Social media is a great place to market your business and build a community of raving fans for your brand. The problem is, knowing what to post doesn’t always come easy. Finding that balance between engaging content and selling your services is like walking the tightrope in the circus; one wrong step and you can fall on your butt with everyone watching.
But not every post needs to be the internet equivalent to Shakespeare or Don Draper (oh, how I miss Mad Men). Sometimes, your post just needs to be relevant, timely, or simply just to give you a presence. Think about it: Starbucks isn’t revolutionizing the world of social media and sale with every post. Most of the time they are posting relevant, but presence and community building content. In between promotions about PSL and Red Holiday Cups, they share images of their products, trending posts, lists, and articles about the members of their community.
You, too, can do this. Here are 10 things you can almost always post about to accomplish relevant and engaging content.
Holidays
This one seems obvious and silly, but it works. There is more than just the big holidays like Christmas, Memorial Day, or Veteran’s Day, there are plenty of fun and engaging ones as well.
Like food. Let me tell you, the most engaging content is food images. AND there is a food holiday for EVERY day of the year. There are also a lot of fun and silly holidays like National Chocolate Milk Day or trending holidays like Voter Registration Day. The point is, there is a holiday for every day, so when in doubt, pick one you like that is also relevant to your brand and post about it.
Sports
Ah, good ole athletics and our societal need for year round entertainment. There are literally so many ways to connect with your audience through their love of sports. From football to soccer to baseball to hockey, there is never a time in the year that there isn’t some sporting event happening. Share and support. Go! Fight! Win!
Tips
Do you possess some inside tidbit or fact about your industry? Is there some random piece of info about your business that people just need to know? What about the answer to that one question you get asked a bazillion times on the phone, email, or networking?
Well, post about it! Be a subject matter expert by sharing your know-how with your followers and community. The more you know, the better you look, the more leads you can get.
Did You Know
Did you know that Did You Knows are a great way to get Likes and Shares? This sort of goes along with the Tip suggestion above, but is different because rather than giving a Tip, you are stating a fact. Plus, the hashtag #didyouknow is really engaging.
Lists
People LOVE lists. Heck, this is a list and you are just reading away. Lists are a great way to tell people specifically what steps to follow and also allows them to skim to get the gist of your information. They make for great Pinterest graphics & links, are over-all just chalk full of knowledge and information for your followers.
Lists are great for blog links and also infographics to share on your social media platforms.
Quotes
I believe it was author Stacey T. Hunt who said “to be inspired is great but to inspire is incredible!” (see what I did there.) Quotes are a great way to inspire your following and help them get on track for their day (maybe even their life.) Be inspiring, share some quotes and watch those Likes, Shares, and reposts do their thing. #beinspiring
TBT/Throwback
Remember back in the day, when you used to sit around the dinner table with your family listening to them chat about the good old days and share embarrassing stories about you? TBT (Throwback Thursday) and throwbacks in general are a lot like that, but on the internet. The more personal, inspiring, and extremely terrible hair styles the better.
This is a great way for your audience to learn a little more about you, connect with you one-on-one, and mock/empathize with you over the terrible style of the day.
Food
I know I mentioned this above with the holidays thing, but for real make people’s mouth water with delicious food. I post images on my Instagram all the time of the things I am eating or cooking and those are ALWAYS my most engaged with content (and I have 2 cute small children I post about constantly).
Share what you are eating over a networking meeting, download a food picture app like Foodie to make your pics of your coffee better, share recipes you love to make or just do some #foodporn and watch the Loves and Likes roll in.
Vacation
We all want to be drinking booze on a beach somewhere rather than grinding away at our computers (except for team All-In-One – we love to hustle. #weworkanywhere).
Maybe it is like -10 degrees where you live and you want to be anywhere warmer. Well, talk about it! Maybe you live in the southwest and it is summer and basically your shoes melt when you walk outside. Share your wanderlust for sandy beaches. Chances are, you are not alone.
About Your Business
Now I know, most social media managers are all “90/10 rule!” Don’t talk about yourself too much. Blah, blah, blah! People want to know about you. Yeah, ok, you can leave the sales pitch at home, but would it be so bad for people to know what goes on behind the scenes at your business?
Who are the people that make your business shine? What have you accomplished lately? What does your desk look like? Who are some of your clients that just adore your service or product? There are so many ways to talk about your business without talking dollars. As everyone in business says, “people do business with people they know, like, and trust.” The only way that will happen is if they know a little bit about you.
So, there you have it. TEN things you can always post on social media!
Still need more help? Don’t worry, I got you! Download these 19 Simple, Engaging, and FREE Social Media Images For You Facebook Page. These images will help you with figuring out what to post and not only are they beautiful images, but they will give you fresh, engaging content to post on your Facebook Page.