Did you know TikTok ad spending is projected to reach more than $11 billion in 2024, with most business houses capitalizing on the fame of the third-most-popular social media app?

With social media's surging growth and popularity, promotion on these platforms has been a part of any business’s marketing strategy.

But, promoting your brand on social media requires a creative and strategic approach if you are afraid to spend top dollar to gain nothing.

Try creative ways to promote your brand on social media by sharing user-generated content, influencer collaboration, interactive storytelling, live streaming, boosting posts, collaborative hashtags, hosting contests and games, and monitoring and refining performances.

Are many of these terms relatively new to you? Read on to find out how each strategy works.

8 Creative Ways to Promote Your Brand on Social Media

Did you know 4.48 billion people currently use social media worldwide, of which 22% of consumers use social media to find and buy products?

Social media channels like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram have become popular platforms for consumers to discover and research products before purchasing.

There are over 1 billion monthly active users on TikTok, 2.910 billion monthly users on Facebook, and 130 million monthly Instagram users in the United States.

Since so many users are scrolling through social media to get inspired and research what to buy, maintaining a solid online presence on these platforms is vital.

From startups to large enterprises, all marketers are trying to figure out how to promote their brands on social media.

Here are eight creative ways to promote your brand on social media in 2023.

1. Share User-Generated Content

The first on our list is sharing user-generated content. Sharing user-generated content is an effective and creative way to promote your brand on digital platforms. 

Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic than brand content.

It is mainly because user-generated content develops and deepens audience and business relationships, driving more brand loyalty than any other marketing technique.

Following are some tips to make the most of user-generated content. 

• Encourage your followers to create and share content related to your brand, such as photos, videos, reviews, or testimonials.
• Repost images, videos, or reviews from your followers. Tag and give credit to the original creators to acknowledge their contribution, creating a cycle of content sharing.
• Showcase customer stories or testimonials about their experiences with your brand.
• Engage with your audience by replying to their comments to show appreciation and encourage them to continue creating content for your brand.
• Consider providing exclusive perks or rewards to loyal user-generated content contributors to foster a sense of loyalty and recognition.
• 55% of consumers research customer reviews on the internet before purchasing. Therefore, using user-generated content in your paid advertising campaigns will help add authenticity and relatability, increasing the effectiveness of your advertising efforts. 

This authentic content is social proof and can influence others to engage with your brand. 

In addition, this not only promotes your brand but also builds a sense of community and encourages others to share their content, leading to long-term brand loyalty. 

2. Influencer Collaborations

Partner with relevant influencers or micro-influencers in your industry to promote your brand. Find influencers who align with your target audience and values. 

Influencers have become a significant driving force in social media marketing. Their ability to connect with their followers authentically and relatable has made them valuable partners for brands looking to reach and engage their target audience, amounting to millions.

While accounts with many followers can undoubtedly offer reach and visibility, it is crucial to note that accounts with fewer than 100,000 followers can also provide significant social media value. 

When a follower sees an account they follow promoting your products, it may inspire them to try out your product.

Tips for successful influencer collaborations include the following.

• Research and identify influencers who align with your brand's values, target audience, and industry.
• Work closely with the influencer to co-create content that aligns with your brand message and resonates with their audience.
• Provide guidelines and direction while giving the influencer creative freedom to showcase your brand authentically that suits their style.
• Collaborate with influencers to review your products or services and share their experiences with their audience.
• Offer them the opportunity to host giveaways or exclusive discount codes to incentivize engagement further and create excitement around your brand.
• Engage influencers to create sponsored posts or take over your brand's social media accounts for a specific period.
• Consider establishing long-term partnerships with influencers to understand your products or services better, resulting in more authentic and impactful content.

Check out the ultimate guide to influencer marketing to grow your business.

Leveraging influencers' influence and creativity can reach a larger audience and generate buzz around your brand on social media.

3. Adopt Interactive Storytelling

Digital technology and the increasing rise of mobile devices have created a ready-made network for attracting clients with particular needs.

 Did you know messages conveyed as stories are 22 times more memorable than facts? 

Moreover, visual storytelling is the most effective method for telling engaging stories. Your audience is much more likely to remember images and videos than textual posts. 

 Following are the innovative ways to create great stories. 

• Use social media features like Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, or Snapchat to create interactive and engaging content.
• Use the ”Stories” option to show sneak peeks of your everyday hustle.
• Post videos of your consumers telling their stories about how your brand helped them.
• Incorporate polls, quizzes, countdowns, or interactive stickers to encourage your audience to participate and engage with your brand actively.
• Transform your storytelling into a game-like experience: include interactive elements like puzzles, challenges, or scavenger hunts that require your audience to engage and solve them.
• Offer participation incentives or rewards to enhance engagement and create excitement.

 Keeping your audience entertained and involved can effectively promote your brand and create a special connection with your followers on social media.

 Storytelling will be essential to your digital marketing strategy as long as you persist and create personalities your audience can relate to.

4. Live Streaming Events

Livestreaming can be used in a variety of ways to promote your business. You can advertise your product on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok Live. 

80% of consumers prefer watching live videos from a brand than reading a long blog about the same topic. 

In fact, it can become a sure-shot way to generate excitement and allow real-time interaction with your audience. 

Here are a few ways to leverage live-streaming events to promote your brand. 

