Third & GroveThird & Grove
Dec 12, 2014 - Anthony Severo

4 Low-Tech Ideas for Increasing Engagement on Your Site

If your site is feeling static and you need some new digital marketing ideas that won't require a whole lot of funding, try one of the following content packages:

1) Brand Ambassadors

Engage users to be brand ambassadors: all you need is a photo of a customer wearing or using your product and an accompanying comment. Mix it up with industry celebs, super-users, and everyday folks. Invest in some good photography and tell their stories. Give them samples of your product in exchange for their contribution. I would recommend a flip board with each ambassador’s picture on one side and her story on the other. Social integration of these flipboards will attract new users to your site. It's genuine and engaging.

2) The Board
Encourage your users to share their experiences with your product in a visual way (think Pinterest boards). You don’t need a complicated app; a simple responsive design HTML5 feature will do if it’s optimized for mobile and lets your customers share a picture and a caption. Include some social sharing buttons and make it more engaging with a promotion code and/or a weekly prize for the best share.

3) Top Tens
Everyone loves a great top ten list. They are light and easy to consume. Have fun with it: if you’re a fashion company, you may want to consider entertaining your users with the the 10 WORST looks. Again, just a picture, a short caption and a slider and you will be amazed at how many people will lean back and click. And, of course, be sure to promote something at the end. Make sure that call to action is prominent. Adding Top Tens to your content strategy will for sure increase your community engagement.

4) How-To Videos
You don't have to go ultra high-end with every video you publish. Get your phone and film a co-worker giving some tips and advice. Keep it short and consumable. Do you sell food? Give your visitors a short video on crushing garlic or decanting wine. Sell furniture? How about a quick one on removing furniture scratches with a little oil?

All of these features can be incorporated inexpensively if you’re using a CMS tool and can certainly be delivered in one sprint. And make sure you keep it fresh by assigning a marketing associate to keep the content coming.