Killer content is the key to your social media success

There is a very common misconception floating around at the minute that putting any old post onto social media for the sake of it is enough to build engagement. In fact, I personally believe that the same people that believe that, are the same types of people that think there is a shiny pot of gold at the end of a rainbow along with vampires and werewolves walking amongst us – in short, delusional. 

In fact, content is key and great content at that. Content is one area you should be setting aside a good portion of your time to get right. It’s something I can’t stress enough. Quality content over mass content will always win - Every time! However, don’t fall into the all too common trap of thinking you need to post every day on each social profile you have. This will bore your audience into unfollowing you or cause them to not pay attention to key posts. Instead, make sure you post top-notch content that your audience will actually want to engage with.

So, let's say you have agreed with me thus far (high five for not believing in mythical creatures and pots of gold). Now, let’s chat about content. What types of content are there and which should you use?

• Video
• GIFS (who doesn’t love a good GIF… come on!) 
• Text and image
• Links
• Infographics
• Cinemagraphs
• UGC (User Generated Content) 

There is no definitive answer to which content you should be using on your social channels but creating a structured content schedule is going to help you out massively. Each brand’s audience is different and likes to be engaged with in different ways. Look through previous content and see which methods have performed the best and which have not. From this you can start to future plan which content to use in what campaigns based on their previous success rates.

However, there are a few things you need to bear in mind when creating great content.  

• What are you promoting? 
• What is the message? 
• What is the call to action? 
• How do you want your audience to engage? 
• Why are you posting this?
• What are you trying to gain from this post?

These questions will help you to shape the type of content you decide to put out. Also take into account the fact that different social platforms have different audiences who may act in different ways. The type of content that might be popular on Facebook might not be as successful on Instagram. Don’t forget to study your analytics to see which types of content perform the best. 

Video is by far the best performing content on social media at the minute and it’s a fantastic way to engage with your audience. But don’t worry, you don’t need super high-end video equipment and a full production team complete with a director’s chair and a table of doughnuts to create awesome video content. People love authentic content, so if you’re a small business, grab that smart phone and start shooting some killer footage! Did you know video content currently takes up around 74% of social media content?  So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start filming and having fun.

Test the water with your audience, play around with different methods to see what they like and have fun with it. Seriously, have fun! If you're not having fun your audience certainly won’t be and this is going to disengage them.