The Art of Social Media Poll
- Nadila Moezbar
- Nov 19, 2023
- 2 min read
Source: Shalstock
I’m sure everyone is familiar with social media poll, right? An interactive feature that online users can create or respond to, normally consists of two or more predefined answers. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn have it as one way to build engagement. Whether you’re a content creator, marketer, or community manager, audience engagement is highly crucial. Especially with how fast-paced the digital landscape is, at times, it can be challenging to build a high engagement rate on your social media.
But is it effective? Let’s break it down.
Source: @elonmusk on Twitter
When did it all started?
The first social media platform that added the poll feature was Twitter (now called “X”) in 2015. It is created so users can gain other’s opinion about a certain topic they want to discuss. The poll can be embedded directly into tweets and will remain live for 24 hours. The poll creator was able to see who responded to their poll. But now on X, the vote is completely anonymous . In 2017, Instagram announced a poll sticker that users can add to their story. Later that year, Facebook adopted the feature in which people can add on their status update, messenger group chat, or story. In their recent updates, TikTok and LinkedIn also added polling feature to boost their users engagement as well.
Why creators use it?
Social media poll is an easy way for creator to boost their audience engagement. It's convenient as user only need to do a quick click on their chosen answer. Interactive content may increases a higher engagement rate by 52.6% compared to regular content. Moreover, due to its minimal effort, all groups of social media user would likely to participate.
Using poll helps creator to better understand their audience’s preference and what kind of content or product they like to see. Interactive engagement fosters a community connection. It creates a sense of involvement as it allows the audience to be actively participate in the creator’s decision-making process. An example would be a YouTube trend “My Instagram Followers Control My Day”. In this trend, YouTube creators utilise Instagram polls that their followers can engage in. It's like a fun trivia on what they should wear, eat, or do for the day. Below is one created by a Canadian YouTuber, Lauren Riihimaki or known as LaurDIY on YouTube.
Source: LaurDIY on YouTube
Brands like to incorporate interactive marketing as their way to introduce a new product, promotion, educate, or provide product knowledge. It's totally versatile as it can be embedded through all stages of the marketing funnel, from awareness, consideration, decision-making, to advocacy.
Source: @allglows on Instagram
So… is it effective?
Incorporating poll in your social media page is definitely an effective way to increase engagement. Especially considering how online consumer behaviour is becoming more active in using social media. This interactive and low-cost feature provides an efficient and effective result for businesses and content creators. Because when audience felt engaged with the creator, it builds a strong relationship and loyalty.
What about you? Have you created a poll on your social media page?
Hi Nadila,
This was a much needed post, Social media polls are definitely a game-changer when creating audience engagement. People need quick and interactive engagement these days, and polls are a way to go. The evolution of polls from Twitter to Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and even LinkedIn shows it's effectiveness. I have also seen polls on Youtube these days. I also think polls are a great way for brands to gain feedback from their customers.
It's fascinating to see how a small feature is creating community connections.
Hi Nadila,
Very well done with your blog post! I like the way you structured your writing starting from history of the feature, quantitative evidence, example and lastly to the conclusion. The example of the YouTube video you've given has over 4.8M views and it shows how the audience / followers may have been eagerly waiting for her video to come out after engaging with her polls on Instagram!
I still remember when I first engaged in a poll on Twitter. It was surprising to see others' responses- it's a great tool to visualize other people's opinions. However, I did not know that the responses on X are now anonymous even for the creators! I wonder why they made that…
Hi Nadila,
Thanks for your interesting post!
I think polls speak to a person's desire to share their opinion and be helpful. Everyone thinks their own opinion is right / important. And passing on important information gives us a boost of dopamine - the reward chemical. There's also something to be said about social currency, and how we're viewed when we share our opinion!
But interestingly, when I run a poll on my work's internal social media, Workplace by Meta, I don't get many responses! Why do you think that's the case?
Cheers,
Jackie
Hi Nadila
Absolutely agree with your blog post about the effectiveness of social media polls! They're such an interactive and straightforward way to boost audience engagement, at least I buy it. It's fascinating how these polls have evolved since their introduction on Twitter in 2015, and now, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn are using them to increase user interaction. I love how these polls not only engage but also provide valuable insights into audience preferences. They create a sense of community and involvement. The way brands and creators use polls across the marketing funnel is ingenious, making it a versatile tool for engagement and feedback. Your point about building strong relationships and loyalty through this engagement rings also…