Be Genuine. Be Remarkable, Be Memorable.
There are different types of social media posts that focus on different things, i.e. promotional, branding, inspirational, actionable, etc. But how many posts serve your customer?
Your customers are interested in you and your company – BUT they don’t want to see ONLY you marketing about you and your company.
In order to gain a position in your niche or industry as a thought leader or reliable and trustworthy partner, you need to show it.
The way to become a thought leader is to be giving – serve your customers with the information they need and become the ‘go to’ person for whatever they need.
By creating a content calendar, it will help you plan when to promote your content, product and services.
I'm sharing 10 ways you can serve your customers with information that will keep your brand top of mind while not bombarding them with only self promoting social media posts. Make every interaction count, even the small ones. All moments are relevant.
Industry Articles: Research and keep tabs on industry happenings, news, technology, events, etc. and share snippets and links with your audience. Ex. In Google type “<industry> news”, then click on the News Tab Post your thoughts, opinions, experiences, etc. then ask followers what trends or events they are seeing or which one(s) might have the most impact in their business..
Technology: Share technology updates and changes that may affect your customer or technology they may be considering. Ex. In Google type “technology” or a relevant technology in your industry or business then click on the News Tab Post your thoughts, opinions, experiences, etc. then ask followers if they will use new technology or how the technology will make their business processes more streamlined..
Helpful Tips: Create a Top 10 helpful tips document for something you do and would be helpful to your customers. Ex. 10 Tips for Creating a Powerful Marketing and Sales Strategy Post a back story, most helpful tip to start with, customer feedback on the process, etc. and ask followers if the document is helpful or what has been most useful.
Video Explainers: If you provide any product or service that requires training, or you would like to help your audience know the value you provide, create a video explaining a product or service. Consider breaking it into a 3-part series to gain additional interest. Ex. How to Create a Podcast with These 3 Tools If you're a podcaster, explain how the 3 tools have saved you time, helped you get guests, generated leads, etc. then ask followers to comment if it was useful or if they are considering a podcast or being a guest on a podcast.
Tools List: Provide a list of tools that are useful to your industry, target audience, customers, etc. perhaps some that they don’t know about. Ex. Tools needed for a growing small business with limited resources and budget Post tools you use, how they've helped your business and ask followers which is their favorite tool or to list others that aren't listed but they couldn't live without.
Go-To Resources: List others in your space that would be good resources to reach out to in their area of expertise and areas you don’t specialize in or provide. It's a great opportunity to collaborate and delegate when you're at capacity. Ex. Instagram Expert, LinkedIn Connections, Facebook Group Admins, etc. List on your website (informing or requesting permission from each person) the resources, what they do and how to connect with each one. Great opportunity to share with your audience that you're fully committed to projects for the next X months but have a reliable list of resources if they can't wait that long to work with you. Ask followers who they go to for a specific areas of expertise.
Brand Experiences: Share experiences you’ve had with various brands to show 1) ideal customer experiences and/or 2) examples of what not to do. Create a blog post on your website with the details. Post the experience highlights on social media then ask your followers to share similar experiences they’ve had and the impression it had on them. Include blog link in your post.
Opinion: If you have a strong opinion about a change, product advancement or proposed change that may affect your industry, post about it. Include any stats, references, and why you have the opinion then ask followers to agree or disagree and why.
Recognize Others: If there was an awards ceremony or someone in your target audience who received an award or similar recognition, create a post about the awards show, presenters, and award winners. Be sure to tag the people you know (but don't go tag crazy just to tag people!) If it's relevant to do so, ask the winners what they did with their awards (could be a fun post to see what people do with them!)
Public Appreciation: If a brand or someone has gone above and beyond, or you just want to say ‘thank you’, create a post about it and give them recognition by tagging them in it. This is always a win/win.
What social media posts have helped attract and engage your ideal customers? Share your experiences!