Time Saving Secrets To Finding Good Content To Share On Social Media
Posting to social media is easy.
You type something in, click a button, and it’s out there. You’re done, right?
Wrong. Not if you want to survive social media.
Building a strong social media following for your business isn’t about you. It’s about building a community who engages in a conversation driven by you, but sustained by the enthusiasm of the community members.
They choose to be there because there’s something of value for them there. And one way to attract those willing to engage is by sharing content that’s timely and relevant Âabout topics of importance to them.
Here’s where you can find some of that content to share.
Marketing Assets
Many small businesses don’t think that they have anything to share on social media but coupons and inspirational messages. And while that content has its place, if you dig deeper into your organization, there’s more treasure to be found.
Immediately blogs come to mind. Publishing a blog regularly does two things. First, it keeps your website updated which may have a positive result on your search engine results. But even more important is the opportunity it creates to help someone solve their problem.
Creating a simple case study on how you’ve helped a customer is one of the easiest ways to illustrate the value you offer. Develop a promotional strategy for that content that includes posts to social media.
Also consider client testimonials. The next time you’re looking for a famous quote to set against a cool background and share, consider using a statement from a satisfied customer instead. That’ll probably do much more to boost your brand in the long run.
And e-newsletters. Most email providers give you the option to share your marketing emails on social media. If you’ve spent the time and effort to develop a good newsletter, don’t limit its reach to your current email list. Share it with your social network.
News Aggregators
No matter how good your content is, not every post to social media can be about you. That isn’t very “social,” is it? Remember, a good social citizen follows the 80/20 rule that states that only 20% of your social media content should be about your brand.
Well, that leaves 80% of content to fill. And that’s where news aggregation sites come in handy. Here a few of my favorites:
- Google News: think of it as the digital front page of headline news on topics of interest to you. Personalize it to pull in topics that would interest your audience. Then share the articles on social.
- Google Alerts: get email notifications directly to your inbox on topics of interest to you or you think will interest your audience. When you get your results, share them on the appropriate social media platform with a short blurb on why you did.
- Feedly: organize content by category from your favorite content sources all in one spot. When you find an article that might resonate well with your audience, use the built-in sharing features to post it out on social.
- Alltop: the self-professed “online magazine rack” of the web, this collection of real-time news gives you a chance to share the most recent news on topics you select with your audience.
Share More, Spam Less
Managing an active social network is a big responsibility. And for smaller organizations with limited resources, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But you don’t have too.
Focus on one or two social media platforms and share content that fits the unique chemistry of each platform. By sticking to only one or two sites, you’ll quickly learn what messages resonate there and which don’t, thereby guiding your efforts to create content to share, like your blogs.
To fill in the gaps, use news aggregators to find articles written by non-competing sources that complement what you offer. This not only provides yet another way to demonstrate value to your audience, but earns you a gold star for good social citizenship.