• Use the live streaming to unveil new products or services.
• Host live Q&A sessions where your audience can ask you or your team questions.
• Take your audience behind the scenes of your business operations, events, or creative processes. Showcase your team, or share insights into your brand's story.
• Invite industry experts, influencers, or thought leaders for live interviews or panel discussions.
• Conduct live webinars or workshops where you can share knowledge, provide tutorials, or educate your audience on specific topics.
• If you are hosting or participating in an industry event or conference, live stream the event to your social media audience.
• Use the live streaming to host giveaways or contests, and promote your brand's involvement in charitable causes or community initiatives.

Encourage viewers to share the stream with their followers, expanding your reach. Engage with them during the live stream by responding to comments and questions.

Live streaming allows you to provide valuable insights, address concerns, and demonstrate your brand's expertise.

It also fosters engagement and helps build a stronger relationship with your audience. 

5. Boost Your Posts

Compared to Google AdWords, Facebook Ads are 88% cheaper. Users pay, on average, CPC (Cost per click) of $0.028 against Google’s CPC of $2.32.

 Any post on your social media profile can be promoted with a small investment, boosting your content to make it more visible.

 Spending $10 to $20 on a post can expose your content to hundreds of locals and introduce them to your small business.

 In fact, you need not boost every post but a few posts you want your audience to see.

 Moreover, boosting the occasional post can help increase your organic reach by increasing your engagement rate.

 Here are some tips to boost your post. 

• Boost your content by targeting specific demographics, audience interests, or behaviors relevant to your brand.
• Ensure your boosted posts have eye-catching visuals and compelling captions that capture users' attention as they scroll through their feeds.
• Include a clear and compelling “Call-to-Action” in your boosted posts to encourage users to click through and engage with your brand.
• Use storytelling techniques in your boosted posts to evoke emotions, create a connection, and build a memorable brand experience.
• Consider boosting user-generated content that authentically showcases your brand.

 Monitor the performance of your boosted posts, track essential data such as engagement, reach, and conversions, and refine your strategy based on the insights you gather. 

Here are a few tips and tutoriasl to boost your social media posts. 

You can enhance their impact by applying creativity to boosted posts and effectively promoting your brand on social media.

6. Collaborative (#) Hashtags

Did you know using 1-2 hashtags can increase engagement by 21%? However, they must be relevant, trending, and highly engaging. 

Your social media bios are the best place to advertise your branded hashtags. Create branded hashtags that encourage your followers to contribute content related to your brand or a specific campaign.

 Using branded hashtags promotes a sense of belonging and connection among customers and followers., which you can follow on every new post, video, story, etc.

 Here's how you can leverage collaborative hashtags effectively. 

• Create a unique and memorable hashtag specific to your brand or campaign. Or, pick a trending hashtag that speaks your brand.
• Make it short, memorable, easy to use, and relevant to your brand's identity. Example #kababfridays, #metoo, #lulapaloozanight.
• Prompt your audience to use the collaborative hashtag when they share content related to your brand.
• Encourage them to tag your brand's social media accounts and use the hashtag in captions or comments.
• Regularly feature user-generated content that incorporates the collaborative hashtag.
• Consider running hashtag challenges, where users can share content using the hashtag to participate and potentially win rewards or recognition.
• Regularly monitor the content shared using the collaborative hashtag.
• Like, comment, and engage with the posts to show appreciation for your audience's participation.
• Maintain consistency and longevity with your collaborative hashtag.

 Using of collaborative hashtags can harness the power of user-generated content and create a dynamic and engaged community around your brand on social media.

7. Host Contests and Games

Contests and games are an easy and affordable way to promote your brand to a large audience. Contests boast a conversion rate of almost 34% compared to other content.

 Develop interactive contests or games that provide entertainment value while promoting your brand. Offer rewards or discounts to incentivize participation and encourage sharing.

 Ways to leverage contests and games effectively. 

• Select a contest or game format that aligns with your brand and resonates with your target audience.
• It could include photo contests, caption contests, trivia quizzes, puzzles, scavenger hunts, or creative challenges.
• Determine your goals and objectives for the contest or game: have clear objectives to design the contest or game to support those goals.
• Establish clear rules, guidelines, and eligibility criteria for participation.
• Select prizes that are relevant and enticing to your target audience.
• Design visually appealing and attention-grabbing graphics or images to promote your contest or game.
• Encourage participants to create and share user-generated content as part of the contest or game.
• Actively engage with participants throughout the contest or game. Respond to their entries, comments, and questions.

 Showcase the winners or outstanding entries to celebrate participants and further engage your audience. 

8. Monitor and Refine Performance

Social media users have increased to 4.62 billion, and 92% of Americans use social media for business.

 In the quick-changing world of social media, what works today may only work for a while. Therefore, creating a business page or running campaigns will not help unless you actively monitor their effectiveness.

 By regularly tracking performance, you can easily modify your social media marketing strategy to stay on top of trends.

 Analytics can provide valuable insights about the demographics of your consumer base that you can utilize to customize upcoming social media ads.

 For instance, if you notice that a particular social media campaign is popular with a specific age group, you can target future campaigns specifically for that age group.

 Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer can give you insight into how each social profile performs.

 Maximize the return on investment for social media marketing by tracking the best campaigns for reaching, engaging, and converting audiences.

Conclusion

Social media is ever-evolving, so stay updated on the latest trends and features to keep your brand promotions fresh and compelling.

 You can effectively promote your brand on social media by implementing the above creative strategies.

 Learn more about capturing your audience's attention and building meaningful connections that drive awareness, engagement, and conversions with Searchable Design, the best marketing agency in the USA.