Make Your Social Media Content Count - 8 Proven Tips

2018-02-02

It’s not enough to simply use it. You have to do it right.
Most companies are realizing being present on social media platforms is vital. It’s proven that users of these platforms increase every year. In addition users spend an increasing amount of time on the platforms too. You’re missing out if you’re absent:

• Missing out on marketing space
• You don’t properly connect with your customers
• Your public image and presence aren’t being built

You must engage if you want to benefit your business.
Unfortunately it’s not enough to simply be present on social media. You need a strategy.
The platforms use intricately designed algorithms and users are overwhelmed with information. If you want to make an impact you must handle these platforms like an expert.
Content created correctly will transform you engagement with your client base.
Whether you’re creating marketing content or simply reassessing your online presence, social media content must be included. Do it right.
Here’s what you must take cognisance of.

1. Use Appropriate Platforms

Where do your target audience members spend their days?
There are many platforms and people do have preferences:

• Facebook is a platform for many discussions so you must be ready to offer consistent activity
• Instagram is the favorite of those who love photographs and graphics
• LinkedIn is much more business orientated and can be seen as your online resume
• Twitter tells you which subjects are current and popular; it’s where you make short, powerful statements to get engagement

Your audience won’t necessarily use all these platforms. It will be useless placing your valuable content on a platform your audience doesn’t even use.
This requires research on your part. How do you do this?

• Look for case studies online. You’ll be surprized at how many people have done the same research you require.
• Ask you current clientele which platforms they frequent. If you’re looking for more similar customers they’re bound to have the same preferences.
• See where your competitors advertise.

Now you know where to place your content, what should you include?

2. Can You be Empathetic?

No, empathy doesn’t require you to show sympathy to those viewing your content. Empathy is about using a new perspective.

Marketing Content
Do you know your marketing content shouldn’t be about you? If you want to attract people it should be about them:

• What are their needs?
• How do you fulfil these needs?

Once again this calls for some investigation. Don’t assume you know your customers. They may have unique reasons why they support you. Find out what these reasons are and use it in upcoming marketing content.

General Content
Even your general online content should include your clients’ perspectives.
What subjects do you cover on your social media platforms? If you’re only sharing, creating and commenting on what YOU find interesting you may lose out on engagement. You must tap into what your audience finds exciting.
Do you know what your clients’ preferences are? Once again research is essential.

3. The Power of Your People

Yes it can be daunting to create social media content:

• You need time to do it
• You need original content daily
• You must reply to followers’ engagement

How do you keep up?
Simply use your employees.
Make your social media projects group activities. Give employees responsibilities to help keep your social media updated. They can write posts, blogs or respond to online comments on your business profile.
You’ll reap many benefits:

• Employees will revel in being trusted.
• Each employee will engage with a unique group of people thanks to his or her unique interests. This makes your engaged audience even larger.
• The responses will be authentic which is an important characteristic most users look for.

4. The Power of Your Audience

Content is judged for quality in many ways:

• Search engines look for SEO ratings.
• Curious audience members want authenticity.
• Potential customers want content they can trust.

The last item can be tricky. People are used to being scammed online. Your supporters can help show you’re different.

Testimonials
Sometimes all it takes is a second opinion.
Place testimonials on your profiles and share them on your feeds. This builds trust. You can get them from many sources:

• Share links to where your company is mentioned in industry related content.
• Ask experts to:
  • Share your content to their profiles
  • Create content—such as a post or blog—on your profiles

UGC
There’s one type of testimonials that carries even more weight. Customers trust their own kind the most.
When your content includes UGC (User Generated Content) consumers assume your company is trustworthy.
And it’s easy to get this:

• Ask clients to give reviews and post it online
• Activate online rating features
• Motivate clients to write content for you

Consumers will know this information wasn’t paid for or fake. This gives it weight and increases trust.
This is why content is never only about information. Customers won’t become loyal without trusting you. Make sure your content nurtures this.

5. Stay with the Trends

Your customers are entertained—and probably overwhelmed—by many impulses and sources of information daily.
How do you make sure your information is even noticed?
The aspect of empathy (#1) once again plays a role here. Understand what your customers love. Most people want to be part of the latest trends on social media.
Pursue these trends and you’ll have more engagement.

Algorithm Guidelines that Change
What worked last month may not work today.
Your social media content is rated by search engines and the platforms themselves.
Why? Because they all need to offer their users the best possible content. Users’ news feeds contain items the algorithms believe to be best in terms of:

• Quality: The content itself must be of high quality. HD images and videos are given preference. Grammar and spelling determine the quality of your text.
• Relevance: Algorithms determine what topics people are interested in. Their searches and reads of the past determine what the algorithm supplies in the future. This is why you must investigate what topics your audience loves.

