You log into your personal Facebook and start writing a post about the guy next to you on the plane wolfing down a tuna sandwich, or how it’s April 18 and you still haven’t gotten around to doing your taxes quite yet (oops). This social strategy might work well for you personally, but when it comes to creating social media for business audiences, you should implement a bit more critical thinking and planning.
Enter content calendars.
A social media content calendar can help keep your content organized, ensure you’re reaching the appropriate audience, drive content marketing strategy, and develop a consistent brand voice. Keep these three tips in mind to help you craft content that is both engaging and successful.
1. Take risks.
This quote from graphic designer Tibor Kalman details an important part of content creation, which is taking risks:
“When you make something no one hates, no one loves it.”
Now, I’m not saying to post something that’s clearly offensive or easily disliked, but taking risks is essential for reaping the rewards — in this case, earning increased, positive engagement with your client’s brand.
Not all industries come with the glitz and glamour that others do. Take manufacturing, for instance. One could assume that any content associated with the industry would be dry or even totally void of any personality. However, there’s always room for a little humor. It's called social media for a reason, after all. If you take a look at General Electric’s Pinterest account, for instance, you’ll find a board exclusively dedicated to funny, industry-related memes. HubSpot cleverly explained why this board resonates with people, saying, “Maybe their engineers don’t love this (or maybe they do, because it’s hilarious), but they already have an audience of engineers. You’re not going to grow your reach if you don’t think outside the box.”
2. Get employees involved.
The more people interacting with a brand’s social media, the higher the reach. Therefore, why wouldn’t you get as many people involved in your client’s online presence as possible? Reach out to employees of the company to ensure they’re interacting with each platform by liking, retweeting, commenting, answering questions, sharing content, etc. This is an easy way to significantly grow your audience and your potential impressions. It also helps position those employees as thought leaders in their industry.
3. Share content that’s not yours.
Imagine entering a store and having a salesman in your face, desperate to sell you on a particular product. You may stop frequenting that store after a while — or you may just leave immediately. The same concept can be applied to social media. Of course you want to be pushing your client’s product or service, but there’s a way to do so without turning off a large portion of your follower base.
The 80/20 rule is commonplace in the world of social media for business. If you’re unfamiliar with the rule, it means that 80 percent of your posts should be interesting, informative, and educational, while the other 20 percent should be dedicated directly to promoting your client’s products or services.
Having these tips in mind when creating your content calendar can help set posts apart from competitors, drive engagement and grow your client’s audience. And tracking insights and analytics along the way is crucial for taking note of what particular strategies are garnering the most success.