Your Guide to Better Social Media Content

As of January 2022, over 3.96 billion people are active on social media. An audience of that size means more opportunities for businesses to expand into new markets and connect with their audience in creative ways.

Today, a dynamic social media strategy means far more than simply posting every day, without strategically thinking about the content you create. Instead, you need to broadcast impactful thought leadership content, and engage with other users in ways that deliver additional value.

To achieve any impact on social media, your company will need to create and leverage a well-thought-out content strategy, one that complements your brand and effectively speaks to each consumer. If you’re only posting because you feel you have to, your content probably isn’t resonating with your audience.

54% of individuals use social media to research products. If a potential customer came across your platform, would your social media content be enough to get them to make a purchase? If you hesitated, you might need to better prioritize your social media direction.

Whether you’re just getting started on social media, or you want to revamp your current social media marketing strategy, we’re here to help.

What makes a great social media strategy?

Every business needs to start somewhere in social media. Over time, you'll develop a better understanding of the content, and posting frequency, that resonates best with your audience.

Reference basic tips below to make the most out of your developing social media approach.

Identify your goals

Establishing KPIs can help you measure your brand’s success across all social media platforms. Prioritize “SMART” goals: benchmarks that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Whether you want to increase your following by 100 followers every month, increase your engagement by 50% year-over-year or increase traffic to your website by 30%, you need an effective social media vision. Once you have a preferred direction for your success on different platforms, you can build out content that complements your goals and social media marketing strategies.

Understand your audience

A target audience is a group of individuals a brand wants to reach through social media. Defining your target audience can help you craft content that appeals to their preferences, personas, jargon and other key audience characteristics.

Choose the right social platforms

Not every brand needs a profile on every social media platform. For example, if you're an apparel company with a target audience of women in their mid-30s, you may want to stick with Instagram and Pinterest. If you're a B2B IT company, your content might perform better on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Once you know your audience, you can decide which platforms to prioritize with your social media cadence.

How can I revamp my current social media strategy?

Once you know the basics, the real fun begins.

Here are our go-to social media messaging tips:

Create audience personas

Building out personas can be a great tool to help you create content and better understand your audience on a deeper level.

Take what you know about your target audience, and break it down. Who are you writing for? How do they spend their weekends? What are their favorite stores to shop at or TV shows to watch?

Once you have a grasp on your audience, craft messaging that resonates with them and build a solid relationship with your following through content.

Stay on-trend

Trends are a fun way to expand your reach and help your brand stay relevant. The right trend represents an exciting opportunity to have some fun with your content and get your brand the recognition it deserves. Keep an eye out for trending content that you think relates to your brand.

Consider the platform

Every social media platform is different, with diversified audiences and opportunities. What you schedule and post on LinkedIn might not have the same effect on Twitter or Instagram. Being more strategic with the language and the content can help you appeal to your particular audience on that platform, generating improved results.

Establish your brand voice

Your brand voice is an integral part of your social media presence. It helps you curate content that effectively relates to your brand's personality. You’ll want to consider how your voice should sound and how you want to be portrayed to your followers.

If you’re crafting social media messaging for a law firm, you may want to keep your tone professional and serious. If you’re writing for a skincare company, you’ll want to keep things casual, yet informative. Your unique voice can help you establish credibility with your audience.

Create content guidelines

Content guidelines help you create consistency across different departments, platforms and marketing materials. Do you need to use the Oxford comma? Are there words your brand shouldn’t mention when posting? Consider your content guidelines as a guide or cheat sheet that helps you and the people you work with develop consistent messaging.

Don’t always sell, sell, sell

You might feel the need to always sell to your followers. However, you can easily overwhelm your customers with a sales-only approach, particularly across social media channels.

Make sure you’re taking the time to prioritize messaging that relates to a broad spectrum of ideas, not just your products or services. Share stories about your customers, highlight employees and showcase your brand values. There are ways to craft compelling content everywhere. You just need to search for it.

Elevate your social media game in weeks

Whether you’re a digital marketing veteran or you’re new to the industry, it never hurts to deepen your current marketing skillset. Workforce Institute helps current and aspiring digital professionals improve earning power and become even more dangerous in a social media marketing capacity. Connect with our Admissions team today to identify exactly how ourDigital Marketing Bootcamp can accelerate your understanding of bleeding-edge social media practices.