For many business owners, keeping on top of social media and posting engaging content regularly isn’t exactly easy. There’s usually limited time combined with a lack of information about what to post and when…and how to make it sound great. Your social media accounts are important to grow your business and your customer base, so it’s essential to reach your audience in an interactive and interesting way. Remember, you’ve got fans who are looking for great content! While it’s nice to post about your staff lunch or your upcoming conference, there is so much more you can do that truly engages your current and future followers. Let’s look at the 10 tips for writing engaging social media content that will bring your readers back for more:
10 tips for writing engaging social media content:
1. Know your audience
The first place to start is to learn about the demographics of the people who currently follow you on social media. From there, you also have to understand who your potential customers are, and then ‘talk’ to them with a voice that they can relate to.
2. Know your goal
Before writing each post, ask what your goal is. Is it more in-store traffic, online sales, likes, comments or clicks? Having a goal means your clients or potential customers don’t have to guess what your intention is; you’ve laid it out for them. It’s not just “OK” to encourage participation, it’s a value-added strategy!
3. Learn about and use hashtags, shoutouts, emojis and emoticons
Hashtags improve awareness and help bring people together, so use them strategically instead of randomly. Find out which hashtags are trending for your industry and/or social media platform, and use them consistently but effectively. You can also tag or @ someone to improve interactions. Additionally, emojis and emoticons are continuing to grow in popularity among all age groups, so be sure to include these fun, clever and visual cues in your social posts to better connect with your fans.
4. Address a problem your audience is facing
Don’t have your snow tires on yet? Worried about meeting the tax deadline? Need something different to do/eat/see this weekend? These are all examples of problems that people need solving, so engage them by being a solution.
5. Be consistent
Post regularly during prime times; don’t wait a week to post something then do 10 posts in one day. While it’s important to mix up your content, include a consistent but quality variation of content and stories about products, services, industry news, community, external (curated) links and funny or clever posts.
6. Be accurate
Quote (current) statistics properly, give exact information about products, services, store hours, warranties, etc. and update it as needed. Don’t forget that proper spelling and grammar is essential to show your audience that you are a professional, qualified expert in your industry who takes the time to post error-free content.
7. Be authentic and creative
Your voice is important! Don’t sound like ‘corporate head office’ if you’re not…sound like you genuinely would when talking about your work or services. This way, it’s more likely that you’ll think of original, engaging content to post.
8. Use humour
…tasteful humour, that is. Your audience will enjoy and respect a refreshing changeup from time to time with light-hearted humour. Had a big coffee spill at the office? Post your pic with a fun caption. You can also use current memes or videos, as long as they look and sound relevant to you and your brand. Avoid posting about heavier topics that can divide or offend certain members of your audience such as politics or religion.
9. Keep your brand in mind
Whenever possible, use colours and fonts that look and feel like your brand to make your posts more recognizable. If you have a tagline, use it often and hashtag it. These techniques help keep your brand top of mind.
10. Use great images
As often as you can, use images with your social content for improved engagement…but not just any images. For example, photos that are blurry, too dark, too small, or not cropped properly look plain bad! Take the time to edit or re-take a picture if you’re not happy with it. You can also source out free stock images on various websites that are labeled for reuse (don’t just grab one off Google, for example – you don’t want to be on the hook for expensive copyright infringement fines). Keep the quality and type consistent with your brand too.
If you are spending time posting to your social media, take the extra steps needed to ensure your content truly resonates with your audience. The more you engage, the more loyal fans you build who will in turn help promote your business. If you don’t have the time or confidence to commit to posting regularly on your social media, don’t worry. At 3SIXTY Marketing Solutions, we will draft up a strategy that’s fluid, effective and results-driven. Connect with us today and let’s get you the results you need. Give our experienced social media team a call at 705-252-4180 or send us a quick email at info@3sixtymarketingsolutions.com.
