The Importance of Diversifying Social Media Content and Formats
Does your content calendar look like a well-diversified portfolio that will continue to produce growth and interest customers? An easy way to determine this is to perform a check:
Take a look at your past 10 posts. What was the subject matter? Was it about your business alone? Were questions asked to engage your followers and create meaningful interaction?
Or, did you get in a pattern of using single photos with some copy and simply sharing links to articles?
Quick Tips
Social platforms want users to stay on their platform so link posts may be getting less reach.
Using Instagram’s carousel feature keeps them on your account longer, which is an algorithm pleaser!
Inspired by Faceook’s success, LinkedIn introduced native video to further increase organic in-feed engagement.
Below are ways to bring more engagement, creativity, and fun to your social media accounts:
An easy way to find an array of topics to talk about on social media is to study your followers to find out what else interests them. Once you know more about what your followers like, you can really begin catering your posts to their distinct interests.
Without question, business owners and leadership teams need to show up in their brand. Posts should highlight your unique voice as well as include informative details about your products or services.
Share something about another business in your community. Help them raise awareness of an upcoming event or sale. Offer congratulations for accomplishments. You can even celebrate a ribbon cutting to help others be aware of a new business in the area. Over time, you’ll see that what goes around, comes around!
Offer valuable information related to your niche. Try to think of what your typical customer may research. Address these topics. Another option is to answer frequently asked questions from your “sales floor,” in whatever form that comes. You can pull your team together to come up with great ideas. A conversation that just occurred in your business, on the phone or at an event may be perfect material. It might even give you an idea for a series of posts.
Highlight your customers, staff, colleagues, and vendors. We lift ourselves by lifting others. This increases what is often referred to as the Like Factor. (The goal while brand building on social media is to increase the know, like and trust factors. People do business with people they like and trust.)
A proven way to grow Reach numbers is by providing value to your followers and engaging with them by asking questions, offering timely replies and entering into conversations.
Use Instagram Stories stickers such as polls, questions, and the Add Yours feature.
Now that you have diverse content, the next step is to mix up the format. Utilize all post formats including carousels, Stories, reels, and videos.
Quick Tips
Did you know that ads can be run to potential customers who have watched one of your videos in the past?
If you are running Facebook ads, the native video creation tool is a great way to incorporate that eye-catching movement and animation.
Save posts that catch your eye. Think about how a particular format might be edited and utilized in your own marketing.
Another way to stand out is to know what’s trending. Currently, Stories and reels are having a heyday, capturing the most eyes. The next feature, trend, or tactic is sure to enter the picture soon. While trends are useful and important, keep in mind that what is working for some, may not work for you. It’s hard to predict what will produce great results. Therefore, try various approaches, monitor results and take note of formats that help you meet your objectives. Find that topic or format that keeps your followers interested in your profile. If you shake it up, they will stay engaged and be excited to see what’s next.
Quick Tips
Format options continually change. I keep an eye on new features, which emerge often. I want my clients to stand out and appear cutting edge.
Each post should satisfy one of your objectives that you established for yourself. An objective could be very specific such as “increase attendance at an upcoming event” or very simple like “share something personal to gain affinity.” Ask me if you need help setting goals for your social media efforts and matching posts with original messaging to resonate with your audience.
The practice of social media marketing is really about applying some art and some science to promotion while peppering in the personal. It’s about beautifully blending the unpolished and the branded. It’s about careful planning, timing and executing. It’s delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time. It’s thinking about content ahead of time and utilizing content distribution methods that work.
Did you know? You can find out more about your audience’s other interests in the back end of your Facebook page? Contact me for a demo!
Marketing Connection’s social strategy evaluations produce customized road maps for customers. No more guessing what content distribution strategy is right for you!