33 Creative Social Media Campaign Ideas

These 33 social media marketing ideas can assist you in successfully designing and launching your company’s social media marketing plan. Continue reading to learn six ideas each for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, plus three bonus tips you can apply to multiple platforms.

Facebook social media campaigns

Organic and paid social media ads on Facebook helps reel in new prospects and turn them into repeat customers. In today’s pay-to-play landscape, the real trick to using Facebook effectively is to make the end user’s experience feel natural — even if it has been carefully scripted and paid for. You can achieve results with carefully thought-out campaigns that mix organic and paid efforts for a seamless effect.

1. Build high-conversion, informational content for Facebook ad campaigns. Linking a Facebook ad to a buy now page may seem like the best way to realize tangible ROI, but that move can leave visitors feeling taken advantage of, jaded, and likely to click the “ignore ad” button. Instead, create high-value content with strong subheadings and rock solid takeaways. Allstate ran ads for their new Milewise “insure by the mile” program, and instead of a “buy now” page, the ads led to an informational page about how Milewise works. While the page included next steps for getting a quote, it wasn’t overly “salesy,” and it provided visitors with the info they needed to naturally move through the sales funnel.

2. Play the emoticon game. You can double down on market research and get some interaction on your Facebook page by asking people to “Like or Love.” Present two products or services, and invite viewers to hit the like button or love button in reply.

3. Run a photo contest. This is a fantastic way to generate more interaction on your Facebook page, collect a ton of user-generated content, and encourage more people to like your page. You can increase the value of such a contest with a high-end prize. Inspiration Design Center holds an “Ugly Kitchen Contest” every year, and the winner gets a kitchen remodel provided by IDC and its partners.

4. Do a Facebook Live interview. Much like Reddit’s tried and true “AMA (Ask Me Anything)” format, Facebook Live allows you to get intimate with Facebook followers and share highly engaging content like Tastemade’s videos about Latte Art and their Tiny Kitchen.

5. Preview your content in photos and video. While linking straight to content is a solid tactic, offering a short preview with photos and videos to entice viewers to click through can increase traffic to your website or blog.

6. Ask viewers to “caption this,” and tag a friend in a photo. Photos and videos get a much higher rate of engagement than simple text posts. Enhance that power by posting an unusual photo and asking viewers to caption it. Add another layer of fun and bring more engaged viewers to the table by asking them to tag a friend they feel is personified by the captioned photo. You can even compile a series of captioned images into a video just like ThatPetLife did in 2018.

Twitter social media campaigns

Twitter is now the social media center for customer support queries. Trends may quickly rise and fade away, but the right campaigns can more easily go viral. Best of all, Twitter is also celebrity-heavy, allowing you to interact with personalities who enjoy their fan base and often tweet back to fans.

1. Tweet regularly. Twitter feeds move quickly, so stay relevant by adding hashtags to your posts to piggyback on trends. Mix self-promotional content with related content and plenty of images and videos for best results.

2. Respond to comments — especially from disgruntled consumers. Sometimes the most positive thing to happen to a brand is a fast, decisive, and caring response to an unhappy customer. Turning their frown upside down is even more impressive to onlookers than making someone smile in the first place. JetBlue is a perfect example of handling a customer issue correctly (and the passenger didn’t even have to ask.)

3. Don’t be afraid to have fun. Charmin’s 2014 #TweetFromTheSeat campaign was hilarious and cheeky — and won six lucky Charmin users tix to that year’s Super Bowl.

4. Run a poll — then follow through. The Oakland Raiders asked fans who they should shoot a behind-the-scenes video with, and posted the most requested video the next day.

5. Create moments. Twitter now allows you to create a “Moment” by compiling Tweets, photos, and videos to summarize a current campaign and share them with followers. Imagine what you could do with a series of targeted Tweets and images.

6. Clap back — nicely. Roast beef headquarters Arby’s expertly trolled Wendy’s with their #MakeMySandwich hashtag when they created a sandwich image of the iconic redheaded girl in pigtails, and tweeted it in response to Wendy’s constant trolling of other fast food brands.

Instagram social media campaigns

Instagram quickly became the undisputed queen of video content and remains an exceptional way for brands to connect visually with their audience. Formerly mocked for being simply a place to post pictures of what you had for dinner, it’s now a brand marketer’s paradise. With thousands of influencers in every industry imaginable, Instagram’s platform is the visual medium of consumers.

1. Partner with influencers. Find an influencer with your desired fan base, then create a sponsored post to share your brand and product with a new audience full of potential customers.

2. Host a takeover. Select an influencer to take over your brand for a weekend, like when Sephora asked the founder of Dress Your Face Live, Tamanna Roashan, to take over their feed. Both Tamanna and Sephora benefited from the campaign as they cross-promoted each other.

3. Host a giveaway. Pair up with a non-competing brand to do a fabulous giveaway, and award a box of goodies to the winner of a photo, creative answer, caption, or hashtag contest.

4. Share user-generated content. Warby Parker leveraged user-generated content by asking customers to share #WarbyHomeTryOn photos on Instagram.

5. Create memorable hashtags. REI’s #OptOutside hashtag encouraged followers to get outside and share their adventure photos — a great way to promote brand engagement.

6. Use Insta’s “Story” option to promote flash sales and coupons. You can boost visibility by using a popular hashtag related to your brand and promotion.