How to Make the Most of Social Media Content

content marketing social media Aug 18, 2021

Trying to maximize the benefits of social media content can be frustrating.

You spend hours every week posting on social media, but the likes and comments just aren't what you hoped they would be. It's almost unheard of these days for someone to not use some form of social media. It's a great way to connect with friends and long-distance family. It's also a great way to reach your ideal customer. However, you may not know which is the best social media platform to use in order to reach your ideal client. You may be torn about what you should post about. You may not be the best at taking and posting photos, and shy away from videos entirely. Also, it takes so. much. time. Is it worth it?

The short answer: yes.

The best marketing move you can make for your business is to incorporate social media as part of your marketing strategy. We'll give you a few tips to get you started, and you'll be well-prepared to move forward with a fresh outlook on social media content.

Broaden your horizons.

It's tempting to pick your favorite social media platform -- the one you're most familiar with -- and dump all your social media content into it. It's imperative that you resist this temptation. By funneling your efforts into one platform, you're missing opportunities with customers who may not use that type of social media at all. Recycle and reuse your content across multiple social media platforms. It only takes a minute to re-post the same content into Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest (or more!). Don't let your hard work go to waste on one or two platforms.

Stay relevant.

One of the smartest social media strategies you can use is talking about hot topics, current events, or topics that would matter to your ideal client. It may not be relevant to your business, per se, but it may be relevant to your future customers, and they want to talk about it. They'll want to know you are interested in their interests. If you're only there to promote yourself, users can smell that from a mile away and will keep scrolling. Capture their attention by joining relevant conversations. Bonus points if you are actually the starter of said relevant conversations, which leads me to the next tip ...

Engage, engage, engage.

Post an interesting question. Respond to comments. Use humor. By asking them what types of products/services they wish for you to offer, you'll get to the heart of what they're looking for. This is the perfect opportunity to find out more about your customers so that you can reach them more organically. This is also the perfect opportunity for you to show them that you are an actual, real, live person who cares and not a stiff social-media machine casting social media lines, hoping to hook someone for your next dinner.

Request customer posts.

It only takes a second to ask a satisfied customer to do you a solid and post about their positive experience with your business. Simple social media testimonials help establish trust in your brand. It catches the attention of anyone else the customer may connected with and offers a chance for them to get a positive experience with you, as well. Suggest hashtags that you frequently use with your own posts to make your brand exponentially more visible, which in turn makes the post more visible to you. When you see a customer posting about their experience, engage with them and thank them for an opportunity to serve them. This is the equivalent of online word-of-mouth, and it goes a long way to shine a trustworthy light on your brand.

Social media isn't just a tool for keeping in touch with friends and family. It's an excellent marketing strategy that humanizes your brand and allows you to reach people you wouldn't have been able to reach, otherwise. Keep an eye on those analytics, and when you see a post with high engagement, check what you did differently, and follow that pattern. Soon you'll have all the online engagement you'd hoped for, and the sales will follow.