.
According to datareportal, fifty-seven percent of the world’s population use one social media app or the other. In other words, social media is here to stay. It is one of the ways to reach billions of people with products and services. However, many companies still find it hard to penetrate the platforms successfully and long term. Knowing how to effectively use the platform and generate relevant social media content ideas are therefore crucial to a company’s success. That is why we have put together fifteen strategic ways to generate the best creative social media content ideas for your brand to thrive and grow.
Creativity in Making Social Media Content Ideas
Creativity on social media can be quite tasking and there are times when there is a creativity block, whereby social media managers and content creators find it difficult to bring up fresh engaging, and entertaining ideas. Contrary to what many people believe, a large audience is not easy to come by, it’s a lot of hard work that requires consistency. It’s no secret anymore that effective social media engagements are one of the tools to build a remarkable brand in this digital age.
Social Media Content Ideas #1. Create A Daily, Weekly, Or Monthly Series
One of the most effective ways to “tune up” your social media followership and engagement is to create a series of content. This series should be an avenue to interact with your fans, followers, or customers as the case may be.
These posts however should not be just random posts but rather, detailed and well planned in such a way that it makes your audience look forward to the next post. They could be progress posts on how your brand is doing, what you are working on, and expectations for your brand at the end of a certain period. Engaging content can be in the form of videos, pictures, or written articles.
You can employ the use of apps like Canva to make creative designs for your posts. These designs could be inspirational or motivational quotes in your niche. You can also share curated content from other brands in your niche and credit them.
If your brand has a blog, you can share the contents with your audience on social media by including links on your social media that redirect your audience back to your blog or sales page. Curating engaging content is also a way to make sales for your brand by inserting product links.
For effectiveness, it is advised to have a schedule for content release. Mondays can be dedicated to Questions and answers, Wednesdays for tutorials, and another day of the week for reviews and testimonials.
Engaging your audience has been made super easy with the help of Socialays, an AI-based social media Assistant that reacts in real-time to your social media. Socialays can also analyze nine basic emotions from comments on your social media.
Content Ideas #2. Host A Challenge
Hosting a challenge simply involves you posting content and requiring your audience to replicate the same. There could be a price attached to the challenge or not. This could be advantageous to your brand because competition can be functional and you never know, your challenge might be the next viral challenge.
These challenges can be a video, picture, or written challenge. Social media challenges help to keep your audience engaged. You can also create hashtags for your own challenge which will help expand your reach and impressions.
This way the hashtag will not allow you to miss any entry or submission regarding the challenge.
Content Ideas #3. Create A Tutorial That Solves A Problem Or Answers A Question
People have lots of questions they need answers to. Creating an in-depth tutorial post in the form of an article that teaches your audience new stuff or answers questions is another brilliant content creation strategy.
Your content has to be well-researched, specific, and unique, you really don’t want to plagiarize other people’s work. The content can also be in the form of DIY videos or step-by-step pictorial content that helps answer their “how-to” “What to” and other Wh-questions. It could be descriptive content that teaches them how a tool, feature, or service works. Such content encourages people to stay and stick with your brand.
Usually, the “how-to” tutorials should answer questions in your business niche or about your brand. This tutorial however has to be simple and straightforward. You don’t want to bore people when they are reading your tutorial. You can also share quick tips and advice on why your brand’s product is the best option for them.
One of the best video features to use in posting engaging content is Instagram Reels and Tiktok.
Content Ideas #4. Run An Opinion Poll
One of the best ways to get your social media audience to grow is by running a poll. A poll can be conducted to get feedback from your audience about their suggestions or their opinion on your brand, products, or any particular issue.
People like to participate in polls, it gives them a feeling that you care about their opinion and ideas for your brand and you involve them in the decision-making process for your brand. These poll questions could be in the form of questions like “what would you like my brand to share on social media? “Which do you prefer” “this or that” to random questions like “cats or dogs”, “tacos or burritos” or even yes or No questions. You can also ask your audience open-ended questions to hear their suggestions in their words. It’s also one of the ways to generate feedback from your audience.
A poll involves a list of items from which the audience can select their preference. You can ask questions about what your audience will like you to discuss. One of the best social media apps to conduct a poll is Twitter.
You can also conduct polls using Instagram and Facebook stories.
Content Ideas #5. Jump On Trending Topics
Trending topics is another way to take advantage of social media content. Social media algorithms work in a way that when users search for these trending topics or participate in certain trends, your brand also pops up because of your engagement on the same topics. This does not necessarily mean you have to give an opinion about the topic, it just means you are taking advantage of the fact that it is trending to increase your engagement and audience reach.
