A quick idea for a really good social media post

I saw a genius social media post last week. I don't think the person posted it with any intention of generating as much response as they did. It didn't even promote their business very well - but it could be so easily adapted and used for yours. Quite a few of you have already seen it, and commented. 

So what made it so good?

First of all, they choose a topic that most Brits feel quite strongly about - a full cooked breakfast. They asked a question, a really simple question. 

Why are posts like this a good idea?

Most people want to increase their followers on social media and to build awareness of their business. Social media channels don't show all posts to everyone. Their algorithms work by showing popular posts and those by people whose posts usually get a response. They look at 'engagement' to decide which posts are the most relevant. Posts that have been liked are seen as good. If someone has got to the trouble of commenting, that's even better, and if they've commented and shared, better still. 

To date this particular post has had 150,000 likes, 948,000 comments and 30,000 shares. That's incredible engagement.

The person who posted it runs "High Brow Bar" in Sunderland and mainly posts photos of people's eyebrows. She posted a photo of a full cooked breakfast - an admittedly large one, with the words: "You have to get rid of ONE item". In this case the post didn't relate to the High Brow Bar's direct business - imagine the impact if it had! It worked well because it used a simple question on a popular topic. 

It's simple to use this approach in your own business:

• pick a topic that everyone understands
• try to choose something that divides people e.g. tea or milk first?
• use a photo of something that feels familiar 
• ask a simple question that either needs a yes/no, A,B or C answer, or a couple of words

You can use this technique to build engagement, and ultimately followers. It's even better if you can relate it to your own business. Don't over-use it or your posts will become boring, but it's a useful way to kick-start your engagement every now and then. 

You can see the post here.