Unique Post Ideas to Boost Social Engagement

Blog posts, sale announcements, product launches--you've added them all to your calendar, but your follower count has plateaued. With strong branding and daily updates, you're doing everything right. Why are you struggling to turn 1,000 followers into 10,000?

The truth is that social media users are advertising experts. Scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for hours means they've seen it all. They'll follow you if they like your product or service, but successful marketers attract people who haven't purchased.

This requires unique social media business post ideas, often disguising your promotion as a game, a heartwarming memory, or a relaxing video. Visitors might not realize that they're viewing an advertisement--and if they do, they're having so much fun that they don't care.

Mood Lifters

Uplifting content is a universal crowd-pleaser. You can only stay motivated once you spot a cheerful quote that reminds you to enjoy life. After hitting the "like" button, you share the post to make others feel good. If you're particularly inspired, you save the post to your camera roll or make it your lock screen wallpaper.

Thousands of people have the same experience each day. You can try it out by looking up inspirational quotes, adding one to an image, and sharing the picture on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter/X. Interactions will likely multiply because you found the perfect balance: fun, uncontroversial, and not explicitly trying to sell anything.

As a bonus, find quotes relevant to the platform or industry. LinkedIn users appreciate thoughts about leadership as they drink their morning coffee. If you sell life insurance, customers want to know how to make the most of life. You can tie this back to your company without overselling it.

However, avoid relying on uplifting messages. Sharing them too often turns your profile into a generic "inspirational quotes" page with few conversions. When used sparingly, motivational content puts visitors in a good mood as they discover your product.

Recipes

Recipe blogs, cooking videos, and foodie profiles earn millions of views because everyone—even people who can't cook—loves imagining themselves eating home-cooked meals with fresh, nourishing ingredients. Plus, structuring your life around food is a near-universal experience. Morning snacks, healthy lunches, workout shakes, and sit-down meals occupy several hours each week.

Businesses that sell food, ingredients, cookware, kitchen appliances, and restaurant supplies take advantage of this by sharing recipes. As their mouths water, followers start thinking about potential meals. It's hot outside, and powdered drink mixes make cold margaritas. Wouldn't lunch be easier with pre-organized bento boxes? In minutes, they're placing an order.

Combining recipes with two other marketing techniques: familiarity and storytelling. Dig up an old family recipe and share stories about Thanksgiving dinners, backyard barbecues, or s'mores around the campfire. Add family photos to create a human connection.

If your business isn't food-oriented, you can still throw in the occasional summer drink recipe or list of holiday cookie ideas. You'll earn conversions from people who spotted the post and decided to visit your site. Recipes are especially popular with email newsletters because they're like mini blogs.

Gift Guides

Product pages can be daunting for shoppers who want a gift or two. Gift guides make it easy by suggesting items according to the recipient's preferences. For example, Glossier's 2023 gift guide breaks products into categories, such as "Stocking Stuffers," "Fan Favorites," and "For the colorful and bold."

Study your demographics to see which items resonate with each group, then organize them into a social media post with prices, images, and links. Some platforms allow followers to shop directly through the app, eliminating an extra click. For more engagement, set up a quiz on your website that suggests purchases at the end.

Gift guides usually appear before Christmas, but you can update your guide all year long. After all, most celebrations, such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, baby showers, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, and Mother's Day, come with the expectation of a thoughtful gift.

Sensory Videos

Scroll through TikTok or Instagram Reels, and you'll find influencers squeezing slime, rustling fabric, making crafts, and applying glittery makeup. People crave stimulation, and corporations have adapted by appealing to their senses. You've probably watched branded sensory videos without realizing it.

These videos are a no-brainer if you sell slime, makeup, art supplies, or related items. However, virtually any product can become a sensory experience. Watch autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos to get ideas.

For example, a knife company could upload videos of their cutlery slicing through various foods. Cotton swab brands could trace lines and images with the product. Furniture stores could showcase the different upholstery textures.

Viewers associate your brand with relaxation and see the product quality up close, all without realizing it. You don't need actors or fancy camera equipment--sometimes, the right combination of sounds and textures is all you need to go viral.

Unboxing Videos

Your shipment arrived—now it's time to grab the camera! This sounds strange, but unboxing videos regularly go viral. Unwrapping plastic, opening boxes, and crinkling paper produce soothing, relaxing sounds. The shipment itself doesn't matter. Cute and colorful items attract more viewers, but people will watch you unbox a water pump if it's calming enough.

However, tearing open a package in 30 seconds won't relax your audience. Successful videographers use these techniques:

1. Tapping on the box before you start
2. Slowly open the package as if you're unwrapping china plates
3. Crinkling the paper and plastic inside
4. Removing each item separately and showing it to the viewer
   

You can open packages quietly or whisper to your audience, describing the shipment and discussing your business. Some viewers find whispering so calming that they fall asleep to unboxing videos.

