5 Top Tips for Social Media Content Creation
spottydog communications
Best of breed communications, delivered by pedigree people
Struggling to gain the attention of your audience on social media? With the ever-changing social media algorithms and increasing competition online, it can be hard to stand out and truly engage with your followers.?Zoe Barlow, Account Manager and social media whizz, shares her top five tips that can help you to create a compelling social media content plan that drives real results.
?1)??The best social media content ideas come from knowing your audience
Wondering how to come up with social media content? This starts with establishing a clear?social media strategy?and having a strong understanding of your target audience.
This goes further than just knowing which platform they use; ask yourself?what needs and challenges do they have? Once identified, you can create social media content that provides them with a solution. The more relevant your posts are to your audience, the more engagement they will receive.
If you’re stuck, don’t be afraid to have a look at what your competitors are doing. This can be a great way to work out what types of social media content resonate with your audience best.
Part of understanding your audience is also recognising and speaking their language — and this is why tone of voice is so important. Would they respond better to a chatty, jokey style of tone, or perhaps a more formal, professional style would suit them? Of course, this will vary across platform too. Once you’ve got it nailed, use this language when writing your posts to ensure it connects with your audience on a deeper, more personal level.
2)??Create a social media calendar
Creating a social media calendar in advance is key for staying organised and ensuring your content is aligned with your social media strategy. Not only will it mean you’re prepared for any upcoming holidays or events, but it will save you time in the long run which you can use to spend engaging with your audience.
Our?Opportunity Spots calendar?is free to download and perfect to use when creating a social media calendar, as it contains all the key dates you need to create a best of breed?plan. Choose the national days which are relevant to your brand and weave these into your content plan to keep your audience engaged.
Whilst planning your social posts in advance is definitely a smart move to make, don’t forget to also incorporate reactive content into your social media content plan. Keep an eye on trending topics & news stories and give your opinion. It will help your brand to stay relevant and at the centre of the conversation.
3)??Vary the types of social media content
To maintain your audience’s attention, don’t forget to mix up your content by trying out different formats and ideas. Evidence shows that varying your content can spike engagement and impressions!
For example, if you typically post simple lifestyle images, try a video instead, or even a more complex infographic. Or, if you normally post professional photography, why not try sharing some user-generated content instead? Sharing images and videos that your followers have posted not only helps you build relationships with them, but it adds authenticity and relatability to your social media content — which will do wonders for your engagement!
4)??Think about how your social media content can start a conversation
If you want to encourage engagement on your social media posts, then asking a question is the first place to start. Everyone has opinions and many love to share these!
In the post description, ask a thought-provoking question about a topic you know your audience is interested in. Try and make it relevant to what’s trending and your post is sure to attract some attention.
Or jump onto an Instagram or Facebook Live for a Q&A and spark some excitement and fun. Just make sure you let your audience know about the live stream in advance and don’t be afraid to ask spontaneous questions on the spot and start a conversation flow.
Social media algorithms prioritise meaningful conversations over transactions, so the more comments and likes you get on a post, the more likely it will be rewarded by the algorithm and pushed out to new people.
5)??Repurpose your best performing organic content
Often it can be challenging to constantly create new, fresh ideas that stand out amongst the noise. For this reason, repurposing your strongest social media and website content is your best friend!
The key is to choose existing, high-quality content and add a new spin to it whilst making sure it’s still relevant. For example, taking a long form video from YouTube and snipping this down to bite-sized clips that are perfect for TikTok and Instagram. Or turning the key takeaways from a blog post into a carousel post or infographic.
Giving a new lease of life to old content helps by saving time, but it also expands the content’s reach and lifespan, allowing you to reach new audiences that you may have missed the first-time round. It also gives your SEO a boost by improving your ranking over time and increasing organic visibility to your content. What’s not to love?!