6 Types of Social Media Content to Create

Social media Content

Having a social media strategy and action plan, based on your unique business goals, resources and available time, is essential to your success.

Yet even with a well laid out action plan, you still need to create digital social media posts content and post that speak to your identified audience, and inspire them to take action.

6 types of social media content

Educational content

A study by BuzzSumo and OkDork discovered that long-form content gets more social shares than short-form. They found that educational content, especially infographics, receive a lot of shares, along with how-to and list-type posts. The New York Times also found that readers were more likely to email longer articles than shorter ones.

In fact, types of social media content you can use include free resources. Digital Video training, infographics, FAQs, industry research, case studies, tips and tricks, and how-to posts.

So how can you create educational content?

• Use humor in your content.
• Incorporate interactivity into your content. For example, write something that calls for interaction and follow up with the feedback you collect.
• Inject something different into your routine. For example, use video if you tend to write a lot and present webinars.
• Tell remarkable stories that connect relatable people, places, or things in a way that personalizes it and engages your audience.
• Present enthralling biographies. Conduct an online event. Highlight a book or documentary. As well as create content to retain customers, not just acquire them.

Inspirational content

• Find inspiration from sites like Quora, It has numerous questions and ideas around marketing topics your audience may also be interested in.
• Use a tool like Post Planner or Buzzsumo to locate motivational posts.
• Share quotes using tools like Canva, or QuotesCover.
• Share other people’s inspirational content.
• Include references to pop culture.
• Browse Reddit for content.
• Leverage a site like Upworthy.  It  has an assortment of inspirational content.

Interactive content

• Use infographics to educate and inform potential buyers.
• Drive awareness with a quiz, like the Ultimate History Quiz.
• Use animated GIFs, which have the same benefits as video without turning the marketing content into a passive experience.
• Create lead-generating opportunities with assessments and calculators like this one from HubSpot.
• Deepen connections with your audience. Create social media contests that encourage your audience to participate with user-generated content.
• Use polls to find out more about your audience and their interests.

Connecting content

Types of social media content you could use to connect with your marketing audience include:

• Behind-the-scenes images or videos
• Product previews for followers
• Stories
• Personal images/videos of your life (including hobbies, vacations, family)
• Nostalgia-related posts
• Shout-outs to complementary businesses or groups
• Employee features
• Photos from events you’re attending
• Thanking fans
• Sharing your favorite cause
• Lastly, ask for opinions or feedback

Promotional content

How could you create and use promotional marketing content to add value and wow your fans?

• Define your target audience.
• Make the promotional content stand out with visual media and color to get your audience’s attention.
• Choose the right channels for dissemination of the content.
• Keep your message clear and simple to avoid confusing your audience, like Kohl’s did.
• Set aib specific time frame.
• Set measurable goals or KPIs for your campaign.
• Lastly, prepare to handle an influx of orders.

Newsworthy content

This type of content may not work well for all industries. For most organizations, sharing newsworthy content can be a challenge. There is a lot of competition. More importantly, producing this type of content generally requires a lot of resources. In fact, organizations that are in the news business tend to be:

• Companies like CNN and the BBC, with the resources to have journalists and reporters stationed around the world.
• Sites with a narrow news focus, like MacRumors or The Verge.

Assuming you aren’t in the news business what can you do? Curation could the solution.

So, how do you do this in your industry?

• Curate other people’s research, like Rand Fishkin.
• Curate visual media from your niche.
• Look at your comments for insights to curate.
• Get influencer input to curate on a topic.
• Get your audience to participate or share.
• Lastly, take something boring and mundane fun with interactive content or by sharing it in a way that’s different, like the New Zealand air flight safety video.