Creative Social Media Content That Will Captivate Your Followers
If you are a small business owner, you know how crucial social media is for the ongoing success of your business. The more your audience feels a connection with you, the more they will trust you and your brand and people who trust a brand are people who are loyal followers and consumers. In order to accomplish this, you need to consistently execute a plan for creative social media content.
But social media requires a whole lot more than just throwing stuff up. There is content and then there is content marketing which by definition is:
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
So you have to ask yourself:
"Is the content I am creating valuable?
Is it relevant?
Do I have a strategic plan??"
The content that you create should funnel your audience:
• from followers who are attracted to your content
• who see the value in what you provide to stick around longer to experience more
• who engage with you
• so you can nurture the relationship to ultimately convert into buyers of your services and/or products.
Social media can be highly effective with the right approach. Your strategy should always align with your brand, voice and the type of audience you are trying to attract so knowing your ideal client is crucial.
Once you have clarity there, you will know what type of content to consistently provide that stays on message with your brand, style and goals otherwise you run the risk of being all over the place and confusing your audience.
With your brand message always at the center of your strategy, here are some ideas and examples for creative ways you can create content that will captivate your followers:
ENTERTAIN
Most people love to be entertained. If you have a snarky personality let that shine through. If you are an introvert that thrives on sarcasm, let that show to attract other people who love and appreciate that quality. If you love animals, share funny videos to attract other animal lovers. Are you a hot mess mom (I can totally relate to this one!) Joke about your fun messy mom moments.
I love wine and coffee and often joke about how it gets me through my crazy chaotic life. I found this awesome wine graphic and coffee mug on Pinterest. When I shared the coffee mug on my fan page it received many likes, comments and shares. Why? Because when people can personally relate, they engage.
One of my favorite fan pages, Faithful Workouts, recently shared this fun t-shirt with their audience and look at the response it generated! 220+ likes, 28+ comments and 140+ shares. Her followers could totally relate to being "FIT(ish)"
Other ideas for ENTERTAINING content:
• Highlighting fun out of the box holidays
• Nostalgia / Throwback Thursday
• Funny life story (people love to hear authentic real life stories so they know they aren't the only ones who have those moments)
INSPIRE
Everyone loves to be inspired and uplifted with encouragement (well...except maybe your Negative Aunt Nellie but who cares, she isn't your target market anyway). Nothing is better than a great story of love and kindness or a good deed to give someone hope and don't we all need that with the world we live in?
So its no surprise that the Love What Matters Facebook fan page has 6+ MILLION followers. Nothing inspires people more than a great story. Share stories with your audience, especially ones that align with your message that your followers can personally relate to and appreciate.
For example, do you have a product that centers around pet health and nutrition? Share stories from not only your customers but also curate great pet stories from other sources to attract a following of pet lovers who can turn into buyer for your pet products. Facts tell, stories sell.
I love this photo and testimony shared on The Farmer's Dog fan page from one of their customers. It makes you want to order some organic dog food to spoil your pet with too, doesn't it?!
Other ideas for INSPIRING content:
• Memes with an inspiring quote
• Gorgeous photography with a word of encouragement
• Personal story drawing from your life experiences and lessons learned to help others
• A testimonial from a customer or client
EDUCATE
In order to build influence with your following and for people to see you as a trusted resource you will need to educate and showcase your expertise within your niche.
In 2007 when my son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder at the age of two, I was completely lost of how to deal with it so as someone with an urgent problem, what did I do? I turned to Google of course and that led me to SafeMama.com.
Her blog is packed full of value and knowledge and she quickly became a trusted resource for me and still is. I refer to her website often (I mean why spend time searching for 50+ opinions when I trust hers?)
So think about how you can create content to educate your audience to build their trust in you as a valuable resource.
Are you a health coach who is a busy mom who has mastered fitting in a workout, meal planning and shopping on a budget into your hectic day? Create valuable content for other moms who need that and position yourself as an authority on the subject.
I love how Jessica Vaughn brands herself and not her MLM. With a fan page of 172,000+, you can't argue with results or the power that #TheBrandOfYou can have on your business. There is no denying that she is playing the content marketing game the right way with tons of value, inspiration and education that has built influence and a loyal following.
Other ideas for EDUCATIONAL content:
• Tips, short-cuts, life hacks, trusted tools
• Blog posts (yours and others that would benefit your network)
• Book reviews
• DIY recipes
• Free resources, eBooks, guides
• Research and case studies
Use your expertise to give value around what drives your passion. Love holistic living? Homesteading? Write blog posts to help a newbie on their journey. Have a passion for organic beauty? Write a blog post on a DIY recipe like this one by Coco Calla that funnels into your product(s) and share across your social media channels.
CONNECTION
With the digital world we live in, audiences are more and more not only craving but expecting to experience the real, raw authenticity of a brand. The more that you can give your followers a genuine insight into who you are and what you believe the more they will buy into you and social media platforms are constantly changing to keep up with this trend.
Periscope exploded with live video and it didn't take long for Facebook and Instagram to catch up with Facebook Live and Instagram Stories giving brands an opportunity to give their followers a "behind the scenes" experience. When done right and done well, it can greatly up-level your marketing game.
Truevine Brewing gives its followers a behind the scenes look at their canning process and Natalie Grant, Christian music artist, gives her followers a behind the scenes look at starting her day off as a regular mom with a group of 4th graders.
Are you a food blogger? You could give your followers a behind the scenes look at whipping up a new recipe and use the video as a "coming soon" teaser.
Are you a fashion enthusiast? You could give your followers a behind the scenes look at one of your shopping trips for a client quickly giving a valuable tip of how to pair spring styles.
Are you an interior designer and professional organizer? You could give your followers a quick tip via live video of how to fold a fitted sheet and how to organize a linen closet. (As I type this out I am thinking about what a mess my sheets are and how I never can find the right size to the different beds in my house).
I love this share by Honeybee Gardens on their Facebook fan page. A beautiful flat lay photo with a fun behind the scenes tidbit. The picture sells the products (no need to pimp them in every post with links and a call to action) with a caption that is something fun for their audience. While there are plenty of opportunities to market services and products, you will find that a subtle approach to selling your audience is often a much more effective strategy than hard sales tactics.
Other ideas for CONNECTIVE content:
• Product reviews
• Every day lifestyle photos
• Behind the scenes look for events
• Featured stories of your employees, business partners, colleagues and vendors
• Webinars
Social media can be your BFF with the right strategy and leveraging your strengths to connect with your audience. You don't have to do everything well and be on every single platform for this to be effective. Focus on what you do best and master them to do them even better. If you love to write (like I do) focus on writing great value packed content that can help others and be shared. If you love to be in front of a camera, great! Use that to its fullest potential.
Ensure that the content you create is working on your behalf and funneling into what you offer so people can have the opportunity to learn more what you do and the products your are passionate about. Have your website in your social media bios, link to a free opt-in at the end of your blog posts, eBook, etc. The goal is to captivate your audience with the content you create to gain their trust and convert them into loyal followers and buyers.
Would love to hear your thoughts on how your current content marketing strategies are working for you and if you found these tips helpful so be sure to leave me a comment.
Need help to better define your brand message and target audience? Let's do it together with Branding: A Love Story now available on Amazon ↴
April Williams is the #CreativeMomista of two boys • Storyteller • Coffee Addict • Woman Warrior Of God • Texas Country Girl • Creative Expressive • A vintage soul passionate about living a simple life with a modern approach to business and branding
Are you feeling bogged down as a small business owner with the day to day responsibilities of creating enough creative content to marke effectively on social media?
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