7 Ways To Create Great Social Media Content
Posted by Jacob Harris on Thu, Oct 06, 2011
Social media provides a platform for anyone and everyone to share their voice. But, as easy
as it is to share what you have to say, sometimes you just don't have anything to say. These are the times when you need to understand how to create effective social media content that will excite your friends and followers and drum up business.
1. Remind yourself of your customers' needs.
Chances are, you have been focusing on the products and services your business offers. That's great, but sometimes it is a good idea to engage your friends and followers by looking to them first.
Take some time to ask them questions or even just to browse around and see what they like and need. You will be surprised how much valuable information you can find that will spark an idea which you can use.
2. Engage your customers without pushing a product.
Don't get me wrong, Facebook and Twitter are a great way to get exposure for your products and services. But what if you don't have a specific topic to talk about? Something as simple as weighing in on a trending topic can be an engaging way to introduce yourself and your business to potential customers.
For example, the NFL season has been pretty exciting to this point and you could post a simple, "How about (that local sports team)?!" Just be sure not to say anything potentially offensive or overly-controversial.
3. Look to a partner for a mutually-beneficial project.
Just because you don't have anything life-changing to share on a particular day shouldn't stop you from getting involved. You can really grow your network and gain some favors by going to other businesses and agreeing to promote their products if they will promote yours at a later date.
To stick with the previous example, you may want to chase that local sports team post with a, "By the way, I saw this awesome deal on (local sports team) t-shirts! Go check it out at @Crazy Bob's." Make sure to run this by the other business first though so they understand you will expect a favor in the future.
4. Get friends to create content.
Your network will almost always provide quality content for you if you provide incentive. Silly games like a picture caption contest will generate a lot of social media content without you actually coming up with anything except the picture. Encourage your network to tag others in the picture and share it with their network. Provide a prize for the winner of the contest.
5. Get friends to promote your page.
The most effective ways to grow your network can be as simple as setting a number of friends goal, posting the number and offering a prize drawing if you reach that number by the deadline. The incentive needs to be a little higher here in order to get participation started but, once it is, it can become viral and grow your network very quickly.
6. Offer help to customers who have purchased your products.
Offering help to customers can help secure a relationship and increase the likelihood that they return as customers. Notice, this does mean ask for feedback in an open discussion. It is never a good idea to allow uncontrollable feedback because you never know what people will say.
7. Network with competitors, partners and even businesses who aren't related.
Whether you genuinely want to network with your competitors or not, following their social media content allows you to see what works for them and how you can outshine them. Remember to look at their content through the eyes of a customer, not as a rival business. While you're doing that, make a friend or two and return to Step #3 above.
It takes some time to perfect your social media content and it must remain flexible. Make a conscious effort to go back through these seven steps about once a month. If you do, your friends and followers will grow but the opposite can happen if you fail to motivate them.
Facebook now removes status updates from your wall if they are by a friend with whom you have not interacted recently. You will literally become invisible to your followers if you don't engage them and interact with them.
You do not want to lose the network you have worked hard to develop. Those users are surely interested in your business (or they wouldn't have joined your network), so keep their attention and your social networking marketing strategy will be a success.