16 Proven Social Media Marketing Types with Examples

Social media is where the world connects! With 5.17 billion users worldwide, it’s a platform you can’t ignore.

A recent survey suggests that social network use has become widespread as, on average, each person uses 6.7 different social networks within a month.

Social media penetration is massive. This is a game-changer if your audience is the youth: 61% of Gen Z and millennials support social media influencers. Knowing this, the possibilities to connect, engage, and expand your growing presence are impressive.

Let’s explore 16 proven social media marketing types with examples to help you harness this power effectively!

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social Media Marketing is all about being active on those platforms where your audience is.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to present your brand, get useful insights, and communicate with the right people. You can advertise, network, and expand your fanbase by employing Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or even LinkedIn.

It should not be problematic to begin even if you are not knowledgeable – post true-to-life content and don’t hesitate to reply to your followers’ content.

Over time, you will witness how these engagements can enhance people’s awareness and trust in your brand. Selling is definitely an element, but Social Media Marketing is more about establishing long-term relationships. Start and stick to it – your visibility will scale upwards!

16 Effective Social Media Marketing Types + Examples

Social media marketing offers you diverse strategies to connect with your audience. Discover effective types and examples to boost your impact!

• Content Marketing

Content marketing’s primary focus is not only to sell a product or service but to create useful and entertaining content that will receive attention and engage the targeted audience so they can become loyal clients. For example, creating an infographic blog post or video content around popular topics and problems consumers want further explanation on.

Look at HubSpot’s examples of infographics and marketing blogs. It is one of the world’s most trusted and relied-on audiences because it offers real marketing insights to the audience to help their businesses grow.

Go ahead and do it! Try focusing on the targeted audience’s interests and create suitable content for them, whether it’s a ‘how to’ video, a ‘behind the scenes’ video, or an informative infographic. The aim is to provide valuable information to the audience.

With this approach of focusing on providing assistance rather than marketing and selling competitive products, you will foster strong relationships and credibility of your brand.

• Influencer Marketing

Collaborating with trusted influencers through influencer marketing is one of the best ways to promote your brand. Followers regard your marketing when influencers convey it as a suggestion by someone they hold in high regard. This is a particularly effective strategy since 61% of Gen Z and Millennials tend to believe in social media influencers.

Take Daniel Wellington, for example. The brand partnered with Instagram influencers to showcase their watches. The influencers posted stylish photographs and teasers to arouse excitement and urge fans to buy.

This can also be done by searching for influencers whose fans are your customers. With the help of a digital marketing agency, you can get the right fit and manage collaborations well.

It is not merely about finding an influencer who is popular. It’s about finding an influencer whose ideas and aesthetics fit within your brand. This creates authentic connections, builds trust, and drives results for your campaigns.

• User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) has revolutionized marketing as it is mass-produced by anyone considering your brand their favorite. It is the closest thing to word-of-mouth augmentation, having a far better scope. Asking your clients to take pictures, share videos, or review the product helps them trust your brand more.

Here’s a powerful fact: They hold photo and video competitions, encouraging potential clients to use the items and record amazing sights. This adds thrill and results in tons of content that would market the company tremendously.

To put it in perspective, 60% of the people believe that UGC is the most honest marketing strategy. An average campaign has about a 1% engagement rate. Using UGC in ads will generate 4x more responses than that.

Inviting your audience is asking them to be a part of a family, making them advocates who will take your brand to the masses.

• Live Streaming

Live streaming is a profitable tool that allows real audience interaction. It is where the excitement starts, and it’s more than just showing something through video. It’s interacting with the viewers where they ask questions, and you get to respond to them.

For example, Red Bull’s live events, like the Stratos jump, captivated millions worldwide. This is one of Red Bull’s live events that attracted the attention of millions all around the globe because the target audience witnessed the live action.

The worldwide live-streaming market is rising rapidly, having increased to $1.49 billion in 2023 from $1.24 billion in 2022, and is anticipated to reach $3.21 billion by 2027.

Working alongside a social media marketing agency is better if you decide to up your level and take advantage of the live feature. They assist you in making effective plans for when you stream your cases.

If everything’s done accordingly, live streaming will create buzz around your brand and gain new followers. And your connection with your audience will only get better.

• Stories

Since stories only last for 24 hours, they’re a great way to keep the user engaged with short content. Because of features like this, many users have learned to love stories on Instagram or Snapchat – short, entertaining, and interactive. Did you know 70% of social media users engage with Stories daily? That’s a huge audience waiting for your creative touch!

