In order to be successful with your social media plan, you need to post content that will be shared by your followers, who will share it with their followers, and on and on.
One thing that is virtually a requirement for social media success is creating posts that are visually appealing. Posts with a visual component such as a photo or infographic are 94 times more likely to be shared on social media.
But, of course, an image by itself is not effective content. If you want to do well on social media, you have to pair visual appeal with text that makes people want to share it.
With the interactivity of social media, one of the most effective types of text is the question. It’s simple, short, can integrate well with imagery, and automatically invites response.
Different questions can serve different purposes, and can even be used in promotional posts (which, remember should be 30% of your posts, with the other 70% being non-promo posts that keep followers engaged).
Ten Types of Questions That Get Lots of Shares
#1 Motivational
People love motivational quotes. They’re uplifting and frequently shared. Do one better with motivational questions. For example:
“What have you done to meet your personal goals for the day?”
Questions like these not only help motivate, they also invite reaction and interaction.
This is great for community building, as your followers may respond, not only to you, but to other followers who respond
#2 Survey
Social media surveys, unlike the longer surveys you might send out about customer satisfaction, ask a single question, such as:
“What is your favorite blog post ever?”
People respond to simple survey questions because deep down (or maybe not so deep down), everyone wants their voices heard.
These simple surveys can bring you a lot of valuable information, as well. Answers to the question above might show you that your followers like blog posts about certain topics you haven’t touched on, or that are in a format you haven’t used.
It can also help you to see that there is no one-size-fits all solution when it comes to most things.
#3 True or False
Just like on a pop-quiz in school, true or false questions offer a statement and ask people to answer whether it’s true or not.
Unlike on school tests, social media True or False questions don’t always have one answer set in stone, and that fact can create interaction and conversation,
For example:
“True or False: Expensive Devices are Better.”
In this case, the answer is: It depends. Sometimes it’s true, sometimes it’s not. But with the True/False option, it will encourage people to discuss their own personal experiences with different devices.
These kinds of comment threads also tend to be very interactive and community-building.
#4 Relational
These questions relate something personal (but not too personal), and can help you learn more about what your followers like about your business, and what can be improved.
For example:
“If you could have only one of our products for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
Followers who are familiar with several of your products will be happy to jump in to share their opinions, and it’s a great way to get some positive testimonials.
And if a disagreement breaks out, it will be about which of your products is best.
#5 Did you Know…?
Also known as “Fun Facts,” a “Did You Know?” is a fascinating fact that isn’t everyday knowledge (at least until the fact goes viral).
For examples, see the Did You Know? Facebook page:
To find unique factoids, you’ll have to do a little research. Don’t just lift facts from sites like Did You Know?, choose a topic do a little digging until you find an interesting fact that seems obscure.
Finding a really good factoid takes more work than most question types, but the payoff can be awesome — mind-blowing facts are some of the most popular posts on social media.
#6 Advice
You’re usually the one to give out the expert advice on social media — turn it around every once and a while, and ask your follower for advice. They’re appreciate having their opinions valued.
For example:
“What is the best cleaner app for smartphones?”
This is another type of question that encourages interaction and community-building. Try and ask questions where you don’t have a set-in-stone preference.
You may learn something new. These types of Q&As are also a good way to gather information for blog posts — your followers will love seeing themselves mentioned if you give them credit for the recommendation.
#7 Timely
Some questions are time-specific, whether they’re seasonal, in reference to the day of the week, or about a current event.
For example:
“What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?”
Keeping social media timely is important, even if you don;t talk about the latest gossip or news events. If you’re not in the now, you might as well be a robot posting evergreen content.
#8 Fill-in-the Blank
Another pop-quiz staple, the fill-in-the-blank is so super-simple with its one-word answer that it can be irresistable.
For example:
“I left my lip balm at home this morning, and I feel naked without it! What’s that little thing you can’t do without (not counting your phone!)”
“Fill in the blank: “Aside from my phone, I feel naked without my ______________.”
These kinds of questions can cause bonding between followers if more than one person fills in the blank with a seemingly unusual item that others relate to.
Even if everyone agrees that they feel naked without lip balm, their bonding. Again, that’s community building, and it’s valuable.
#9 Just-for-Fun
Sometimes your Questions are meant to inspire thought-provoking discussions or give you insight into your followers. Sometimes, they’re just for fun.
For example:
“What’s your favorite sitcom?”
The answers to questions like this aren’t going to change the world, but they can lead to fun, nostalgic discussions that people enjoy.
The more people enjoy interacting with you and your other followers on social media, the more time they’ll spend there, and the more of your posts they’ll share.
#10 Thought provoking
On the other end of just-for-fun is the thought-provoking question. These are the questions that can stir up debates. Choose topics that are socially relevant, but not inflammatory or overly-controversial.
For example:
“Should new drivers be required to have a licensed driver present when they get their first license?”
These types of questions often take off as people debate the pros and cons of the topic.
Keep an eye on the comments to thought-provoking questions, as even the most seemingly non-inflammatory questions can sometimes spark heated arguments — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you just want to be able to moderate any abusive comments.
And Finally
Each week, choose one (or more) questions and create a graphic with the text using a program like Canva.
For graphics like these, you can use text only, or find relevant clipart to enhance it. Don’t forget to add you logo and your URL to your graphics!
They will tie them to you even if people download your image and re-post it themselves, an unethical practice that can nonetheless benefit you if your information is there.
Do you have a kind of graphic post that gets shared like crazy on social media? Tell us about it in the comments!
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