fresh on your page. Post a new type of content. Educate your customers with new information. Entertain viewers using a different feature. There are a plethora of new things to try. But don’t be intimidated by this! Even testing out just ONE new feature, or ONE new type of content qualifies as trying something new.
When asked how to grow a following, Adam Mosseri also suggested leaning into video, to try something new on social media, and be clear about your angle. Did you catch that? He suggests, “try something new on social media”.
Another Facebook marketing expert, Mari Smith, recently recommended, “Mix up your frequency. Even dial back and/or skip a day”. Posting every day at the same time might be the wrong move for you. Mix up your frequency and post time to possibly reach new audience groups. In addition, Mari has long suggested experimenting with post types and testing frequency and content on Facebook.
Check out this list of 30 different content types to test on your social media in 2022. See which new idea stands out to you, then go ahead with the experiment!
1. Go Live on Instagram
2. Post a daily Reel on Instagram
3. Film a video of yourself talking in Instagram Stories and use the engagement stickers
4. Create an Instagram Guide
5. Post a long form video on Instagram
6. Remix another account’s video on Instagram
7. Add to your Instagram Story Highlights
8. Post a carousel that includes 10 images
9. Use an Instagram Effect in a Reel
10. Add a heartfelt caption to a photo post
11. Post an update on Facebook with a colored background or plain text
12. Create an Album on Facebook and add to it weekly
13. Post a weekly Reel on Facebook
15. Host a Q&A on Facebook
16. Go Live weekly on Facebook
17. Create an Event on Facebook
18. Post daily to your Facebook Stories
19. Update your Facebook cover image weekly
20. Add a link to a photo post on Facebook
21. Create a long video on Youtube
22. Go Live on Youtube
23. Create a Youtube Short
24. Create a TikTok under 30 seconds long
25. Go Live on TikTok
26. Stitch another account’s TikTok Video
27. Create an Idea Pin on Pinterest
28. Create a carousel post on Pinterest
29. Upload a video tutorial to Pinterest
30. Create a carousel post on Google Business Profile
Test your new content type for at least a week and record the analytics of the post. From here, you can compare the results with previous content types to see if it’s moving the needle for you! If it is, GREAT! Now you know to add it to your content strategy. If it doesn’t change anything, NO PROBLEM. There’s plenty of other content types to experiment with!
Want more ideas to fit into these content types? Check out our blog post, 100 Engaging Social Media Post Ideas For Retailers.
Learn more about content types that are working now, trends retailers should participate in immediately, and content ideas that will shake things up! Attend our exclusive Insider event, EVOLVE 2022, to catch Maddie Goode and my session, Evolve Your Content into the 21st Century with These Social Media Trends, on February 7th.
What I Want You To Take Away From This Blog:
- Try something new that you’ve never done before!
- Post to a new platform you haven’t tried before.
- Test the frequency of your posts: Post more than usual one week, and less than usual another week.
- Compare your results with your existing content.
- If at first you don’t succeed, test and test again.
Okay, over to you…
Have you tried a new type of content that has produced some unexpected results for you? Tag us in your post so we can check it out and engage with it! We’re @CrystalMediaCo on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok!
Ready to test out a new content type mentioned above, but you’re unsure how to create that type of content? Send us an email at [email protected]. I’d be happy to explain it or share a training video with you!
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