Packing Videos

Order fulfillment offers a similar opportunity. Film yourself packaging items, applying stickers, writing "thank you" notes, and slipping them in envelopes or boxes. Audiences enjoy the process because watching you complete a task is calming and satisfying.

This also gives you a chance to subtly advertise your goods. Avoid sales-y language--instead, talk about the items you're shipping. Are they new, popular, hand-crafted, healthy, or made from sustainable materials? Now that they've learned more, casual watchers may become long-term customers.

Many people watch these videos with the sound off, so add text to the screen. Keep it brief so that it doesn't obstruct the visuals.

For more engagement ideas, learn about social commerce trends.

Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are one of the most creative social media business post ideas. Followers scour your social media profiles for clues, then earn a free prize or giveaway entry. This requires them to scroll through your posts, learning about your company.

Only a small percentage will participate, so this works better when you have at least a few thousand followers. Follow these steps to develop your game:

1. Decide where you'll hide your code words.
2. Write a clue for each code word.
3. Post one clue a day on social media.
4. Offer a prize or giveaway entry to anyone who finds all the code words.
   

Will people collect all the code words and give their friends the answers? Probably, but they're not as sneaky as they think. They're still viewing your profile, learning about your brand, and boosting engagement rates.

Life Tips

Everybody searches for ways to make their lives easier. "Life hacks" motivate you, save time, eliminate extra chores, and surprise you with hidden uses for everyday objects. When you share tips, you show your audience that you care about their well-being.

Think about what you've learned in your industry, then turn that into advice. For example, landscapers are lawn care experts. Which weed killers are safest? How do you keep your grass healthy? Are dandelions edible? Answer these questions and more to help others and boost your credibility.

Use a light tone so that you don't sound preachy or demanding. Incorporate personal stories to create vivid images in the readers' minds. This also creates another engagement opportunity--visitors might start a conversation with follow-up questions.

Memories

Starting your own business was likely one of your biggest decisions. You've collected photos, met new people, and made hundreds of memories. Discussing your history tells a story about your company that builds human connections and provides a cheap, easy marketing tool.

First, consider your anniversaries. Your official launch is the most significant date, but you've reached other milestones, such as shipping your first order, hiring your first employee, or moving to a bigger location. Find these dates on your content calendar and schedule posts with pictures and stories.

Afterward, dig up memories that don't have specific dates. A family event inspired you to start your own company, or you developed a new product during a camping trip. Scatter these posts throughout the year to make your brand come alive.

Ask coworkers if they have fond stories or old pictures on their camera rolls for more content. You might have notes and drawings lying around somewhere, too.

Guessing Games

Give neighbors the chance to show off their knowledge of your town's history. Ask questions about local attractions, such as "Who knows when this gas station was built?" and "Which store used to be a barber shop?" People enjoy discussing the "old days," and you'll show your loyalty to your area.

If you have a broader range, try more generalized questions, such as "Who remembers when we sold this item?", "Which songs were charting during this month in 1992?" and "When do bears enter hibernation?" Research different topics that you can tie back to your product.

Giveaways

From repeat customers to complete strangers, giveaways attract everyone and draw attention to your business. A simple action earns participants one entry. When you draw the winner's name, they receive a free product or service. They celebrate as you enjoy your follower boost--and possibly earn new clients, too.

Requirements may include:

1. Following you
2. Liking or sharing your post
3. Leaving a comment
4. Using a hashtag
5. Referring a friend
6. Signing up for your newsletter
7. Making a purchase with a coupon code
8. Posting a picture or video of themselves using your product
   

Giveaways that require a purchase receive fewer entries, but participants have a greater investment in your product. Plus, their pictures and videos provide free social media content.

Build more anticipation by hosting a live prize drawing. Count down the days on your profile, then broadcast the reveal to hundreds of followers. Live events add fun and excitement to your brand; the analytics help you gauge your popularity.

Quirky Holiday Celebrations

Holidays go way beyond Christmas and Thanksgiving. A quick search reveals yearly celebrations that most people don't know about, such as National Sticker Day, National Read a Book Day, and National Espresso Day.

Find holidays relevant to your operation, then celebrate with discounts, flash sales, product photos, or new releases. If you're short on time, acknowledge the day with a simple post. You'll keep your feed active while delighting followers with a fun fact.

Track Your Online Reputation

These social media business post ideas make your profile stand out, but you'll still falter if angry customers bomb the comments section. Reputation monitoring software tracks your mentions and reviews so that you can address issues, chart your progress, improve your visibility, and maintain a positive online presence. Schedule a call to discuss ordering reputation monitoring software for your business.