Everything you need to know about content creation for social media

So, you’re looking into content creation for social media, but you don’t want to make any mistakes? Writing a Facebook status or sending a tweet on Twitter isn’t the same as creating professional content for these platforms.

Content creation for social media should be engaging, informative and effective. At Vocal, we can help you with this. Follow this guide on 16 golden rules for content creation on social media.

 

Define your target audience

 

When marketing a brand or product, the content creator needs to think about who their target audience is. Likes, shares, comments and retweets are meaningless if your content isn’t reaching your target audience. Who do you want to reach and how can your content help you engage with them?

 

Select the right social media platforms and focus on them

 

The next step of content creation for social media is choosing your social media platforms. There are multiple social media networks out there so be careful choosing the right ones for your business. The more obvious choices being Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Different age groups are attracted to different social media platforms.

 

Think about your target audience and what social media platforms they use. Facebook is increasingly popular among all age groups. Therefore, using this platform would be a great starting point, no matter the age of your target audience. That being said, the age of Facebook users is increasing. You need to think about your target demographics and where they hang out online.

 

Draft unique posts for each platform

 

At Vocal, we like to help you each step of the way with content creation for social media. One of the key things to consider is what you post on one platform won’t work for them all. You should tailor your post to the social media platform you are using.

 

For example, your Instagram post should be worded differently from your LinkedIn posts. Instagram is more aesthetic and fun, whereas LinkedIn is for professionals. Therefore, the tone of voice should differ. Don’t just copy and paste the same social media post for all your platforms. This disengages your clients and discourages them from seeking your brand across multiple social platforms.

 

Use images and videos during content creation for social media

 

Use images, graphics, and videos for better content creation for social media. People like visuals, it can often tell a story better than just words. Visual content is more engaging and one stand-alone image can often convey the full message to your audience.

 

Content creation for social media should be kept short and simple

 

People value their time and don’t want to spend it reading lengthy posts that they don’t engage with. If you want your audience to engage with your post, Vocal suggests following the below points:

 

• Make your content easy to read, don’t use complex words or terminology.
• Use headings, bullet points and lists to break down content and make it easier to read.
• Keep paragraphs to only two or three sentences long.
• Get straight to the point, don’t add extra words where it’s not needed.

 

Add a call-to-action

 

There are many elements to good content creation for social media and adding a call-to-action is one of them. At the end of your posts, prompt your audience to what you’d like them to do next. Without a call-to-action, most people won’t take any action after reading your content and scroll away.

 

Call-to-action buttons come in different forms and have different purposes. Some examples of call-to-action buttons we recommend using include:

 

• Direct them to another piece of content.
• Ask them to like or share your posts.
• Get them to subscribe to your newsletter.
• Ask them to connect with you on other social media platforms.
• Direct them to your website.

 

Content creation for social media should be positive!

 

That’s not to say every post needs to be happy because it won’t be. There’s a huge difference between positive and happy. You want your audience to be excited and inspired by your posts.

 

You may choose to share an opinion or take a stand on something that is important to your brand. Have faith in your posts and don’t be afraid to post something that could mean a lot to your audience.

 

Use competitions within content creation for social media

 

Another tip to consider for good content creation for social media are competitions and giveaways. These are a great way to not only engage with your target audience but bring in new readers. We all love the idea of winning something for free. Whether it be winning a meal or a phone, most people will enter competitions they see on social media.

 

You should implement this on your social media posts. Think about what you could give away and how often you could do this. This will help your audience interact with your brand more. Be careful to not give away too much and schedule your giveaways accordingly.

 

Top tip: Check the competition rules for each social platform. They all have different requirements. This will prevent embarrassing situations when your content is removed but people have already entered.

 

Design your content to be aesthetically pleasing

 

When creating your content for social media, you want the structure to look neat and tidy. It should be easy to read. Your content should be well organised and look attractive to the reader.

 

If your content looks attractive, it’s more likely that your audience will share it with others. This will increase engagement with the post. If you can consistently produce high-quality content, you will see an increase in consumers connecting with your brand.

 

If your content doesn’t follow a good structure or flow well, it will discourage people from connecting with your brand.

 

Interact with your audience

 

Interacting with your audience is a great way of connecting with them and learning more about them. When you reply to their comments, they will know you value their readership. This will make your audience feel more connected to your brand.

 

People use social media to interact with others and their favourite brands. If your brand is responsive, the audience will start connecting with you more.

 

Post regular content

 

One of the golden rules of  creating content for social media is creating regular posts. If you want your audience to engage with you, there’s no point in only posting once a month. This is not enough content for your audience to engage with. They will most likely unfollow or unsubscribe to your brand.

 

Be sure to post a couple of times a day if you can, to increase engagement with your audience. Some of the top brands are very active on their social media accounts as they post regular, relevant content.

 

Make it easy for people to find you on social media

 

A good thing to remember when creating content for social media is how easy are your accounts to find.

