From Crickets to Conversation: How to Craft Compelling Social Media Content
For a small business owner or nonprofit advocate, setting up social media accounts is a task you can check off the list. You have the platforms created, you’ve uploaded a couple of pictures, you even remembered to include some of your personal contacts, although you’re not entirely confident in the weird grouping of six Facebook friends and your great aunt. What’s next? Are you doomed to type “Check the social!” to your colleagues for these accounts’ lonely existence, hoping to boost their reach towards one day being in the presence of your personal Twitter account with 237 followers? Social media is one of the most cost-effective and efficient means to communicate with your audience. It presents an opportunity for your brand to engage with consumers, entice new clients, form a loyal customer base, increase awareness about causes, and drive action. Whether your business goal is to generate 100 leads a week or your nonprofit objective this quarter is increased action from elected officials, compelling social media content will help you meet those objectives.
Understanding the Basics of Social Media Content
Social media content delivers consistent and interesting information that educates and entertains social media fans and followers. Generally, information that helps solve problems in a polite, respectful, and often entertaining way; attracts attention; reinforces your brand; provides opportunities for engagement; and that fans and followers are looking for.
Understanding the basics of the four big social media platforms is the place to start. First of all, Facebook is all about conversation. It’s a place where friends and family members catch up, and people exchange news, views, and gossip. It’s also a big marketplace for businesses of all shapes and sizes – physically and virtually. Secondly, Twitter focuses on immediacy and conversation (not as immediate and short as the 6-second Vine where you can only do videos. However, still immediate and short!). Together they’re good for airing opinions and publicizing events, as well as following the chatter from big events, like award shows and breaking news. Thirdly, video is YouTube’s thing. As the second biggest search engine (it’s owned by the biggest, Google), it’s a great way to post videos and to learn from others. Finally, Pinterest provides a place for picture posts and show-and-tell ideas, leading users back to your website blog or store en route. A major feature is storytelling, think of each board as a trailer of the book to the full-length movies on your website.
Identifying Your Target Audience
Just about a decade ago, “listening” wasn’t an adjective many people would use to describe a company. But today, any business with a customer focus has to be conditioned to do just that. The same goes for social media: yes, it’s about talking, and talking is the way we’re going to teach you how to shape what you’re saying. But if your social media “sound” isn’t correctly pitched and carefully directed at your audience, chances are that your audience won’t listen.
So first, you need to ask yourself, “Who do I want to reach?” Ninety-year-old great-grandmas who live for Bingo and the bridge club? Hard-core music aficionados in search of a groove? A do-it-yourself couple shopping at Home Depot on a Saturday afternoon? And where do these people like to hang out? Do you have a clear mental model or social graph that helps you understand the different categories of people to whom you’ll be speaking? Not just by age, income, and sex, of course, but by lifestyle, taste, interest, values – the psychographic characteristics that help make even ‘invisible’ customers visible.
Are they parents, kids, or empty-nest Baby Boomers tired of cleaning up after the children have left? High school graduates contemplating their first and a great deal of higher education? Besides understanding their own psychological makeup, do these target customers share any common non-weather-related activities? Are they fans of the Red Sox, say? Are they LARPers (live-action-role-players, the folks who “play” fantasy characters while interacting with the real world)?
Content Creation Strategies
Behind the scenes content – This kind of content offers a sneak peek into your operation. It’s the inside scoop and exclusive content that consumers and followers love to hear about and share. Behind the scenes content may include: – Providing a behind-the-scenes look at daily operation – Sharing industry-related news and their impact on your company – Introducing your followers to new products through live video – Explaining part of the manufacturing process through video or traditional content Offering a peek behind the curtain offers authenticity and gives followers a better understanding of your brand. Think about the things that set you apart from the competition, then invite followers into that. You may be surprised at how much they enjoy learning about how you operate.
Storytelling – This strategy has been a human tradition for thousands of years. Storytelling draws people into the brand. And storytelling doesn’t have to be a literal story. Storytelling content simply involves content that brings emotions into play. It’s content that pulls at the heartstrings or puts a smile on someone’s face. Good storytelling content evokes emotion and makes followers feel a deeper connection with your brand. It’s important to choose stories that align with your brand, so it doesn’t feel out of place. You don’t need to dig up a long, drawn-out tale unless it’s fitting for the occasion. Think of storytelling more as creating an emotional connection between you and your followers. It makes the brand come to life. By giving the brand a personality and degree of realness, followers are more likely to remember it. Consider the National Football League’s commercials that air during the Super Bowl. They usually tell a tale of a child overcoming the odds to become an NFL player. They’re stirring, played off a predictable hook (sports as a way out of struggle), and shot with a strong visual appeal. These spots always court controversy, but they’re based on a formula that connects with its audience each time. Consumers are emotionally attached to the NFL, and these commercials illustrate that point. Look for ways to get your followers to share stories, memories, and experiences with your brand. It all comes back to meaningful content. If your followers connect with your story, it may become part of their identity too.
Engagement Techniques
When creating your posts, keep in mind that the goal of social media is to be social. To keep your timelines from becoming full of cricket chirping, you have to engage your audience. But how do you get people to comment and engage with you? It’s easy! Encourage comments by crafting posts with your audience and their preferences in mind. It is better, however, to ask open-ended questions or make statements that encourage feedback and responses. You can also encourage shares, tags, and direct messages by asking your followers to share their thoughts or tag a friend who would be interested. Start a dialogue to open up further conversations and build the community of your dreams. Rewards for engaging with your brand pay off with an audience that feels appreciated.
Do you have complementary social profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? Do you share those accounts with your followers or guests, linking back to those handles for more information on resources? When your customer takes a chance on them, remembering special touches such as these enhances their experience, proves your service is personalized, and makes it more likely your audience will share about their experience with you with their audience, too. The better news? This is the fun, creative part of being entrusted with your brand responsibility! You’re not “selling” on these conversations; you’re solidifying your position.
Measuring Success and Analytics
Social media analytics are very complex due to the many interactions on each platform and the many different goals. Your goals drive your metrics and seem to have the biggest effect on determining what the “best” social media platform is. Your metrics needed are also going to vary based on the level of research. Data collection should be chosen based on the platform, goal, and amount of analysis you’re willing to do. General summary metrics, scrapable posts, and coding party interactions can give great insights with much less time and effort invested. Careful attention should be paid when choosing who to compare your account with, as comparison fan and follower numbers drive a lot of common social media suggestions.
The increase of social media platforms – and the decreasing popularity of the networks – adds complexity to this problem. Our work suggests that considering the platform, audience, and goals in any social media outreach preparations will substantially increase the reach and effectiveness. Our work sheds light into this complex ecosystem and provides a playbook for applying and reducing unknowns so that similar projects can draw clear lines from their outputs to the impacts that matter.