Key learnings
If your social media content doesn’t resonate with your followers, it will be a complete flop. That’s time – and money – down the drain. It’s time and money you could have spent elsewhere on your digital marketing for a much greater return.
Creating thumb-stopping content that stops the scroll and drives traffic to your website doesn’t happen by chance. It requires a solid understanding of the social media platforms you are posting on and a clear and consistent brand message.
Social media moves fast. There are literally hundreds of thousands of posts made every minute on Facebook alone. That is a lot of content and noise.
Posting on social media is much like footprints in the sand. The footprints are there for only a short time before the ocean comes racing in to wash them away. Your social media content only has seconds to capture the attention of a user scrolling by before your post is washed away.
The trick on social media is to stop the scroll… and then draw that person on to your website. On your website, you control the story.
There are no notifications or distractions like there are on social media. If your website has a strong brand message and a well-planned user journey, you will be able to do so much more with each visitor than simply grab a meaningless social media ‘like’.
Depending on the platform you are posting on, there are various types of social media content.
Before you can decide what to post, you need to understand how the platform operates and what will get you the best results.
On Facebook, you can share images, videos, links, photo albums, stories, events and products. Short-form content that illustrates a single message clearly and succinctly or video content that dives into a topic of interest work best.
Instagram, on the other hand, is a highly visual platform. Every post should be accompanied by a high quality image that works to illustrate the post caption.
LinkedIn is almost like a business Facebook, so the same content principles apply. Laser focus each post on a very specific point and show your knowledge and expertise.
The fourth major social media channel that works for business is YouTube. Obviously, video content is the go here. And that video content needs to be high quality and on-brand to get results.
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Your mission is simple. Every post you create needs to do one – or more – of three things. It needs to educate, entertain or inspire.
So much social media content is written to generate likes or comments. But… likes and comments mean nothing if your business is failing.
So how do you educate, entertain and inspire with your social media content? It all starts with knowing your target market and having a clear and consistent brand. With this as a base – and a strong website to support you – crafting your social media posts is much simpler.
Educational content is where you show your expertise and knowledge in your niche through how-to videos or tips and tricks posts. Ideally, send readers through to a more detailed article on your website.
You can also use educational content to tell your followers about your products and services. New products are always popular. However, be careful with sales content – keep it to 20% of the total. A constant hard sell on social media will not serve you well.
The most entertaining content is often the human story behind your business. News about team members, award wins or support of your local community are great places to find ideas. This type of content is also great for giving your brand a personality and helping to build emotional connection.
And finally, inspiring content is really effective if you can bring it into the mix. Case studies with fabulous photography or superb long-term numerical outcomes are a great way to inspire readers and send them through to your site to learn more.
One of the biggest mistakes business owners make with their social media content is to chase the algorithm, hoping they can crack the code. You can’t. And you’ll go broke trying.
Trying to beat a social media algorithm is not a battle you will ever win. In fact, positioning your content to beat the algorithm will do more damage than good.
Focus on posting quality content consistent with your brand rather than sharing viral content in the hopes of boosting your numbers.
In order to make any progress with your social media content, you need to have a content plan in place and follow it consistently.
It’s important to note that you don’t need to be posting multiple times a day or even once a day to build a solid social media presence. For most businesses, posting once or twice a week will be sufficient.
When you plan your content in batches of one or two months, you can be sure that you have a balance of content that entertains, educates and inspires.
At Brilliant Digital, we work with our clients to deliver holistic digital marketing solutions, of which social media is one. We know each platform inside and out and create social media content that drives clicks and starts conversations.
If you want to take your social media and content to the next level, join us for our Digital Marketing 101 web class where we will give you a clear roadmap to success. Claim your free digital marketing consultation to clarify the best next step for your organisation. Or take your skills to the next level with our digital marketing courses for business owners.
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