Coming up with enough social media content to keep your profile active and engaging can be a very daunting and exhausting task. As a business, you are a Jack/Jill of all trades, acting as business owner, sales person, accountant, marketer, superhero—I mean, in addition to all that how is it possible to find time to come up with social media post ideas?
It’s not impossible. I have a few ideas outlined below to help you create handfuls of engaging social media posts at once so you can schedule out a good chunk of your calendar all at the same time, and in advance.
Post Idea #1 : Ask your followers a question.
This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know your audience on a deeper level. You can ask them a simple question completely unrelated to your business, such as “Since it’s the first day of summer, we’re dying for some ice cream. What flavour is your favourite?” Bonus: Tag your favourite local ice cream shop to share the love. You never know what sort of cross promotion you might receive.
You can also ask them a question related to your business to learn more about their buying habits. An example of this could be, “What is your biggest hurdle to buying X (one of your business’ products or services)” These questions are great conversation starters, and it’s important to take a little time to respond to the comments your audience leaves. Give them advice on how to get over that barrier, or simply acknowledging their concern can go a long way to relating to your audience.
Bonus Tip: People naturally want to voice their opinion and be heard, so asking questions on social is a great way to stir up engagement. This engagement, in turn, helps you immensely with your social media algorithm, which is the all-important thing that feeds your content to your followers. The stronger your profile’s engagement, the more relevant you are to the algorithm, and the better your results will be.
Post Idea #2: Answer a frequently asked question.
Whether you’ve been in business for a long time or are relatively new, you likely already know what sorts of questions your customers frequently ask about your product or service. Posting an answer publicly not only shows your audience you care about their needs, but you’re also creating value for your followers.
Let’s say you’re an event planner. One of the FAQs you could answer would be “If my event is outdoors, what sort of backup plan do we need in case of bad weather?” By offering a few handy tips, you’re offering your existing or potential clients solid advice on how to ensure their event is successful, and you’re also showing that you are the expert in what you do.
As another example, you could bust a myth about your business or industry. Is there something that the public assumes about your business or industry about which you could clarify or educate? Present it in a fun way by offering “the myth” and “the truth” in two separate posts.
Post Idea #3: Curated content.
Coming up with your own fresh content is the hardest part about keeping your social media active. There’s nothing wrong with filling in the blanks by sharing someone else’s content and offering an opinion or a reiteration of the topic.
Are there other social profiles you follow that relate to your industry, or inspire you? Share one of their posts, blogs, videos, or other such content to your profile, and explain why you are sharing this information. Be sure proper credit is given; sharing the original post is always best.
As an example, if you are a Psychologist specializing in anxiety disorders, you could share a related TED Talk or YouTube video that you found supports your style of therapy. Or, if you’re an Orthodontist you could share a blog post you’ve read about the changing methods in your industry (such as 3D printing of retainers) and add your opinion on the topic.
Conclusion
These are just three post ideas that are easy to implement and don’t take a lot of time or thought, yet they are likely to generate quality engagement between you and your followers. Your social media is only successful to your business if your followers feel you are building a relationship with them, and to do that requires providing value and conversation around your business and the things that interest them.
Remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of your posts should be engagement-based, no selling at all; 20% of your posts can be directly related to presenting your product or service for purchase.
Looking for more ideas? Download my FREE 90-Day Social Media Planner, containing 90 days of social media post ideas:
