You’ve looked at a variety of social networks, you have a twitter handle, and your Facebook page is up and running. Ok, so what’s next? You’re going to have to think about what you want to put out there. Hold on, before you go guns blazing adding a mash up of your favourite photo’s, best quotes or even viral videos; think about how you would like people to portray your brand and how you will excite your audience. The social media basics are basic, but very important. Firstly, make sure your content is relevant, and secondly, make sure it’s shareable!
You want your social activity to speak volumes about your brand, and this comes down to what’s being shared and how you’re engaging the audience. Put yourself in the audiences’ shoes. What do you want to see? What excites you? Exclusive content usually works well, as long as it’s relevant. If you’ve got something no one else has access to; make it available to your fans. This is the key to becoming a source of information.
Remember though, once the information has been added this is only the beginning. Ask questions, respond to comments and actively engage with the audience. Your goal should always be to encourage conversation.
But will I run out of content? Not if you plan your time. Think about original content vs curation. You don’t always have to flog your own content, in fact it’s good to share external content you find interesting and the fact of the matter is, often enough, someone else will have something else interesting to say too; so use that information.
Consider the different social networks you have access to and how each platform differs. Sharing Images on Facebook might have better value than sharing on Twitter, likewise no one wants to read a mass of text on Facebook, so maybe linking to a blog or article via Twitter will be more effect; especially if expandable tweets open up to the masses. Also, going back to what interests you, when producing content; think about what makes it fun. It’s always important to consider the fun factor, as this will help build up engagement between your audience and your content. 92% of twitter users according to infographiclabs state that the main reasons for retweeting content was to share ‘interesting content’ with followers, with 66% stating humour as the key factor!
Last but not least,
Although content is king, social is about communicating and what better way to get your brand out there than through social word of mouth. We are all aware of the hard facts; people trust friends and family more than they trust your brand. Research by Mashable states, that 75% of people would be more likely to buy a product or service that a friend openly endorses on social media.
So, think about rewarding your audience. Think about what is valuable to them, and how you can make this available to them for engaging with your content. Interactive apps are a great way to do this, however do note interactive does not mean complicated. Make it Simple. A low barrier of entry into participating with your content or giveaway encourages people to share it; and it’s all about shareable social content.