Content Ideas #6. Use Relevant Hashtags
One of the ways to personalize your brand is to use hashtags. You can create hashtags specific to your brand or use already existing hashtags to promote your brand. The use of the hashtag originated from Twitter.
A hashtag can be a keyword in your niche, your brand name, or a trending hashtag that you can take advantage of and use for engagement. Social media apps like Twitter alert you to trending hashtags in your area and how many posts have included the hashtags. The hashtag algorithm works in such a way that you can view all posts that have used the hashtag. This means the visibility of your content is increased and increases the likelihood of the right people viewing your content. That is other people who have used or will use the same hashtag as you.
There are generic hashtags that can be included in every content post and specific hashtags that relate to your brand. Examples of generic hashtags are #Monday Motivation, and #Throwback Thursday. Hashtags can be used geographically or professionally to locate brands in an area or like #DentistsinBoston, #VetinDallas #yourbusinessname. It is important that you have a hashtag to personify your brand.
Content Ideas # 7. Engage Your Audience With Contests And Giveaways
It’s nearly impossible to say no to free things. Everyone loves the opportunity to compete and win a prize. Running a periodical contest on your social media page or occasional giveaways can help increase engagement on your social media. Tailwind reports that 91 percent of Instagram posts with more than one thousand comments and likes are related to a contest and accounts that run social media contests regularly are shown to grow 7 times faster than those that do not. You however have to organize the giveaways and contests in a manner that does not portray your brand as buying love or engagement. You can decide to run these contests daily, Weekly, monthly, quarterly, or as you deem fit.
Why Consider Giving Giveaway as Part of your Social Media Content Ideas
A bit of spontaneity also helps when it comes to contests and giveaways so your contests are not too predictable. To run a successful giveaway or contest sometimes the prizes don’t have to come for you. You can collaborate with other brands as sponsors. Contests are especially effective for new product launches and brands that are in the sale. Contests awaken the competitive spirit in people especially when there’s a material reward. This contest could be in the form of games, intellectual tasks, or any challenge you deem.
A giveaway or contest requires your audience to answer a question or perform a task. It can also be a random selection without any requirement. This is one of the ways to increase your followers by requiring that participants in your contest follow your page and like your content.
Giveaways could also be in the form of discounts and promotional offers. Products would be sold at a percentage discount. Big brands even use this method to attract new customers who may not have tried their product as a result of the costs. Products when made available cheaper give more people an opportunity to try the product or service. For example, if a luxury brand announced a sales discount today, many people who have wanted to patronize but couldn’t due to the high cost would seize the opportunity because “it is a good deal”.
To successfully run a giveaway or contest you need:
- Something to Giveaway. The giveaway prize can be in the form of cash or other incentives. It could be product samples from your brand or sponsored by another brand.
- Terms and Conditions. To every contract, there should be a valid legal binding. This includes a disclaimer that you are not liable or to be held responsible for whatever might go wrong in the process of contesting or any form of loss, discomfort, or inconvenience on the part of the contestants.
- Contest Rules. You might run a contest that is open to all or demand that contestants meet certain requirements to consider their entries valid. These rules can sometimes help to narrow down and eliminate unwanted contestants by using statements such as “only entries following this account will be considered” Also, the scoring scale for selecting the winner should be made available to all to establish a fair selection process in determining the winner of the contest.
- A Point of Contact. This can be a phone number or an email where participants can ask questions and get further clarifications concerning the contest.
- A Creative Entry Requirements. Entry requirements for a social media giveaway or contest should be towards brand visibility and promotion. The goal is not just to give out free stuff or win a prize, it’s about brand awareness.
Content Ideas #8. Host An AMA
Beyond the screen or their devices, people are interested in knowing the first time they follow. An AMA is like an open house to sell a property. Hosting an “ask me anything” on your social media is a way to grow your audience and engage your followers. Although your question states “Ask me anything” it can only be within the scope of topics you are willing to talk about. An audience can ask you questions related to the brand or not as you wish or personal questions about you if you are the brand.
It’s best however that the AMA should focus on a particular topic and not too widespread.
An AMA is an avenue to totally talk about other things excluding your brand. Although it might be named “ask me anything” it is primarily to learn about the interests of your audience.