There is 15% more interaction with Stories than other formats, making this feature superior in building relationships with your audience. Do you follow National Geographic? They post stories on Instagram with incredible photos and share some behind-the-scenes info that makes the audience want to see more.

In addition, Stories can also be used to share news and teasers and even ask questions to engage your audience. There are many more options, like stickers, filters, and music. Start using Stories and see how your audience reacts to it!

• Polls and Surveys

With the help of polls and surveys, it is now possible to actively engage the audience and comprehend their likes and dislikes. Using such questions through interactive polls makes your followers feel included and appreciated.

For example, it is quite popular among readers of stories on Instagram to use the poll stickers. So, they will not hesitate to give their opinion for a good cause and for sharing fun.

On this note, 35% of marketers use polls and surveys to develop new content that is useful for them. Such an approach increases the level of interaction and provides direct contact with the customer regarding what they seek.

Let’s say you would have a video creation company. Polls might help you establish what video styles are most liked by your audience or what topics they want. Such advice will direct your content strategy as per the viewers. Not only that, but it’s also a nice way of earning trust and making your brand stick in your minds!

• Social Media Ads

Social media advertising is great for gaining exposure and ensuring your message is noticed. By using paid advertisements, you can focus on certain groups of people, interests, and habits, ensuring your content is delivered to the right places.

For Example, Nike does it particularly well with Facebook advertisements targeting users and getting them interested in the product. Were you aware that the amount of money poured into social media advertising is expected to amount to $219.8 billion in 2024? That shows the power of this particular strategy rather well.

Every business should take note of this! 86% of companies use videos on social media ads. The real reason is that videos are engaging and can get high attention. It could be just an introductory, a product showcase, or a story, but something about how video advertising works.

If social media advertising is done correctly, it is a functional tool to increase one’s market reach and help yield favorable results. You might want to consider trying it out.

• Influencer Takeovers

Outsourcing your social media account to an influencer for a specific period is called an influencer takeover, and it is one of the best strategies for strengthening your online presence. Offering your social media account for a day to an influencer allows you to source new content and leverage their following. This approach can help you increase your reach immensely.

For example, influencers in the travel sphere have done Instagram takeovers for Airbnb in the past and were able to provide a fresh and credible angle.

The outcome? Your brand’s page engagement has been reported to increase by 30-50%. You get engagement from a new demographic, while the influencer’s personality is naturally integrated within your material. Some even go as far as claiming that it’s perfect for every party involved.

Wondering how to conduct viral influencer takeovers? Why not engage the best content marketing agency Dubai and let them match you with the right influencers and devise an effective strategy? This way, you can stay competitive in the ever-evolving social media landscape.

• Behind-the-Scenes Content

Creating behind-the-scenes content is one of the most effective approaches to developing strong connections with the target audience.

Taking them through snippets of your day-to-day lives or how your product was made helps promote openness and self-assurance. This type of material allows people to appreciate the work, the thought process, and even the love that goes into the brand, hence increasing attachment to it.

For example, Glossier has been successful at posting product customers’ orders and pictures, packing, and dispatching items in detail for customers to enjoy on Instagram, increasing their chances of placing an order. This helps improve the feeling of excitement.

The stats show that 45% of the behind-the-scenes material consists of videos, 30% videos, and 25% streaming. You can use these formats to develop informative material depicting real events at your organization. Whether in a video, a photo, or a live stream, showcasing such periods enhances engagement with the audience.

• Customer Service

Social media in customer service is great for engaging and creating consumer confidence. The audience is known to head to social media forums for their burning questions or concerns to be addressed. 79% of customers expect to receive a reply on social media within 24 hours. Hence, it is worth being active and timely.

A good example is Delta Airlines. They have cultivated an image on Twitter where they actively assist their customers by responding to concerns and providing updates. Instead, they took a more active role, and the result was satisfied clientele who received their answers within a reasonable time frame.

You could also do this by frequently checking your social media outlets and replying to questions. This not only assists in resolving certain problems but conveys that you value the customer’s experience. Providing quality services on social media is a great motivator to increase customer satisfaction and enhance your brand’s reputation.

• Product Launches

New product introductions always create a certain expectation and excitement among the customers. Posting updates and sneak peeks on social media is one way to make a stir.

For example, Apple’s product launch events are broadcasted via various social media sites. Such events receive a lot of audience interest, and there is justification for this.

