Social Media Marketing for Business

How often do you come across quizzes on Facebook? If you’re as avid a user of this particular social media network, chances are you’ve come across at least one per day, if not more.

Facebook is inhabited by various forms of content meant to attract and engage, and one of the most potent forms of content would be the social media quiz. Not only is it adept in engaging audiences, but when it comes to marketing on Facebook, one of the biggest strengths that comes with the use of quizzes would be driving social traffic.

Think about it for a second; we’ll give you a moment. For every second you’ve spent thinking about it, someone’s already taken a quiz or maybe even posted their results on Facebook. This kind of activity leads to a chain reaction that spreads like wildfire, and in a couple of minutes, you’ve got a circle of friends and family sharing and comparing results.

Now take what you’ve just learned and tie that in with marketing. That would be quite the turnout, don’t you think?

Today, we’ll show you some of the best practices in creating an effective quiz for your Facebook marketing. Through your quiz, not only will you be able to attract an audience with something so familiar, but you’ll be able to engage them while simultaneously driving traffic. Let’s get started.

Attracting Audiences with the Right Title

As you might’ve already guessed, the most effective way to grab someone’s attention on Facebook would be to come up with a title that screams “Hey, look at me!” It sounds simple in practice, but coming up with the right title isn’t always that easy. You want to be sure it relates to what you’re marketing as well as keeping your target audience in mind. So to help you out, here are a couple of the more popular title templates for you to work with:

• The “Actually” Title – Did you know that adding the word “actually” can dramatically change the very structure of a question? Let’s take a look: compare the question “How much do you know about the Star Wars galaxy?” with “How much do you actually know about the Star Wars galaxy?” Notice the difference? By adding the word “actually,” you’ve turned a simple question into a challenge, and no one can pass one of those up.
• The “Which/What (Blank) Are You?” Title – Figuring out which Marvel superhero you are is always fun, so quizzes that ask “Which (blank) are you?” Or “What (blank) are you?” Are sure to generate traffic. It questions the very core of someone’s existence to the point where they have to find out which ice cream flavor they are.

Choosing the Right Quiz Type for Your Marketing

Once you’ve come up with a title to your quiz, it’s time to match it with the quiz type. Again, it’s important to know what you’re marketing and who your target audience is, so keep those two in mind when picking the type of quiz that you want to use. Here are the two you can choose from:

• The Personality Quiz – This type of quiz will use an individual’s answers and categorize them into a particular personality based on them. It’s the basis for most “Which/What (Blank) Are You?” quizzes and helps serves as a means of generating different results for each individual, complimenting them in the process. Something called the “self-serving bias” makes it so that people like hearing good things about themselves, and that is what this quiz type is perfect for.
• The Knowledge Test – This type of quiz gauges how much someone knows about a particular subject and delivers results based on accuracy. It’s the basis for most “Actually” quizzes and serves as a way to also qualify individuals based on their level of knowledge. For marketers, it’s a great way to qualify leads.

Crafting Entertainingly Engaging Questions

When you’ve got your title and quiz type all picked out, it’s time to supply your quiz with questions. This is where the engagement happens. Your title merely attracts your target audience; the questions are where you make a connection with them. In order for your questions to be as effective as possible, be sure to keep the following things in mind:

• Take the Personal Approach – Have you ever just had a casual conversation with a friend? Of course you have. Imagine that same relaxed tone and apply it to your questions. Let your audience get comfortable with who you are and inject some personality into your quiz.
• Liven Things Up with Images – Like a room with a couple of windows, it’s nice to have a little bit of daylight. What we mean by this is, it doesn’t hurt to add some images along with whatever text you have as your questions. Brighten things up with some pictures.
• Be Mindful of Your Quiz’s Length – It’s a good idea to shoot between having 6 to 8 questions for your quiz. On average, this will take most people about 2-3 minutes to complete, and that’s all the time in the world that you’ll need to engage someone.

Pairing Your Quiz with a Lead Capture

At the end of the day, marketing on Facebook is still on our agenda. As we generate traffic with our quiz, why not take it a step further by generating leads as well. Before directing your audience to their results, make a trade for their contact information. This will allow you to grow your email list in the process. Here are a few steps to optimize your lead capture form:

• Consider the Use of Incentives – Don’t be afraid to incentivize your lead capture form with things like a free ebook, an entry into a free giveaway, or even personalized emails with marketing advice. Every little thing helps when it comes to encouraging opt-ins.
• Be Honest About Your Marketing – Sometimes people will want to know what you’ll be doing with their contact information. This is usually highlighted in a privacy policy. For those that do not wish to opt in, you may want to consider including the option of skipping the entire lead capture step. I mean hey, you still get your traffic.
• Only Request Necessary Information – Never ask for more than what you’re looking for. In most cases, it’s just an email address, maybe a first and last name. Sometimes, others will ask for a zip code to see where people are opting in from. As long as the information you request is relevant to you, then by all means. Just keep a tab on how much information you’re asking for and try to keep it at a minimum.

Creating Results That Encourage Sharing

Now it’s onto the results! As often as we see quizzes on Facebook, the most you’ll ever come across would be the quiz results. These are what most people share on social media, and as the end result to a quiz that compliments someone based on their answers, who wouldn’t want to share it with the rest of the world?

• Compliment Your Audience – By saying positive things about your audience through your results, positive emotions promote sharing. Who wouldn’t want to tell the world good things about themselves? Be encouraging with your results, but stay within the realm of positive truths as well.
• Use an Attractive Image – The image tied to a result is usually the first thing most people see when shared on social media. That being said, you’re going to want to use an image that catches people’s attention.
• Include a Call-To-Action – Be sure to include a link back to your landing page, or even links to other useful things such as blog posts, infographs, or maybe even product recommendations. Including a call-to-action will make the most out of your quiz.

The Rest is on You…

By now you should have a firm grasp on the entire quiz creation process. Today, you learned what it takes to come up with the right kind of title along with choosing the right type of quiz for your marketing. You figured out some of the best practices for creating effective questions as well as a few pointers on how to optimize your lead capture. Lastly, you found out what makes results so attractive when posted on social media.

With all of this in mind, use what you see on Facebook day after day in your strategy to capitalize on the gravitational pull that quizzes have. In doing so, you’ll be able to take advantage of this particular piece of content that most people overlook due to its simple nature. It only took you a couple of seconds to tie in social media quizzes with marketing; it should only take about the same amount of time to realize that it works.

Meet JP Misenas

JP Misenas is the Content Marketing Director & Audio/Visual Technician/Engineer of Interact, a place for creating entertaining and engaging quizzes that generate email leads. He writes about innovative ways to connect with customers and to build professional long-lasting relationships with them. Connect with JP on LinkedIn or Twitter @jollibeats