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From Makeup to Memes:
3 Types of Content That Makes you Want to Follow Tarte Cosmetics
I’ve often wondered what motives someone to follow a brand’s social site. There is a lot of research out there that explains why we use social media, and essentially we have many different motivations for using social media, but I believe we primarily use social media to be entertained, to pass the time, and to share information.
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That being said, I know what motivates me NOT to follow a brand’s social media page —excessive promotion. A lot of unskilled brands post promotional content. However, most of the time, I don’t care about that content, and I definitely don’t want it taking up space on my newsfeed. Overly commercialized posts are not going to motivate me to hit the “follow” button.
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I want content that entertains me. When I scroll, I want to see beautiful or humorous images, compelling videos, and relatable content. And that’s exactly what I find on Tarte Cosmetics’ social media sites.
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The content on Tarte’s social channels is doing so much more than just promoting a product, and these three different types of content motivated me to follow them:
1. Content That Makes Me Laugh
From the clever humor and memes that fill their Twitter account, you can tell that Tarte Cosmetics is very dedicated to making their followers laugh. According to Sprout Social’s Alex York, incorporating humorous, lighthearted content is one of the 5 Social Media Best Practices Every Marketer Must Follow.
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Tarte’s Making Memes
After auditing their social media account, I noticed that Tarte loves memes. While I was monitored their social media accounts, they posted 7-8 memes in 5 days. This screenshot from Tarte’s Twitter shows a meme is relevant to the brand and its products, but I personally think it is entertaining regardless that it is slightly promotional.
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However, Tarte also posts memes that are entirely unrelated memes:
Some people may think this is a strange marketing strategy, but I love it. It has made me follow Tarte on Twitter, and it gives me a deeper connection to the brand. Sprout Social’s Brent Barnhart believes brands should strive to stick to the golden rule of content curation that says only 20% of what you post should be self-promotional —and Tarte’s Twitter definitely has a good percentage of content that's not promotional.
2. Content That Helps Me Pass The Time
We are always scrolling social media when we are bored, so Brent Barnhart suggests that brand should “Fill up their Twitter feeds with fresh, consistent content that lets potential followers know that you’re active, engaging, and well, worth following” in his Sprout Social article, 8 Steps to Get More Twitter Followers.
Tarte’s Asking Questions
Barnhart also suggests coming up with a collection of content where you regularly pick your followers’ brains. This type of content is ideal for someone who came to Instagram looking to pass some time. This screenshot is one of three questions that Tarte posted on Twitter last week. These types of posts automatically encourage follower engagement. By asking a question, a brand is creating a relationship with their followers. Thus, making the experience more personal and less promotional.
Quizzes and Puzzles That Engage Your Brain
Tarte posts fun content that engages followers, picks their brains, and helps them pass the time. Similar to questions, these posts inherently invite engagement with the brand. By incorporating quizzes and puzzles, Tarte is giving their followers something to do.
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Also, Buzzsumo identified quizzes as the “sort of content that makes people click” or, in my case, follow. This screenshot of a quiz posted on Tarte’s Instagram is a perfect example of content that passes the time.
3. Content That’s Relevant To Your Life
Tarte Joins the Conversation
It is clear that Tarte Cosmetics know their audience very well. Consistently Tarte finds a way to get in on trendy topics -specifically the type of topics that Tarte’s target demographic would be interested in.
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Sprout Social’s Brent Barnhart explains that “your Facebook content isn’t all about you. It’s about your fans. They might like you, but that doesn’t mean they only want to hear about you all day long”. Tarte is always posting “Fan-centric content” and is always find ways to incorporate relevant conversations into their social media.
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This screenshot from Facebook shows how Tarte is joining the conversation surrounding the television show, The Bachelor -whose audience aligns well with Tarte’s demographic.
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This example also displays a great balance of being promotional, but not commercial. Tarte is incorporating pop-culture and trendy events into their channels that appeal to their customer demographic.
Tarte Reposts User-Generated Content
Tarte incorporates this type of content seamlessly by reposting videos, images, and tweets that are created by their followers. I definitely will be more willing to follow a brand that features my own photos.
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The photo in this screenshot was originally posted on this beauty blogger’s account. She tagged Tarte (as well as other brands) to show her followers the products she used for the look. Tarte reposted her, which Sprout Social’s Alex York, has identified as a best practice to increase user engagement.
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I rarely follow a branded social account, but Tarte made me feel like I’d be missing out if I didn’t follow them. Perhaps it’s my personal interests that make me so intrigued by Tarte Cosmetics, but I believe underneath these targeted memes and tweets is a clear strategy that brands can use to get more followers.