Even more interesting is that 80% of consumers now go to social media whenever they need to find out about a new product. So, if you are marketing your launch on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, you are marketing to a ready crowd wanting to know what’s new.

The same excitement could be generated by posting teasers and countdowns to the big day or by showing some content before the official release.

Don’t hesitate to get involved with your audience by replying to comments and giving them a sneak peek. When done properly, launching a product on social media can create hype, boost community, and help achieve great sales.

• Educational Content

Providing informational content could be a good idea to develop your audience further. This type of material assists people in improving their skills or acquiring new ones.

It can include tips and advice, tutorials or how-tos, and classwork. It demonstrates a concern and a willingness to assist one’s audience in bettering themselves.

For example, Moz tweets SEO tips succinctly, which enables followers to apply the information shared within the tweets promptly. Content of this kind helps one establish authority in their niche and helps get the audience on their side.

Another option is having a frequently asked questions type of content or responding to your target audience’s difficulties. Through blogs, videos, or social media posts, educational content helps inform the audience and positions you as someone the audience would look to for support and guidance.

• Partnerships and Collaborations

Promoting your brand can be made more effective by working with others through partnerships and collaborations. Such partnerships enable the co-creation of mutually beneficial content by targeting an already existing audience that the other brand has. This strategy lets you tell your followers something new and get exposure in new markets.

For example, Spotify and Starbucks collaborated to create music playlists for customers, blending their services to enhance the customer experience. This type of partnership not only adds value but also promotes mutual growth.

In effect, content that has been crowdsourced has been shown to achieve 30% greater engagement than content that an individual developed. So that means that cooperating with one or more other brands gives you a better chance of getting in touch with more people in the audience.

Target brands that have similar goals to increase effectiveness in reaching the audience.

• Hashtag Campaigns

Hashtags are effective because they increase interaction with the audience and get the company’s name out there. Whenever a special hashtag is created, it makes it more likely that the audience will participate and exchange more personalized opinions than mere comments. These campaigns are very effective, as they help spread the content even more.

For example, Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke campaign was a huge success, where customers were encouraged to share photos with bottles featuring their names. This campaign increased sales and led to millions of shares on social media, making it one of the best examples of the power of advertising that utilizes user-generated content.

For a campaign to be effective, consider how it can excite the audience to engage. Come up with a name for the campaign that is short and easy to remember and tells people to post about their experiences afterward.

Organize a contest or a challenge, encourage conversations, or give incentives to those who participate in your campaign. If done effectively, it is a good strategy to create a loyal fan base for your brand.

• Social Listening

Social listening refers to monitoring social media platforms to find mentions of your brand, industry, or competitors.

By doing this, one can gain insights into how customers feel about the products and also understand their preferences and the current trends in the market. This allows you to consider these truths about your clients while developing your marketing strategy and being able to attend to their concerns regarding your product and service provision in a timely.

For instance, a content marketing agency in Dubai may use tools like Hootsuite to monitor their client’s social media brand mentions. This means they respond in the present, connect with their clients, and change their campaigns depending on the feedback they get.

According to 89% of marketers, social listening is important as it provides insights that aid decision-making. Therefore, social listening enables you to relate better with your target market and helps you be competitive. It’s a very important technology if you want to promote your brand and protect its reputation on social networks.

• Social Commerce

Like any business, social commerce allows owners to use their products or services through social media. Integrating social media and e-commerce makes it simpler for audiences to shop around while providing a smooth experience on the sites they frequently visit. 

For example, many fashion brands have turned Instagram into a virtual storefront. In particular, a shoppable post features a product tag where customers can look for and buy those products within the app. This helps engage customers, thus increasing sales and actively participating in the sales process. 

There is a reason for the rapid growth in this sector, as recent statistics show that 71% of users buy something via social media. Focus on making social media easy to find. Your products will be there. Engage your users through great offers and simple social selling, and get instant sales without even hopping off social platforms.

Conclusion

Social media marketing is one of the most powerful ways to reach your target audience and develop your brand further.

When analyzing experts of 15 types, you may experiment with which works best for your aims. It should be noted that consistency and creativity are essential. You don’t have to do everything in one shot.

You can take baby steps, monitor how it goes, and change it. For instance, when you create content or do engaging campaigns, people will know the compelling effect you’ve made.

Now, take these pieces of advice and develop a comfortable strategy for you and your team!