Similar to how the conifers stay green longer than their deciduous counterparts, you should always aim to make your social media content as evergreen as possible.
Evergreen content? What in the world is evergreen content?
Evergreen content is online promotional, marketing, or engagement material that has a long-running "shelf" life. Or "screen real estate" life, if you will.
Facebook post that has a call-to-action nudging consumers to engage for an extended amount of time.
Blog article featuring a DIY or info list that wont go out of season or trend anytime soon.
An interactive tweet or IG image with a topic or theme that can circulate over and over again without going out of style.
I know from firsthand experience that in the wonderful world small business ownership -- whether it be some form of direct sales or, in my case, an independently published author -- social media engagement is a big deal.
And I don't mean owner engagement. While that is also of the utmost importance, I am actually referring to consumer engagement. Customers, clients, followers... readers.
Small business owners can spend hours upon hours scheduling social media posts, participating in takeovers, involving themselves in follow loops, and so much more. Just to be met with a soul-crushing silence from the people in their target market.
How do we avoid dead posts and get more interaction?
With evergreen engagement content, of course! Well, that's at least one way to do it... and that's what this blog post is all about. However, instead of the longterm, useful evergreen content for articles and blogs, we are focusing on social media post engagement -- posts that stay active for an extended period of time.
Not all interactive call-to-action posts are equally as engaging. When determining what to post, take these four defining features into consideration:
Is it eye-catching? Will my post/image make people stop scrolling?
Is the call-to-action quick and easy? Can they respond in ten seconds or less?
Is it fun? Will your followers enjoy the topic?
Is it appropriate? Will your target market appreciate the post's theme?
If nothing more, I hope these post ideas help you brainstorm so you can come up with some epic options of your own. Without further ado...
GIFs
GIFs are hot, hot, hot right now, and there are several ways you can use GIFs to interact with your market.
GIF war - Each person follows the newest comment with a relatable GIF.
What's a struggle kids today will never know? Show with a GIF.
GIF (or image) Polls - **FB PAGE ONLY** FB Page's allow you to use GIF’s or images for a two-option poll. The GIF’s aesthetics often result in higher engagement.
Personal GIF Prompts (goes hand in hand with the "About Me" theme.) "Type in your name and share the first GIF," "Show where you're from with a GIF,"
Name the origin of that GIF. The idea here is that each person shares a GIF that they know where -- what movie, show, etc -- it was plucked from, and participants try to guess.
What's your current favorite GIF? Share in the comments.
General Games
Interactive, but easy-to-play games are usually a lot of fun and can end up looping or staying bumped in peoples feeds due to heavy participation.
Duck, Duck, Goose (book, book, tome; purse, purse, tote; bibbidi, bobbidi, boo; etc.) Participants take turns saying the first two words over and over again until the poster ends it by commenting the trigger word.
Ruin a Wish - Commenter makes a wish, and the poster grants the wish but ruins it with a caveat.
Sequential Number - Super easy... first person comments the number 1, second person the number 2, and so on until it dies.
Caption this photo - Posters shares a funny image of a person or animal, and participants try their hand at captioning it.
How many ______ (books on the shelf, pens in the bag, wands in the chest, etc.) Poster fills an object with several smaller objects -- making sure to count them, of course -- then participants try to guess the amount.
All About... Me
Most people won't hesitate to respond to a post in which they get to share a little something about themself. So much so, we could probably have a 101+ list just for this topic alone. Here are some more specific ideas to get you started:
Favorite... color, hobby, book, sport, etc.
Share an image of your pet!
What was the most recent thing you ate?
Picture Roulette - Post the last picture you took on your phone, without explanation (or 10th, 5th, etc.)
Show n' Tell - "your favorite beverage cup and what's usually in it," "your first tattoo and it's meaning," etc.
Two Truths and a Lie - Commenter lists 2 truths and 1 lie, participants try to guess which is the lie.
Never Have I Ever - Commenter shares something they have never done, participants "like" the ones they have done.
Amazon Link Drop - "your current favorite go-to snack," "the last book you reviewed," etc.
Entertainment
Books, movies, music, celebrities, television series... entertainment is often a hot topic. Why not use it to spark engagement? ;)
Help me build a new playlist, share the last song you listened to.
What television series should I stream next?
Who is your favorite celebrity to follow?
Name the title of a book or movie using only emojis.
Post a quote from a movie and see who can guess it.
Name a song with a "color" in the title (location, vehicle, woman's name, etc.)
Make a decade (70s, 80s, 90s etc.) "mixed tape," everyone add a song.
Who is the best _____ character (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, etc.)
Polls
Polls are quick, easy, can result in some interesting conversations, and have the power to overtake those algorithms and gain visibility on your followers feeds.
Two-Option Polls - Polls with only two, general/broad options tend to lead to higher conversation engagement in the comments. **hot tip** This concept can also be used on IG Stories!
Would you Rather - go "fishing, shopping, hiking, or dancing," eat a "snail, roach, cicada, or worm," have a "nanny, chef, maid, or landscaper," etc.
Emoji Poll - Facebook/MeWe specific - FB reaction emojis provide up to 6 responses (like, heart, laugh, surprise, sad, angry). Create a graphic showcasing your poll's options each paired with a reaction emoji. Followers then to "react" accordingly.
Vote for your favorite ______ - ice cream "chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or Neapolitan," book genre "romance, children's books, fiction, or young adult," fast food fries "Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Arby's, Checkers," etc.
Word Games
Simple to type and fun to engage in, word games are almost always a win.
Phrase Generator - "Title of your Biography," "What's Your Superhero Name?" etc. Using two-three subjects (i.e. color shirt your wearing, first letter of your name, etc.) list several options under each and participants comment with what their matching answers generate.
Two Word Story - Have fun creating a story with your followers, two words (or one sentence) at a time.
Word Association - Each commenter responds with the first word they think of, following the comment before theirs.
Ruin a date in four words.
Create a scary story in six words or less.
ACRONYM Spin - Take a popular acronym (i.e. YOLO, LOL) and ask followers to make up new meanings for them.
Alphabetical Order - Name an animal, candy, book/song title, etc. Comment in alphabetical order following the comment before yours.
What are three words better than "I love you?"
Type the last thing you did and add "like a boss" to the end (or queen, king, child, dragon, muggle, etc.)
Predictive text - With the ever-increasing use of predictive keyboards from our mobile devices, utilizing that feature is an easy way to encourage participation. Start with a simple sentence, and have your followers finish the sentence with their predictive text.
There you have it -- 41 Fun Evergreen Engagement Ideas. Check out my Fun Evergreen Social Media Post and Game Ideas Pinterest Board to access the bonus graphics that correlate with some of the ideas listed in this blog post!