You can see the type of content you create determines your success. Here are a few you must consider.

Popular Social Media Content Types

Live Stream
Here’s what people are looking for in content:

• Modern
• Interesting
• Relevant

You can achieve all these goals through live streaming content.
People get bored with features easily. Features also change so fast. A modern feature is quickly out performed by new functions.
Live stream features are still new to social media. And the best is you can use it to boost any type of goal:

• Promoting businesses
• Marketing events
• Giving feedback
• Showcasing products
• Let your audience get to know you

Video feeds give live—unrevised—information to your audience. This finds favor with users who are looking for authenticity.
A live feed—which allows followers to comment—gives your audience a chance to be part of an experience. Users love social media platforms because they offer effortless ways of connecting with each other. Your live feed content fulfils this need.
Once again the importance of knowing your audience’s needs is proven.

Infographics
Don’t give your audience long and tedious answers. Help them see the solution you offer fast.
It’s proven that the brain processes images much faster than text. Combine the two for optimum effect in an infographic.
This can contain:

• Historical facts
• Technical information about products
• Vision of your company
• Your experience and skill set

The applications are endless.
Share links to these infographics on your social media platforms. Upon opening them they are given extensive information in a format that’s easy to process.
An infographic contains the basic information you want your audience to know in a visual representation. Using color, images and smart layout an infographic’s content is processed, remembered & recalled much easier than ordinary text.

VR
Virtual reality videos are a new popular trend. You can build VR videos with real footage or special effects.
Use this to give your audience an experience without them leaving their homes. That’s the future of modern technology. And now this technology isn’t limited to movies anymore. Your social media content can rise to a new level of brilliance.

Webinars
People are lazy to read. Don’t expect your interesting—and important—information will reach your audience by creating documents. Even Ebooks and shared slides only attract a limited audience.
People want interaction. That’s why social media is successful.
A webinar is a perfect solution. It allows you to communicate via the web through live feed. Viewers can communicate by placing comments. You can also control attendance to a webinar. You can ask attendance fees or invite specific people to join.
A webinar is your solution if you want to:

• Educate your audience
• Generate income from your knowledge
• Increase customer loyalty
• Showcase your—or your company’s—expertise

6. Mediums Matter

Never cling to what you know. You may get used to using a certain medium. That doesn’t mean you should stick to it.
Above you saw the importance—and power—of trendy posts. If you’re not using popular mediums you’re missing out on engaging with your audience.
Practice using these mediums besides text for optimum effect:

• Images: People take in the meaning of images faster than reading text. And you know people are always looking for a quick answer. Give it to them even in your social media content. Images are also remembered easier so your message or business information won’t be forgotten easily.
• Videos: Firstly algorithms give preference to videos. That’s because they know people love watching them. The added medium of sound makes a video even more stimulating than an image. They’re more likely to start watching it than reading long pieces of text. You can communicate more through images combined with text. Most platforms feature an auto play setting. Your video will start sharing your information even before a user clicks on it.

Social media content must be created with the intention of engaging with your audience. You don’t simply want to share information. Your content must draw them into conversation.
Using the correct medium—that they prefer and respond to—sets this process in to motion.

7. Topics—Where do You Start?

What will your audience communicate about?
If you don’t pick relevant topics your audience won’t have a reason to engage with you.
These characteristics help people move from being observers to taking part in your content:

• Current affairs: Social media users want to be part of new, current news. You impress them when you prove you stay informed about current affairs. Use news and popular topics as foundation for content & you’ll attract attention.
• Educational angle: People love learning new facts. But they want it in a simple, concise manner. Offer tips and solutions to everyday challenges and people will love your content.
• Entertainment: Social media is used as an escape from other life pressures. Give people funny or entertaining topics to fulfil this need.

You can see it’s about matching your topics with your audience’s natural inclinations. Don’t write about topics you love. Write about what they love.

8. Recycle

What if you don’t have content to share?
Perhaps you don’t have time or simply no new ideas to build content around. Then you look back.
Which of your historical posts fared well with your audience?

• Posts with the most views
• Posts with many comments
• Highly shared posts

If it was on a general topic—not dependent on a specific time—you can harness its power again. Social media users love finding old favorite posts they can show to their friends again.
Recycling old quality posts gives you time to generate new valuable content.

Social media is a popularity contest you can’t afford to lose. It will take some practice but developing quality content will put you at the head of the pack. The good news is your audience loves authenticity. Be yourself and use the resources new technology brought you. The new audience you draw will be well worth the effort.