Social Media Content

Social media content is the key to success on social platforms. That said, with ever changing algorithms, what works today might not work tomorrow.

Social media content includes all digital materials posted through social media platforms to engage and interact with an online audience. It includes images, text, video, links and any other form of digital media that can be shared online. They key is to tailor these assets to the nuances of each particular platform, effectively complementing the content with what the audience seeks out.

To ensure your social content resonates, it should hit certain notes:

Informative – Educational or entertaining for the audience

Timely – Trending topics or current events can captivate an audience and provide an opportunity to start or join a conversation

Consistent – Regular posting keeps your brand top of mind for your audience

Engaging – Every piece of content is a chance to start a conversation with your audience

Visual – Images and videos are more likely to be engaged with than text alone

Branded – Your unique tone, style, personality and messaging should be firmly embedded across all content

The Purpose Behind the Post

For social media content to be effective, it needs to serve a clear purpose. Each post is a miniature billboard for your brand, so what message do you want to convey? Defining the intent behind each piece of content is crucial. Are you looking to raise awareness for a new product, provide value with a how-to video, or just engage in a light-hearted conversation?

Think of the marketing funnel and create content that serves each stage.

The Marketing Funnel Unpacked

The marketing funnel is a conceptual framework used to illustrate the process of turning leads into customers. It’s composed of three main stages – Awareness, Consideration, and Decision – with customer loyalty hanging above as an overarching goal. Let’s break it down:

Top of the Funnel (ToFu). The goal is to create awareness and attract potential customers. Content at this stage tends to be short and informative, aiming to pique interest.

Middle of the Funnel (MoFu). In the consideration stage, content is designed to provide more in-depth information to a more interested audience, potentially through webinars, case studies, or articles.

Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu). This stage is about conversion. Content should be focused, persuasive, and directed at those ready to make a purchase, like testimonials or product demos.

It’s essential to have a range of content types and stages, ensuring that your social feeds act as a magnet drawing customers through the entire funnel.

Aligning Content With Your Brand’s Voice

Your brand’s voice is its personality. It’s how it speaks to your customers, clients, and audience. When creating social media content, your brand’s voice is non-negotiable. It represents your identity and should be present in every piece of content you put out.

Establishing Your Brand’s Voice

To truly leverage your brand’s voice, consider:

Tone – Is your brand playful, formal, laconic, or enthusiastic?

Language – What words and phrases does your brand use?

Purpose – What is the core purpose of your brand’s content? Education, inspiration, humour?

Consistency – Make sure your brand’s voice is consistent across all platforms and materials.

In establishing a consistent and recognisable voice, you not only foster trust and reliability but also help your content stand out.

Embracing the Storytelling Power of Content

Humans love stories. It’s how we connect, how we learn, and ultimately, how we are convinced. Social media platforms offer a stage for you to be not just a marketer, but a storyteller.

Stories are:

Memorable – A story will stick in our minds more than facts and figures.

Universal – Offer a common ground for shared experiences and emotions.

Persuasive – Often lead to creating a connection, which can lead to trust and subsequent action.

Incorporating storytelling into your social content can take many forms: sharing behind-the-scenes peeks, customer success narratives, team stories, and more. Each of these builds an emotional bridge with your audience, giving them a reason to not just consume your content but to relate to it.

Tailoring Content for Platform and Audience

Each social platform has its own culture, language, and user expectations. What works on Instagram won’t necessarily resonate on LinkedIn. Similarly, different audiences have differing triggers and preferences.

Examining Social Platform Specificities

From the image-heavy feeds of Instagram and Pinterest to the professional-oriented content of LinkedIn, the use cases for each platform vary. Study the native content types and what thrives there – be it the hashtags of Twitter, the albums of Facebook, or the stories of Snapchat.

Crafting Content for a Dynamic Audience

Understanding your audience is paramount to crafting content effectively. Perform regular audience analyses through platform insights or third-party analytics to discern what types of content drive engagement. Remember, your audience isn’t static; their preferences evolve, and so should your content strategy.

Rethinking ROI in Social Content

Social media should not be considered with the traditional Return on Investment mentality. Direct sales aren’t always the measure of social media success. Instead, think about the Return on Engagement (ROE). Are you receiving more likes, shares, comments, and clicks?

Measuring ROE

• Use platform-provided analytics to track engagement.
• Conduct A/B testing to determine what type of content works best.
• Include call-to-actions in your posts to measure potential growth in leads or enquiries.

Focusing on ROE shifts the conversation from one of immediate financial gain to a long-term investment in brand presence and community-building.

The Evergreen vs. Timely Content Debate

There is a balance between the immediate interest of timely content and the long-term value of evergreen content. Both have their place and their perks.

Evergreen content retains its relevance regardless of the passage of time, while timely content is pertinent to current events or trends.

Evergreen. It’s SEO-friendly, consistently drawing traffic despite aging. How-to guides, glossary posts, and educational pieces fall into this category.

Timely. It offers immediate engagement, leveraging the attention of current events or trends.

By creating a mix of both, you provide value over time while also riding the wave of what’s current.

Crafting a Conversion-Focused Content Strategy

It’s not just about creating content; it’s about achieving your business objectives. If your goal is to drive sales, your content should guide potential customers through the funnel.

Designing Content as a Sales Funnel

Your content strategy should mesh with your sales strategy. If you run an e-commerce site, you might focus on stunning product photos on Instagram with direct links to purchase. For a service-based business, you might emphasise customer testimonials showing the transformation your service can provide. Every piece of content should nudge audiences towards a desired action.

As your audience grows, creating custom content for each platform can become a Herculean task. Content scaling lets you produce more content without sacrificing quality.

The Secrets of Scaling

Batch Producing. Instead of creating content daily, allocate block times for content creation focused on similar topics or types.

Repurposing. Turn a blog post into a series of social posts, or a webinar into a YouTube video.

Curating. Don’t shy away from sharing third-party content; it adds value to your offerings and can spark conversations.

Experiment with new and interesting content types to keep your audience engaged. Commit to a posting schedule and produce consistently to see results.