Have you ever struggled to create a clever caption to post along with that funny photo of your dog in a sweater?
What about crafting ideas for an entire week’s worth of social media posts?
How about a month-long content calendar for each of your 20 local business clients? Small and medium businesses are often time crunched, and would much rather focus on what they do best, leaving their digital marketing efforts to trusted experts. It’s up to those experts to hone in on the best ways to tell a brand story through social media channels, grow followings and increase traffic for clients.
As you sit in front of a blank social media content calendar for your clients or even your own business, consider these 39 ideas to spark inspiration and get the creative wheels turning.
It’s Time To Get Personal
People don’t often buy-in to a brand or a product on social media until they connect with the story behind the brand.
Don’t be afraid to put a personal spin on content you produce.
1. Remind people of who you are: Penning a post on how you or the business owner got started speaks to both old and new followers. Many who’ve been following an account more recently may not have seen the introduction posts put up when it was created. It’s always a great idea to revisit the who, what, when, where, why, and how behind the brand. Photos with faces have been shown to perform almost 40 percent better than images without faces, so don’t shy away from using selfies on a social media feed to display the friendly face behind the business.
2. Go behind-the-scenes with a video of the operation: A peek at the inner workings of how a business operates always makes for great content. If the industry includes appointments – where the business owner is on site in different locations like real estate offices or home services locations – video tours of these different places are also fun to post to different channels.
3. Share a personal story or struggle: Chances are your clients are not alone in their hardship and followers may often relate, leading to more interaction with the post.
4. Share a quote: Ask your client who inspires them and conjure up some quote posts by conducting a quick Google search. You can also look for quotes regarding industry relevant topics. Quotes let an audience in and paint a picture of where your clients find their professional motivation.
5. Share a morning routine: There’s nothing more fun than a morning workout selfie, and a mouth watering picture of that avocado toast creation your client made for breakfast.
6. Share what inspired your client to create their product or service
Engagement is Everything (and we mean everything)
There are a few easy wins when it comes to content that everyone wants to interact with.
Try these ideas to get the action rolling with the comments and engagement pouring in.
7. Ask a question: Audiences love to weigh-in with their unique view on different topics, so ask away.
8. Host a poll: Nothing gives you a better read on where an audience stands on a new design or expanded operating hours than a quick poll. Instagram Stories, Facebook, and LinkedIn all have great options for in-platform polling.
9. Share a review of your favorite book: Many people are on the hunt for good book recommendations from those they trust online. Share an industry relevant professional resource or just a fun piece of fiction your client has dug into recently.
10. Ask for recommendations: For books, TV shows, apps, music, local restaurants, or anything else related to your industry.
11. Host a giveaway: Nothing gets followers commenting and tagging their own friends faster than a great giveaway. Giveaways reward followers while giving a boost to account engagement, building the following at the same time. Be sure to read up on the rules and regulations for giveaways on different social sites. Many platforms like Instagram and Facebook have specific disclosure statements you need to include when posting any kind of giveaway.
Be a Thought Leader (the go to guru everyone raves about)
Your clients likely have years or perhaps even decades of experience in their field.
Position them as thought leaders in their industries with these content ideas:
12. Post a how-to tutorial: Demand for video content is increasing. In fact, 54 percent of people say they want to see more video content from a brand or business they support. Encourage your client to take a minute out of their day to record a favourite life hack or how-to tidbit that might be relevant to an online audience.
13. Build an infographic: Infographics make for great snapshots on a particular topic and it’s a content type that’s highly shareable, which should spike your engagement rates.
14. Share a quick tip: Implementing a weekly ‘Tip Tuesday’ post can work for a variety of verticals.
15. Share the learning from a loss or failure: A leader calls out a loss and turns it into a learning moment or opportunity for growth. Social media is a place where followers look for authenticity so here’s a strategy to give your client accounts a boost.
16. On the flipside don’t hesitate to celebrate a win: A good humble brag can get followers in a brand’s corner and show the hard work they’ve put in to achieve something great.
17. Post a testimonial: Build credibility by leveraging the testimonials of clients, customers, and colleagues who interact favourably with the business.
18. Share the “secret sauce” of the business offering
Classic Content Considerations (they work for a reason)
These ideas are those you’ve likely seen on social media before.
Don’t doubt their ability to boost your online presence:
19. Do a #ThrowbackThursday post to reamplify older content: Try reposting old blogs, graphics, quotes, and professional milestones. You can also “throwback” to photos of a personal or work trip.
20. Post ‘Motivational Monday’ content to kickstart the week
21. Thank your followers: This is a great one to post every time your client accounts gain another 500 or 1000 followers. Celebrate and recognize them for their support of the brand.
22. Post something seasonal or highlight a holiday: There are a ton of great resources and social media day calendars to follow.
23. Talk about the top pain points the solution solves
24. Share a success story
25. Share a relevant tweet: Trying cross-sharing between different platforms. Republish a relevant tweet to your clients Facebook page or LinkedIn account.
Lean on Others (and time to find out who is your real friend)
Leverage the audience or influencers in your client’s network to get more eyes on content:
26. Host a takeover: Let a business staff member or connected influencer take over your client’s social media accounts for a day.
27. Show someone using the product or service
28. Shout out to or mention other brands: Tagging another brand or account within a post is a great way to encourage reshare and reach more people.
29. Mention your clients: Tap into an even broader audience by tagging customers of the business, encouraging them to reshare content with friends and family.
30. Host an interview with a guest: An easy way to accomplish this is to set up a video call on Zoom or Google Meet between your client and a guest of interest. Record the meeting and conduct the interview virtually. After the meeting the service will send you a downloadable video file that can be uploaded to the social media platform of your choice.
Other Social Mechanisms for Growth
Finally, a few more mechanisms you can use for social growth.
31. Give people a compelling reason to join an email list: Be sure to spell out the benefit and takeaway they’ll receive. You must clearly state what’s in it for them.
32. Give the audience a gift: Use your client accounts to promote special discount codes, sales, and freebies.
33. Post about events your client hosts or attends: For hosting, Facebook and LinkedIn both publish dedicated event pages, improving the chances of discoverability by a broader audience. If your client is attending an event, be sure to search for relevant event hashtags before crafting the post.
34. Post upcoming speaking events or presentations
35. Share contact information
36. Ask the audience how they found your client
37. Share other social profile connections
38. Answer FAQs
39. Amplify new blogs, case studies, and other written content from your website
If you need a hand developing your instagram marketing plan for 2023 then please don’t hesitate to drop us a line.
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