Social media shifted how brands and consumers interact with each other. It has allowed companies to promote their business to broader audiences. However, having an online presence isn’t enough in today’s cut-throat industry. You also need to engage your customers by providing unique content.
According to a research done by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 93% of business-to-businesses (B2B) use social media content other than blogs to engage with their audiences. The content in this platform should be short, straight forward, and punchy. It should grab the attention of your audience and entice them to engage with your brand.
Here are seven simple tips to creating engaging social media content:
1. Know your audience
Understanding your target audience is crucial to creating engaging content. Collecting detailed demographic data can help your team come up with the most appealing types of content that your market wants to see. This can also help you set the right tone for communicating with your customers.
For example, content that is comedic in nature may not be well-received on a business-centric platform like LinkedIn. However, folks on Facebook and Twitter are more likely to appreciate it and share it with their connections.
2. Get visual
Social media has also drastically changed how we gather information. These days, people prefer getting their information through photos, infographics, and videos rather than reading wordy articles. In fact, Cisco’s research suggested that video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic by 2017.
Diversify your brand’s content by using high-quality photos and matching them with short copies. There are also tools that can help you create and embed video content on your platforms. Infographics have also become a popular way to disseminate complex information in an easily digestible format.
3. Provide giveaways
People love freebies. Almost everyone jump at the opportunity of a giveaway. Another way to create engaging social media content is by offering free content such as white papers, e-books, slide presentations, and research material. This can encourage your target audience to be more receptive to your messages, product, or services.
4. Adapt to current trends
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to ensure that you have engaging social media content is by being current. Create content that is based on recent news, events, and occasions in your industry. This allows your company to be a part of a conversation that is already happening. Following trends that your audiences like gives you the leverage you need to build camaraderie and real connection through social media.
5. Write interesting titles and copies
As much as we hate to admit it, your audience judges the article title and featured image first before reading the entire content. If it doesn’t pique their interests, they’re more than likely to keep scrolling.
Write attention-grabbing titles but clickbait headers at all costs. A title like, “Nobody thought she could do this trick!” is vague, misleading, and spammy. Instead, write titles that are direct to the point but do not give the whole article away like “She cleaned her inbox and her worked changed.” This is specific unlike the work “trick” and it still left some room for intrigue. It will make you ask “How?”
6. Curate your content to different platforms
What works for Facebook might not work for Twitter and consequently not for LinkedIn. Be mindful curating your content to match the market of each platform. Each social media site is unique and attracts different kinds of audiences.
Facebook gives you free reign when it comes to writing copies from short and simple to lengthy paragraphs. However, Twitter forces you to be concise in order to comply with the 140-character limit. On the other hand, LinkedIn does not have a searchable hashtag feature unlike Facebook and Twitter. Thus, it is vital for you to curate your content to match the different platforms you use.
7. Stop trying to sell
One reason why your content marketing on social media is failing is because you’re selling more than communicating. Social media is a tool that should be used to engage in personal connections with your customers. The more you try to pitch your marketing message, the more your audience will shy away. Why? Because they are sick and tired of being sold to. Social media is not the place for hard selling.
Refocus your marketing tactics to presenting your brand as a thought leader and a part of the conversation. Portraying your brand as an influencer in your industry builds your image and your credibility.
Ultimately, you want to achieve positive results in brand exposure, lead generation, and developing loyal customers across all social media platforms. Providing the content your customers want will engage them the most. Remember to focus on connecting with them. Good social media content is interesting, inspiring, and informative. It makes you human and relatable. And that’s all you need.
Do you need help creating engaging content for your social media platforms? Let us know in the comments below or avail of our free trial!
Discover how you can leverage social media with our Social Media Series!
- Simple Tips to Creating Engaging Social Media Content
- Talk About Timing: The Best Times to Post on Social Media
- Social Media Best Practices to Boost Customer Engagement
Pepper Virtual Assistants is a business solutions firm that specializes on virtual administrative and personal assistance, online marketing, customer support, and copywriting. We are known for reliability through our managed services, responsive client handling backed by extensive training, and rockstar virtual assistants hired for their skills and expertise.
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