Does your business use social media? Nearly half of all audiovisual companies do.
Incredibly, that’s basically the same number as have websites.
Social media is certainly popular. And it makes sense a lot of audiovisual companies use it. It’s largely free, for starters. And it’s not too tough to learn, especially if you’ve been practicing with it for personal use.
Many businesses are still trying to figure out how to make social media work for them. Social media also takes up a lot of time. It’s hard to find enough interesting content to fill up a feed.
That content is what makes social media work. Without the interesting content, engagement drops off. And as engagement falls, so do all the benefits of social media – the traffic, the leads, the followers. It’s a bit of a negative loop.
If you’re having trouble coming up with good content ideas, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Even if you’ve been good about publishing content regularly, most marketers find that simply announcing new blog posts on their feeds is not enough.
Audiences want more. If we want to keep their attention we need to try new stuff and be willing to show who we are.
This actually isn’t too hard. It doesn’t have to take up much time, either. You just need some inspiration. So here’s 14 ideas for social media content to help you shake things up.
- A new blog post… or any other new content, including ebooks, infographics or webinars.
Okay – this one’s not terribly creative. Let’s just get it out of the way up front.
But you do need to keep sharing your own content. Just not too much – keep it to about 10-20% of all your posts.
- A poll.
Interactive content – like polls and quizzes – is very popular right now. There’s a reason: It gets great engagement and lots of shares. Try to sprinkle at least one poll a week into your feeds.
- A sweepstakes or giveaway.
These do require a prize (which usually isn’t free). But if you’ve got enough time to promote them, these type of posts can do very well.
A word of caution, though: Sweeps and giveaways work best if you’ve got a fairly large audience. This isn’t a beginner tactic.
- A caption writing contest.
In a “boring” industry? These are a great way to liven up a feed. All you need is a photograph (it’s even better if you use one you shot yourself).
Don’t forget to celebrate the winning caption, either. One of the nicest things about caption contests is that they can fill up 3-6 post slots.
- The video from an event.( yes even the virtual ones!)
Social media loves videos. They don’t have to be long, either. Even 10-15 seconds is enough. Two to three minutes is the max.
- Customer feedback.
One of the best features of social media is interaction with customers. Even if it doesn’t always go well.
But sometimes, things do go well, and a customer says something nice. Showcase it when they do.
- A product announcement.
It’s okay: About 5% of the time, you are allowed to promote your services. Just don’t do it too much.
- A product tutorial.
Tutorials often end up selling more stuff than straight promotions.
- A how-to tutorial that’s not related to a product.
Be useful. Then be even more useful. Entire companies have been built on this principle.
- Announce an event or award.
If you do any charity work, definitely mention it on social. Include a photo, too. If you go to an event, take a photo and post it. Win an award? That’s definitely worth a post.
- User generated content.
You’ll know you’re really building an audience and goodwill when people send you their photos with your products (or using your services). Get their blessing first, but then re-share this content. It’s some of the best advertising you’ll get.
- Taking a vote on something your company does.
This is kinda like a contest… but a little different. Asking your audience for feedback (“We need your help!”) is a great way to build participation.
- Photos of people in your company.
This is a great way to show company culture. It’s also excellent for recruitment.
- Third party content
Yes – you can and should share other people’s content. A lot. Like 30% of your posts should be from other sources. Just give people credit.
Bringing It All Together
Once you start to brainstorm, it seems like there’s no end to content ideas for your social media accounts. And there’s not. As new features are created, and people become more and more comfortable with social (who knows what the kids will dream up next), there will be even more tactics available.
That doesn’t mean you have to use every one. It’s good to test different types of content, but don’t force things. If one type of post just doesn’t seem to work for your account, don’t use it.
Stick with what works. Then check your analytics, consider ways to make those posts work even better, and test again. Social media marketing needs to be in continual evolution, always refining itself. Given how quickly it evolves, that’s essential.
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