 

Improve your account’s discoverability by using relevant hashtags so your audience can locate you better.

 

If you don’t give your audience an easy way to find you, they can’t engage with your brand. Consider printing your social media handles on branded materials such as business cards and newsletters.

 

Keep your content relevant 

 

Irrelevant content is one of the main reasons why social media users unfollow accounts. You’re creating content to engage with your audience not to drive them away. Your content should adhere to your brand guidelines and support the same brand message. There are numerous ways to produce original content that supports your brand such as photos, videos, and infographics.

 

Consider sharing user-generated content that is relevant to your brand to make your content even more social.

 

Stay on top of trends and platform updates when working on content creation for social media

 

Content creation for social media is evolving and adapting all the time. There are always new features and functionalities being rolled out across the different social media platforms. You should stay up to date with the changes and how you can implement them in your posts. Seize these new opportunities to expand your reach and grow your business.

 

Make sure your content plays a role in the community

 

All brands and their content creation for social media should play a role in the community. No matter what your product or service is you must be part of the community. You should raise awareness about certain topics. For example, when the pandemic started businesses helped spread awareness about it.

 

Proofread your content before posting

 

It goes without saying to check your content and check it again before you post it. It’s easy to miss a mistake in your posts and you don’t want to make that mistake.

 

Some key areas to think about before posting your content includes:

 

• Does the post make sense?
• Is the grammar correct?
• Is the spelling correct?
• Does the content flow well?

 

It’s worth having a second pair of eyes reading the post to ensure it doesn’t have any errors. If your post has spelling or grammatical errors, it will put your audience off and makes the brand look unprofessional.

 

5 types of content creation for social media

 

Blogs

 

The most popular method of content creation for social media is creating blogs. They demonstrate your company knowledge and expertise. This helps build your credibility and reputation. Your blogs could focus on top tips or how to guides. Check out our blog to find our top blog writing tips.

 

Electronic books (eBooks)

 

An eBook is usually a lot longer and more detailed than blog posts which helps showcase your industry expertise. Not many businesses produce eBooks due to the time and expertise it takes to create one. This benefits you as there’s less competition out there.

 

Creating guides

 

Creating guides, stories, and short videos are great ideas for content creation for social media. They get people to interact with your brand. Make sure they are still as powerful without sound as many people keep their volume muted.

 

Testimonials and reviews

People are more inclined to use a product or service if they’ve heard about someone else’s experience of it. Testimonials and reviews are valuable, and your audience will trust what other people say.

 

Announcements

 

Content creation for social media is all about getting the word out. If you’re launching a new product, hosting an event, or celebrating success, shout it from the rooftops. Help you audience stay up to date with what’s happening with your business.

 

How to craft an effective strategy content creation strategy for social media

 

The content you post on social media has the power to transform your brand into a household name. It could turn those followers into fans. This is only achievable by having a good social media content strategy. Here’s how to do it:

 

1. Identify and set goals

Establishing what your goals are and how you plan to achieve them will help you start planning out your content. Make your goals specific as it will help you tailor your social media content to meet those goals.

 

2. Plan social content

 

Once you’ve established your goals you can move onto planning your social content. Look at the posts you published so far and how well they performed. Look to see which platforms your content performs the best on.

 

That’s the golden rules on content creation for social media all covered. We hope you’ve found this guide beneficial, and you are able to put them into practice.

 

We know how important it is for you to get your content just right and we are here to help.

 

3. Build a content calendar to aid your content creation for social media

 

Once you know what content performs best, it’s time to build a social media content calendar. This will help you visualise your ideas and organise them in a way the strategy is easier to implement. Find which times are best to post your content.

 

4. Promote and distribute your content

 

Your social media strategy doesn’t stop once your content is posted. Planning and publishing content is just a small portion of a successful social media strategy. You need to find ways to distribute your content so plenty of people see it.

 

You should include share buttons on your posts so your audience can share them with their followers. You can also encourage your audience to interact your posts by asking them to comment or ask a question. Recognising when your audience is active and sharing posts will help you reach more people.

 

5. Measure results

 

The final step of an effective social media content strategy is measuring the results. Keeping detailed metrics will help you optimise your plan over time. You should be analysing your content regularly to see what it is and isn’t working.

 

Need help with your content creation for social media?

 

Get in touch…

 

Step 1: Introduce yourself

Why not get in touch with us for a chat with one of our team? We’d love to hear about your business goals and ambitions. This helps set our creative wheels in motion.

Step 2: We’ll do the research

After our chat, we’ll brainstorm how we can produce the best website for you. We’ll then go away and investigate with all our might! We’ll use all our experience and creative knowledge to make recommendations for you.

Step 3: Predictions

We know you want results, and we want to deliver them. We’ll provide our predicated outcomes so that you can make an informed decision.

Step 4: Quote

Once you give us the go ahead, we’ll provide a quote. Then comes the fun part! Our team will start creating the website of your dreams.