With an estimated 1.11 billion people using Facebook each month, small businesses simply can’t afford to skimp on a social media strategy. Once you’ve picked which platforms make sense for your company, you have to create and share content. Here’s a list of eight types of content to develop and spread through social media to keep your fans and customers engaged.
8. Press Releases
This time-honored tool of public relations practitioners offers the public news about your company. Be sure you offer a strong angle related to something that’s new and worth sharing. Provide plenty of details about your company’s newest development, and include contact information.
Whether you ask people to contact your business by phone or email, make sure there are people available to handle inquiries the day the press release goes live on your website or gets shared by your company on social media. It’s poor form to put out a press release and then shut down the office for a long weekend.
7. Podcasts
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Anyone who thinks audio is dead doesn’t have a smartphone. Media experts hail the podcast as a personal way to reach your fans. Of course, the audio needs to be engaging enough to capture and keep the listener’s attention. Practical information, unusual stories, and helpful tips related to your industry are just a few potential kinds of content you can cover in a podcast.
6. Interactive Tools
What better way to draw people to your website than by offering them a tool to make their lives better? You may need to work with an outside firm to develop an interactive tool, but as the business owner, you get to develop the idea.
For example, if you own several car wash facilities, offer potential customers an online tool that assesses the impact of dirt on their vehicle. Let them input the kind of soil and where it’s stuck on their car. Once the data is in place, the interactive tool tells them if the dirt could compromise their vehicle’s paint or create other problems. The idea is to give them useful information that ties to your business.
5. Blogs
The best blog posts have a catchy title and theme, along with a tight focus. Write about issues that relate to your industry, and make them relevant to your fans. By doing this, you’re reinforcing demand for your product or service and educating customers on what you do.
One popular approach to creating interesting blog content involves listicles. Highly engaging and designed to be shareable, these lists present new, exciting information or old information in a new way. Looking for inspiration on how to do listicles well? Check out Buzzfeed.
4. Videos
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Thanks to the network morning shows, most people know what viral videos are. These clips gain popularity as they’re shared across social media platforms. Create your own videos to inform, entertain, and engage your audience. Share a formal interview with one of your employees to give customers a behind-the-scenes look at what your company does. Or, produce a video highlight reel showcasing your products.
Producing high quality videos improves your company’s reputation because it enhances your credibility and increases the amount of positive information that’s available online about your firm. If you still find yourself fighting an uphill battle to build a positive impression of your company, consult a company like Reputation.com to advise you on additional strategies for overcoming obstacles through social media and other methods.
3. Ebooks
Providing valuable and engaging information in an ebook engages your fans and wins new ones. While the idea of writing a book may seem overwhelming, you only need about three chapters to get started. You gain leads when people give their email address in exchange for gaining access to the ebook.
2. E-Newsletters
The electronic newsletter lets you provide brief updates about your company in a format that’s visually appealing. Incorporate relevant graphics and photos. Reward your readers with exclusive deals or coupon codes. Distribute e-newsletters via email, but also post them online and share the link through social media channels.
1. Photo Slideshows
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, several of them assembled in a slideshow could be worth a thousand shares. Capture compelling images, give them meaningful captions, and put them together in a slideshow you share online. You can create the photos yourself or curate a slideshow from photos you ask customers to submit. Make sure your customers understand and consent to letting you use their photos on social media platforms associated with your business.
What kinds of content shared on social media platforms are most popular with your customers?