“Educate your audience 80% and promote your business 20%.” This is the 80/20 rule in social media posting. It is an effective marketing strategy among social media platforms. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong notes that such a principle holds true among online customers. They don’t normally go to social media places to make a purchase. Their main purpose is to connect with other people, discover news and trends, and find information that is of value to them. So, if you offer them value most of the time, you can also most likely influence them to make a purchase. As such, brands and businesses need to boost social media engagement through the 80/20 rule!

WHAT IS THE 80/20 RULE?

Otherwise known as the Pareto Principle, the 80/20 rule evolves in the idea that 80 percent of any result comes from 20 percent of its cause. Among businesses, such an idea has different translations. One example is, that 80 percent of a company’s profit comes from only 20 percent of its customers. Another is that 80 percent of sales profits came from 20 percent of the sales team. More about the 80/20 rule, studies found that multitasking is not productive. Businesses should stop trying to do everything most of the time. Instead, they should focus on specific areas one at a time to yield the best result. A social media agency Hong Kong, on the other hand, believes that the 80/20 rule is an extremely useful tool in focusing one’s resources on areas that produce the best results. For example, when posting on Facebook, post educational content, informational material, or something that provides value to your audience 80 percent of the time. Then, you can promote your business to the target audiences for the remaining 20 percent.   

The 80/20 rule was first coined by a quality management expert, Dr. Joseph Juran, in the mid-1940s. This was after Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, created the interesting formula in 1906. During that time, Pareto noticed that 20 percent of peapods in his garden produced 80 percent of peas. This inspired him to apply it as an economic theory. He discovered that 80 percent of Italian lands during that time were owned by only 20 percent of the population. He even came up with a phrase of “the vital few and trivial many.” Juran, then, applied Pareto’s idea to improve quality management. By delegating a QA team to focus on quality management, they found out that 80 percent of the issues on most products resulted in 20 percent defects. Today, A-students, Olympic athletes, and even self-made millionaires have been adopting the 80/20 rule. 

BOOSTING SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE 80/20 RULE

Boosting social media engagement through the 80/20 rule means that:

• Eighty percent of the content that brands and businesses should post and share on their social media pages should be authoritative, industry-leading, and informational. This is to position them as trustworthy leaders in their industry or niche. 
• Twenty percent of the content should be promotional, in a way, highlighting products and services as great and wow. 

Such a marketing strategy has to be done creatively, gracefully, and strategically. 

Useful Social Media Posts

Examples of useful social media posts which you can create to cover the 80 percent are:

• Aspirational photos like before and after transformations, desirable lifestyles, inspiring or satisfying images, etc.

• How-tos like advice or insights from an industry expert, cooking demos, desirable lifestyles, DIY projects, life hacks, and tips, etc.
• Timely articles like industry news, hyperlocal news, positive or uplifting stories, etc. 

There must also be a content format mix among these categories to avoid making your social media boring. You can post articles or blogs, infographics, GIFS, images, memes, video stories, etc. A video marketing agency Hong Kong also notes the rising usage of live streaming among social media users today. They are far more effective in connecting with the audiences and answering their queries in real-time.

Promotional Social Media Posts

The 80/20 rule states that twenty percent of your social media posts should be promotional. Here are some great examples. 

• Product spotlights like beauty shots, brochures, competitor comparisons, demos, detailed descriptions of product features, etc. 
• Special offers like BOGO, coupon codes, limited sales, promotional packages, seasonal offerings, etc. 
• Third-party mentions like affiliate marketing, customer reviews, influencer testimonials, positive media coverage, etc. 

To further influence a social media user’s buying decision, brands and businesses should always include a call to action (CTA) on these posts. It may be a download now, learn more, or shop now button. 

THE BOTTOM LINE

The main key to boost social media engagement is to avoid sounding like a cheesy car salesman most of the time. People visit social media pages not to make a purchase. But if you continuously deliver great, informative content, they will be able to brand you as a reputable business. As they were encouraged to engage and react to your social media posts, you can most likely lead them as your loyal customers.

Reference: https://www.brandmuscle.com/resources/the-80-20-rule-explained/