5 Most Engaging Ways to Use Social Media

May 27, 2017

Granted, this is coming from a guy who spends very little time on social media, but I think that’s actually an advantage.

It seems that people crushing it in social media are very clear on who they are and what they value (Once again, it’s all about values).

This all came to me in just a few moments. I just had a very fine cup of coffee, I got on Instagram and I suddenly realized what really works…

5 Most Engaging Ways to Use Social Media

(and by the way, that term Social Media is pretty much everything within public digital communications)

These trends make the following assumptions:

  1. We have a lot of choices, so what engages has to cut through a ton of crap (as well as a ton of value).
  2. We have extremely short attention spans and they are only getting shorter.
  3. Much of our behavior is driven by unconscious tendencies rather than conscious choice.

1.  Relevance + Expertise

With a million places to direct our attention, it’s not about what’s important or interesting or entertaining. It’s about what’s most relevant to us or our audience at any given moment.

The Joe Rogan Podcast gets more than 120 million downloads per month. That’s more people than watch the Super bowl.  I can listen to it for hours (except for the parts on MMA).

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I love how he mixes three vital elements:

1) Highly relevant topic matters
2) People highly qualified to talk about them
3) Improv comedy style humor and flow

The first segment of this episode with Michael Malice is incredible because I learned so much about what’s really going on in North Korea and how the people there are being held hostage. I feel like I’m being informed and having fun all at the same time.

  • What are the absolute most relevant topics you can talk about?
  • How can you bring your expertise or that of others?
  • How can you just have fun with it and be silly and playful?

2. Nostalgia + Remixing

Gary Vaynerchuck was at Mastermind Talks when I heard him say that nostalgia is going to be huge, I think because as things change faster and faster, the joys from the past become comforting and grounding.

In this video, comedian Bert Kreischer pretends to be in an episode of Magnum PI before his Hawaii shows.

bert-socialmedia

I noticed how this is far different from everything else in my feed, so it immediately drew my attention.

  • How can you do something that immediately catches visual attention?
  • What would be a pattern interrupt to someone browsing through a bunch of selfies and food shots?
  • What’s something from the past that you love that you can make fun of or pay homage to?

3. Gestalt image dynamics

This is a fancy way of saying it conveys everything you need to know, in one shot, without explanation.  I got a lot of compliments on this post for that reason.  This is me conveying my ideal productive day, without explanation…

gestalt-socialmedia

4. Funny Narratives

The value of humor cannot be underplayed. I remember seeing Seth Godin speak and half the content was funny images. As a pro speaker I thought it seemed like cheating, but hey, he’s winning and it’s working.  Funny cuts through, opens people up, lets us relax and take our guards down. I fully believe our next president will be very, very funny.

fredsavage-netflix

Fred Savage posted this clip from Netflix on Instagram. I love how I could understand the scene quickly, with our without audio.

  • How can you think and express in stories?
  • Add text to your pieces for people scrolling by fast
  • (Again) Don’t be too serious! Have fun with it!

5. Automated Conversations

This is brand new territory, so let me first say that a lot of people are getting this wrong.  Having automated conversations (such as facebook messenger bots) that are actually relevant and helpful are speeding up interactions and keeping people engaged.

For an example of this, check out the opt-in at Bot Academy

BotAcademy

  • To see how this can work with an app, check out the dating app Bubby Love and text the number there.
  • What is the ideal conversation you’d love to have with the people you love to serve the most?
  • What are the questions you can ask to really get to know your audience better?