The Importance of Varying Your Social Media Content

Sep 10, 2015, Written by Ashley D'Aubin

Vary Your Social Media Content

When it comes to marketing, let’s all take a moment and give a big shout out to social media.

Social media has allowed us to create platforms for our businesses.

The bridge between us and our likers/followers/friends/readers/subscribers is the content that we put out there. This is why the content of our posts is so important.

For example, pretend you became friends with someone a year ago. It’s been a great relationship, but you have one complaint: they only talk about one thing. No matter what that one thing is, you would get sick of that topic, and eventually them… right?

The same goes for social media.

The social media world allows us to engage with our audience, and we are wasting an opportunity if we only talk about one thing. That is a great way to get zero likes, shares, comments, favorites, retweets, +1’s, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, we should stay focused on our general topic and our target audience, however, try not to repeat the same types of posts over and over.

Focusing on the same message can become boring. Predictable. Annoying. Overdone. Repetitive.

If it continues, we eventually become unliked. Unfollowed. Unfriended. Unread. Unsubscribed to.

This is not what we want. Don’t waste a golden opportunity to connect with your audience because you are dead set on getting one message out there.

Yes, it is important to promote your business. Yes, it is vital to state your mission. Yes, it is critical to advertise your product. But not at the expense of scaring off your readers. People don’t want to hear about the same thing every time they see your business name on their news feed.

How To Create Effective Varied Content

The first step to creating diverse content is to think about your audience. Most people will engage with something they can relate to. With your audience in mind, think about the types of posts you could create (based on your brand’s message) with these categories:

  • Question – Ask a question. But, don’t just ask. Care. Care about their answer. It could be as simple as, “What are your plans for Labor Day?” or more complex, such as, “What tools or systems do you find keep you most productive during the day?” Think about something that you genuinely would like feedback on and respond to those that reply.
  • Advice – People want to know how to get through the day-to-day. They want to know your tips, tricks and two cents. Think about what you’ve been through or what you’ve found to be helpful in your life and share.
  • Inspiration – Read an inspiring quote recently? Heard a powerfully motivating song? Let your readers know about it!
  • Blog Post – Blog! And blog consistently. Once you’ve posted a blog, share it on your social media and build a following. The hope is that people look forward to your posted blogs because they crave your content.
  • Product Highlight – Definitely let your audience know about the products you’ve developed that can really help them. It’s not just about selling, but about believing that your product will make a difference.
  • Outside Article – We live in a world where content is being created rapidly. There are so many people out there just like you creating content that you or your audience would enjoy. If you stumble on an article that helped you, motivated you and/or encouraged you, don’t be afraid to re-post. Think of it this way… you would be so thankful if someone re-posted one of your articles.
  • Personal Post – People want to see the person behind the posts. What I mean is that not everything has to be so serious. If your intended audience would allow… Tell a funny joke. Post a photo of the office Halloween Costume contest winners. Share a pic of the afternoon cup of coffee that is getting you through your day. Post a funny story about what made you late for work. Sometimes these are the posts that get the most attention. People love to connect and relate to one another. Just remember to keep this to a minimum, unless you can connect it back to your business message.
  • Hashtag – #MotivationMonday, #ThrowbackThursday, #TipTuesday. There’s almost a hashtag for everything these days. Join in on the conversation by creating content to go along with a clever hashtag.

Again, all of this has to be filtered through the mind of your audience. What types of personal posts will your audience resonate with? What inspirational quotes might encourage your target audience?

These are just a few of the many, many categories you can use when creating your monthly social media calendar.

Not everything has to be repetitive and professional, but it can’t all be silly either. You need to find and create a balance of personal and professional content. It takes some practice, but, when done right, really makes a difference on your social media profile.

What works for you? Let us know what types of posts get you the most engagement!

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Ashley D'Aubin

Ashley graduated from the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University in May 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. She began work at Crossroads full time in June 2015.

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