Just Foolin’ Around

Mastering the art of April Fools comes from nailing something that sits right on the edge of reality. Posts that are “out there” enough to garner engagement, but not so far fetched that people think it’s not possible. Yomconnect was super excited about our April Fools’ client results – particularly with two of our Retail Food Group owned brands, Donut King and Brumby’s.

Introducing stage left!

Donut King’s Chicken Salt Cinnis and Brumbys Fairy Bread Loaf

And the secret sauce (or secret salt and sprinkle!) is based around the fact that both of these April Fools’ ideas were ultimately ideas which many of the brands’ audiences loved and actually wanted to see become a reality! Tick number two in how to nail April Fools’ Day on social media. 

Just about every brand with a social media platform will have participated in April Fools’ Day, putting together a post with the goal of tricking their audience. Most people are aware of this, and are prepared for it. So when they see a post on April 1st that is out of the ordinary or slightly off centre, they immediately assume it is an April Fools’ joke.

So how then, can an April Fools’ post still be engaging? We managed to find a formula that worked. 

Donut King garnered lots of attention with their April Fools’, going so far as to appear on a 7 News segment specifically about stand out April Fools campaigns. Their “introduction” of the Chicken Salt Cinni initially raised eyebrows for its unlikely combination of two beloved foods – cinnamon donuts and chicken salt. While it was quite obviously a joke, with the words April Fools appearing on the image in the post, it managed to get people asking whether the product would actually be enjoyable if it did exist. Conversation is often one of the best forms of engagement.

Brumby’s also had success with the Fairy Bread Loaf. It was also featured in an article on The Slice highlighting the top 15 Australian April Fools’ Day campaigns. Where Brumby’s found success was with the fact that their fake product was actually very appealing, leading their audience into wishing that it did indeed exist. While most knew it was fake (100s and 1000s would definitely have melted into a colourful mess when baked), many hoped it could be real, and couldn’t help spreading the word around this tasty idea.

Having success with an April Fools’ campaign can be a great way to put your brand’s name into people’s mouths, whether it is out of shock or delight. And the end of the day it is all a bit of a laugh and a great way to drive engagement on organic social channels

Young man running with net strive for followers likes on social media. Millennial guy with catching flying hearts attract new users or subscribers on internet. Popularity, blog. Vector illustration.

How to Improve Audience Engagement in 5 Simple Steps

Step 1 – Use insights to understand your audience

In order to best engage with your audience, you need to understand who they are. Your desired audience may not align with your actual audience, so it is important to know what groups of people are typically drawn to your online content. Using any and all data that is available to you, start building out an audience profile. Once you know your core demographic, as well as your occasional ones, you can begin to tailor your content towards them.

Step 2 – Tailor your content to your audience

Your content should be designed and delivered in a way that will peak the interest of your audience. It is all about finding ways to generate engagement that is beneficial to your goals, whether those goals are to increase brand awareness or to drive sales of a particular product. Don’t be afraid to experiment either. While it is important to continue with content that is working, you should also be innovating, even if it doesn’t always land perfectly.

Step 3 – Post at peak timing

The timing of your posting can have a massive effect on engagement. With the sheer amount of online content being posted daily, you don’t want to waste your work by posting it at inopportune times. Know when your audience is most active and schedule your content to go live at those times. Avoid the muck and place your brand right in front of your most important eyeballs.

Step 4 – Encourage engagement

This may seem obvious, but it is important to remember that your audience is not obliged to engage with your content. Even if you have tailored everything correctly and are posting at the right time, you can still be simply scrolled past. Interaction sometimes needs to be actively encouraged. This can be done through polls, questions, giveaways, ‘tag a friend’ type posts etc. Calling your audience into action will increase the likelihood of your content reaching a wider audience, therefore bringing more potential customers into the fold.

Step 5 – Trending content

Social media moves quickly, and you need to try your best to keep up. Always having one eye turned towards trending topics, relevant conversations, popular formats and memes will minimise your risk of falling behind. Keeping up to date and active in online discussions is a great way to generate engagement, and in some ways can be an easy win for your brand. Trends trend for a reason, and you should always be looking to capitalize on that kind of online popularity

Metro Arts Laneway

Metro Arts – Art Starts Here

Metro Arts in Brisbane has a new home and yomconnect is excited to partner with the Arts organisation to help deliver creative visuals to promote an exciting program for 2023.

Metro Arts exists to ensure new art is created today, tomorrow and beyond. They champion all forms of contemporary art (visual and performance) and provide a space for artists to develop and perform to audiences in a contemporary new arts space located in the historical West End Village precinct in Brisbane.   

Metro Arts has been at the forefront of contemporary art for over 40 years and has been the launchpad for some of Australia’s finest new artists.

Their program consists of diverse works where there is something for everyone and they challenge people to explore and immerse themselves in new art forms.

yomconnect is excited to be a community partner with Metro Arts.  With a team of creatives – we are passionate about supporting a local community organisation that nurtures and supports artists and encourages expression, exploration and creativity.

To find out more about Metro Arts or view its current program visit Art Starts Here