There is a saying among social media professionals that “Content is King.” Simply stated, posting valuable content is often what separates social media success from failure.
This is a challenging step for many, but my rule of thumb is to know that you already have expertise, now you just need to share it in a way that resonates with your audience.
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Here are some tips for creating strong social media content:
Shorter and punchier is better. Our attention spans are growing shorter as we are flooded with more and more information. If your Facebook post is longer than your pastor’s Sunday sermon, it probably won’t be effective. However, if you were to take the best quotes from that same Sunday sermon and post them as social media messages on behalf of your church, it would make much more of an impact, especially if the quotes build off one another and are united by a common theme.
Knowledge is power. As a business professional, you probably know a thing or two that can help your customers/audience improve their quality of life. Leverage this. Post messages that are informative and helpful. It will strengthen your credibility by leaps and bounds.
Engage the audience. The magic of social media is often realized by creating engaging content that generates buzz and reverberates throughout the social media universe. Think of social media as an on-going conversation, and when you want to spur engagement, you’re looking to post conversation starters. This could include asking a thoughtful question or posting a quote from a well-known person (one that’s in line with your personal/business values).
Reveal the human side of your business. Especially for small businesses, the loyalty of customers or clients is often to you and your team – the people – as much as it is to any logo or brand image. For my clients, we’ve shown their human side by revealing fun facts about the owners (playing a game of “Did You Know?” is always fun). Shouting out to valued employee, client or customer is another great way to remind your audience that there are dedicated people behind your brand.
Current events. If something interesting is happening that’s related to your field, or to your audience, don’t be afraid to make a comment about it. But keep in mind the “bar rules” do apply. Don’t get political or religious unless you are prepared to face the potential consequences of doing so.
Also, make sure you observe what others are doing. If you like posts you’re seeing from others, don’t copy what they are doing, but put your own spin on the tactic and begin to use it for your purposes.
Click here for examples of content that worked for us or for our clients!
Good tips here. In order to be successful, you have to appeal to your audience. That means high value delivered in a manner that they will relate to. Don't bore your readers with an encyclopedic regurgitation of facts. Instead, you have to be fun and interesting!
Simple concept, yet it gets complicated for some. I think we're still in 'write paper' mode - time to shift that thinking and create content with zest!