As a social media poster, you know that sustaining and growing your presence is a must…but finding the right content to focus on marketing can be a big challenge.
Like with any big project, it helps to break your marketing efforts into smaller tasks and think strategically about what your audience will engage with. The goal is to foster long-term relationships with your audience, and to become a trusted source of content and information. If you don’t provide regular content or a reason for your audience to continually visit your site, they will move on to another provider of the content they are looking for. The Forbes Communications Council recently shared some of their thoughts around social media content that you can post to keep your audience engaged with your business below (Forbes, 2018). I have elaborated on how these tips can help you in your social media efforts.
- Refreshed and Repackaged Content That Has Performed Well
This is a great idea if you have a good amount of evergreen content. Original content is always best, but that doesn’t mean you can’t repackage and rewrite content that is still relevant to your audience.
- Stories About Social Causes and Behind-The-Scenes Moments
Millennials and Generation Z care more about causes than the previous generations. Let’s face it, business reports, financials, new programs are only so exciting. You certainly don’t want to come off as a cold, soulless entity either. Share some behind the scenes moment from the office and humanize your organization. Are you involved in any causes? If you aren’t perhaps you should be. Starting something as simple as a recycling program, collecting donations for a charity, or starting a stop food waste program are easy things to implement and get a conversation started.
- Guest Content
Why not guest post your content in other communities that are already established? Over time you can create valuable backlinks to your own site or content. Backlinks are a fundamental aspect of SEO. According to Jeff Goins, “Perhaps, the best part of guest posting is that it allows you to enter an already-established community and share your message. It allows you to connect with new people, which can ultimately benefit you, if you do it right” (Goins, 2014). Guest bloggers can bring additional value to your own brand.
- Get Shared Content from Customers, Subject Matter Experts or Industry Players
Perhaps you have an influencer you could call on for help? If you or your organization is lacking content, a good way to get a boost in viewership is to court an influencer, celebrity, or subject matter expert. Do you have some high-profile friends that owe you a favor? Calling in the reserves can bring a fresh wave of viewership to your content.
- Content That Promotes Your Company’s Values
If you company doesn’t have a vision or philosophy, you should get one quick. Successful integration of social media into decision-making and policy development is crucial for sustaining the reputation and presence of corporate communication narratives on social media sites (Carroll, 2015).
- Follower Engagement and Conversational Posts
Don’t forget the little people! Share the love. Your followers will love you if you retweet, share or repost their content. Building relationships doesn’t have to be a one-way street. Being bold and going fast are valued traits in today’s world. Communicate goals and expectations and detail how you plan to get there.
- Lead-Generating Content That Your Audience Wants To See
Sometimes you are already sitting on a treasure trove of content, it’s just not text. Promote obvious content through social media channels. Surveys, infographics, podcasts, articles, e-books, presentations, research papers, and videos should all be on the table.
- Response Pieces To Timely Industry News
No one is going to sit around and wait weeks for a response. Be sure to engage with you audience in a timely matter. I had a news organization reach out to me for comment, and they literally waited 45 minutes before running a story without waiting for my comment. If you can’t respond quickly, have a plan in place to ensure fast response times. People only seem to get more and more impatient.
References:
Carroll, C. E. (Ed.). (2015). The Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation (Vol. 49). John Wiley & Sons.
Forbes Communications Council. (2018, March 26). Eight Types Of Social Media Posts To Share — Other Than Company News. Retrieved March 28, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/03/26/eight-types-of-social-media-posts-to-share-other-than-company-news/2/#7f0ae78a7a8f
Goins, J. (2014, December 16). 3 Ways Guest Posting Can Help Grow Your Online Audience. Retrieved March 28, 2018, from https://goinswriter.com/guest-posting/