Content Ideas #9. Team Up With Another Brand
Two heads are better than one they say. Teaming up with another brand in your niche to host live shows, do giveaways, Q & A’s and contests will increase your brand awareness. Brand A gets exposure to Brand B’s audience and vice versa. For example, if your Brand is Providing food, you should team up with a Brand providing water because they are complementary Products. People will associate your brand with other successful brands and see that you are capable of working with people thereby encouraging them to engage you.
Content Ideas #10. Go Live as part of your Social Media Content Ideas
Many social media platforms are equipped with the feature to post live feeds or content. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat all have options to go live. That is you can directly share what is happening on your end with your followers in real-time when you go live.
When you go live, your audience can interact with you in real-time, connect with you, ask questions in a Q&A session, and engage you in discussions. This makes your audience feel more connected to you.
Social media apps with the live feature also have a chat box where users can leave comments and even engage each other on social media. Social media algorithms are designed to favor live videos. Pre-announce Live videos are a must, so viewers can plan their time and join the live videos when it starts.
The live videos should be tagged and the occurrence fixed for more engagement. For example, you can do live videos twice a week at a fixed time, this makes your audience look forward to every video. You can also invite guests to your life to share their knowledge with your audience and discuss trending topics.
You can also do “Live Videos” to announce new products, sales, or start a trend.
Content Ideas #11. Ask Followers To Tag Other Users
This is one of the effective ways to increase your number of followers. This can especially be used when conducting a challenge or giveaway. For example, giveaway posts on Instagram may require that you tag three persons as a requirement to be considered for the giveaway, making it the criteria for valid participation. This way you can build your audience size. Other calls to action include asking your audience to like, subscribe, follow, share, or comment on your posts.
Content Ideas #12. Post Reviews And Testimonials
For whatever goods or services your brand provides, one of the best content to post is reviews from your customers or clients. Acknowledge customers’ support by allowing them to express their reviews, testimonials, and opinions to be heard. It is a good idea to include their names and handles to personalize their reviews, after seeking their permission to reveal their names or handles. It helps to build trust in your product and encourage others to share their experience.
Content Ideas #13. Go Behind The Scene
Another way to actively engage your audience is to let them in and discover for themselves what happens behind the scenes as you work to create content for them. This can show them the struggles you encounter while curating content. It could be the “bloopers” from shooting a video or sharing your skincare routine or even a tour of your house. This gives a feeling of belongingness and personal connectedness to your followers. It makes them see beyond the brand but also the person and originality.
Content Ideas #14. Get Creative When Making Your Social Media Content Ideas
What’s your brand about? People like it when a brand’s content is not of the common standard. What makes your brand different? The key is the difference and the difference is the key. You have to distinguish your brand from other brands while still maintaining common characteristics with brands in your niche. The goal is to make your audience look forward to your social media posts. How do you do this?
- Gather the best resources and make the best out of them.
- Research diligently about any topic you want to share.
Content Ideas #15. Share And Celebrate Milestones
Your audience is on a journey with your brand. It is important that you celebrate your wins with them by sharing important milestones with them. It could be the anniversary of your brand, birthday, 100th sale, your 1 millionth view, or a Hundred thousandth follower. Livestream, video or picture posts can capture important milestones. You can also do a giveaway to “commemorate” or celebrate a milestone. It’s a way to reflect on your brand’s progress.
Brands with millions of followers and thousands of daily engagement on their social media did not arrive there in one day. You need to put in hard work if you want to succeed in engaging social media followers. Observed the following to get the best results from social media content creation.
- Diligence. Diligence simply means persistent hard work. This requires you to create content that will be of value to your audience.
- Originality. To get engagement for your brand, you have to deliver content that separates your brand from other regular brands. Uniqueness makes the difference between brands.
- Consistency. Content creation is tasking. It requires consistency. This is the ability to create and post content as and as required.
What’s The Best Way To Generate Social Media Content Ideas?
Generating Content for a brand on social media is not a one size fits all situation. First, you need to critically look at the product your brand is producing and decide which social media platform is best for it.
Then you have to decide the type of content you want to engage in for your social media. Written content, pictures, videos, or a combination. Products or brands become more effective and recognizable when using pictorial or photographic content. Others use video content to engage their followers.
For instance, a food brand will require photographic content for engagement. The content mimics real-life situations eliciting emotions from the viewers. In conclusion, the difference between a couple of audiences and a million and one followers is action. Now that you know the content creation ideas that will help your brand, are you ready to take action?
