Tips for Creating Engaging Social Media Content
Who doesn't love a good social media post? For brands and businesses, they're a great way to connect with your customers and promote your products. But there are so many different social media platforms out there that it can be hard to know where to start. That's why we've put together this guide for creating engaging content for any social network.
Don't focus on the numbers.
The most important thing you can do is focus on creating quality content. Don’t worry about how many people see your posts. Instead of trying to get as many likes and comments as possible, try to build an engaged community around your brand.
Make sure that what you post is relevant to your audience and brand identity. If it isn't relevant, then it probably won't be engaging for them either!
Get to know your audience.
To get the most out of your content, you need to know what your audience is interested in. This means knowing what they like and don't like, as well as how they interact with content on social media.
What interests them? If you're posting about something that's relevant to your business, but it isn't interesting or useful for anyone who sees it, there's no point in posting about it. Your goal should be for each post to elicit some type of reaction from someone who sees it—a smile at best; an angry face at worst.
Are they doing anything related to your industry? It might be helpful if you keep up with people talking about their interests in general or about specific topics related to yours (like video games). You should also pay attention if there are any current trends happening within the industry that could affect your business (like VR headsets becoming popular again).
Who are they? Who exactly do YOU want viewing your content? Knowing this will help determine what kind of information is helpful/informative/entertaining enough for them; then again… just because one person likes [insert topic here] doesn’t mean another will!
Create a brand persona.
It's important to distinguish between your brand's identity and its persona. The former is the underlying reason for why a customer would choose you over another competitor, while the latter is how you present yourself on social media.
Your brand's identity can be described by its tone of voice, purpose and values—things that are consistent across all platforms (such as your website and social media). The way people perceive your company online should be similar to how they experience it offline: if they love your products or services in person, they should feel similarly about them when they see them online.
As for creating an engaging persona? That falls under two main categories: what kind of person do you want people to think/feel like when interacting with your social media presence? That might seem like a strange question but there's no point in having thousands of followers if none of them ever engage with any content from you because it doesn't relate well enough to their needs/wants.
Keep your content relevant.
To keep your content relevant, try to:
Keep it relevant to your audience. What do they care about? What do they need to know? How can you help them in their daily lives? Social media is all about sharing what matters most to people, so make sure that you're creating content that speaks directly to their interests and needs.
Keep it relevant to your brand. Does what you're sharing fit with the image of your brand? Are you giving customers an accurate representation of who you are as a company? If not, then maybe think twice before posting that next funny meme or video clip from YouTube—it may hurt more than help!
Keep it relevant for business reasons. When choosing what type of social media content should be created by marketing teams at large companies like yours (and even startups), remember two things: firstly, always consider whether or not this type of thing will actually benefit business objectives such as increasing sales or gaining new clients; secondly, remember that if there's one thing people hate more than anything else online nowadays…
Repurpose past posts.
If you're not a social media pro, the idea of creating new content every day can be overwhelming. That's why it's so important to repurpose old posts and use them in new ways.
For example, if you've written a blog post that got a lot of engagement—likes and shares—you could turn it into an infographic or add quotes to Pinterest. This will help keep your content fresh without having to create something entirely new from scratch. And if you're short on time, searching for other sources of great content can be a lifesaver!
Be consistent with your content.
Plan ahead. It’s easy to get distracted by a shiny new idea, but when you have a regular schedule of content production, it’s easier to stay on track and not push back your next post.
Use a calendar. If you don't already have one, check out our blog post on how to create one.
Analyze your competition.
One of the first things you can do is analyze your competition. This will be useful in identifying their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their target audience. You should also learn about their content marketing strategy, social media strategy and budget – including both paid and organic efforts.
Run contests and giveaways.
You should run contests and giveaways on social media for a variety of reasons. First, they're fun and engaging for your followers. Second, they can help build relationships with your customers by giving them a chance to get free products from you or from other brands that partner with you. Thirdly, contests are an excellent way to increase brand awareness and engagement among new audiences who see the posts on their feeds or elsewhere online.
To make sure your contest goes smoothly and gets good results, follow these tips:
Make sure it's relevant to your brand! This is the most important tip of all—if it doesn't feel right for the type of audience that follows you on social media (and/or if it seems fake), then people will be less likely to participate. You want this promotion as authentic as possible so customers feel like they're getting something out of it too (and not just "winning stuff").
Keep things easy! Don't overwhelm users with complicated rules or entry requirements; instead focus on making everything simple so everyone knows exactly how much time is left before entry closes down completely (or until winners are announced). This will ensure faster response times from those who want their chance at winning something valuable like money off coupons redeemable at stores where customers shop regularly - rather than having someone miss out because there was too much confusion over what needs doing next after entering via Facebook Messenger app versus Instagram profile picture overlay image uploads rather than Twitter link sharing options etcetera ad infinitum ad nauseam...
Being engaging is more important than being popular
The most important thing that you need to remember about creating engaging social media content is that it's not as simple as making something popular.
Being engaging is more important than being popular, because being popular doesn't help you achieve your goals.
It's true: being relevant and interesting to your audience will help them find you more easily and increase the chances they'll like what they see when they arrive at your page. However, if nobody sees or shares your posts, then none of this matters! You're missing out on opportunities for engagement—and those opportunities are where real value lies. Engaging content gets people talking to each other and sharing info with their friends in a way that keeps them coming back again and again!
Conclusion
Remember, the most important thing is that you’re having fun and enjoying the process. The rest will come naturally if you stay true to yourself, your brand and your audience.