Three Keys To Creating Engaging Social Media Content
What? There are only three keys to creating engaging social media content? I hear you saying that through the Internet! There are myriad ways in which to create engaging social media content, but I wanted to give you three so you can go forth, implement and conquer.
Three Keys To Creating Engaging Social Media Content
Your blog is the hub
Chances are you have heard this before. Your blog is the hub and everything else you do/share are the spokes. When you’re a blogger, your posts are the greatest source of your social media power! Writing a blog post is not a one-and-done task. Your blog post can and should be repurposed more than once and shared on your social platforms more than one time. Don’t share the same info every time.
Pick and choose salient points and share on social. If you have a bullet-point list, each of those bullets can be a different, unique social share. Sure, you may have to, or want to, find a graphic or make that bullet point into a graphic image to share. When you do that, you can use that blog for weeks on end on your social.
Strategy is key
Sure, you can just throw social content at the wall and see what sticks. Wouldn’t you rather know that your followers are engaging with you on Facebook at 8:05 am, your LinkedIn connections engage at 2 pm and your Twitter followers engage more often at 9 pm? If you know you have “eyes on the page” at a specific time then schedule your content to go live at that time. Be online during the times your followers are — within reason — so if they like, comment, share or RT — you can be there to interact.
Do you have more readers for your blog posts when you post on Sunday afternoon than you do when you post on Tuesday morning? If that’s the case, switch your blogging strategy to accommodate that uptick in readers on Sundays.
Look at Google Analytics and Twitter and Facebook insights and make note of when people are interacting, what type of posts they’re interacting on and any other behaviors that can help you craft your social media and blogging strategy.
Be a good listener. If your ideal customer is talking about a particular topic, make sure you’re listening. If they’re asking questions, give them answers. When you listen, you just might be rewarded with higher engagement.
What’s your CTA?
Do your social posts and blogs have calls to action (CTA)? When a reader finishes your blog he or she should be prompted to so something… whether it’s signing up for your newsletter, joining your Facebook group, answering a question you’ve asked or taking some other action that you’ve determined is part of your social media and blogging strategy.
When a blog post ends, it shouldn’t just trail off with a feeling of, “that’s all folks.” Keep your reader engaged by offering him or her a “task.” Don’t leave them wondering, “What should I do now?” You don’t want to be like late night television infomercial with your CTA, but you do want to move the reader forward to another action. Only you can determine that action, but it needs to be part of your overall strategy.
Download this “creating engaging social media content” worksheet to use with your next blog post and social media post.
What are your struggles with creating engaging social media content? What strategy have you implemented that you can share with others? Let us know in the comments.
Robbi Hess is an award-winning author, full-time writer, newspaper columnist, writing coach and time-management guru. She works with bloggers and solopreneurs and blogs at All Words Matter. I spoke at BlogPaws on: Overworked & Overwhelmed? The Four-Step Process for Reinventing Your Writing. If you couldn’t attend, email me for free a copy of the e-book I offered. (Robbi AT AllWordsMatter DOT COM)
