There are many factors to consider when learning how to create well-rounded content for social platforms, from location to industry to the time of the year. The secret to ensuring that your content is varied and useful to the customer is to plan in advance — taking brand goals, community happenings, your audience and much more into consideration prior to content creation. Read on to see how we create well-rounded content for social media.

Educational

A large portion of your content should educate your audience about your services, your company, what you have to offer, etc. Whether it’s explaining how your product or service is beneficial or sharing third-party sources that are related to your industry, this form of content should offer the consumer information they were unaware of prior to following your brand’s social media. By clearly outlining how you can bring value to or solve a problem for your audience, you’re encouraging potential customers to seek more information about your services — and therefore giving them the confidence to make an informed purchase decision.

Promotional

While we don’t recommend pushing “sales sales sales” all the time, promoting your brand and its products or services is an important piece of the content puzzle. We recommend around 30% of promotional content, whether it’s sharing seasonal deals, offering incentives for loyal customers, or showcasing new inventory. For this type of content, content should include strong calls-to-action that leads your audience to the promoted product or service. For example, a call-to-action telling them to fill out the contact form on your website or read a blog your company wrote to learn more about a specific topic.

Personal

Highlighting employees or reposting a customer’s photo is the type of content that adds warmth and personality to the brand. This makes your audience feel more connected to the company, which in turn creates brand loyalty. In addition to fostering brand loyalty, personal photos and stories have been shown to perform well in terms of engagement and reach. Unsurprisingly, people are much more inclined to share or comment on a post that is personal to them.

Community-Oriented

We highly recommend mixing community-oriented content into your equation. If you’re a local brand — it’s important to lift up the community and show you are an active part of it. This includes sharing interesting places to visit or things to do around your area, showcasing that you give back to the community or to certain organizations, or highlighting local brand partners that you work with and/or admire.

Engaging

Lastly, we recommend that your content calendar incorporates pieces that are engaging! Ask questions to get to know your customers or what they want to see more of on your social channels. Ask for customer feedback in the form of reviews to learn how to improve your product or services and build up brand credibility on places like Yelp or Google My Business. Engaging content helps your audience see that you care about their opinions and are actively listening to them.

We hope that this guide helps you know how to create well-rounded content for social media for your brand! If you feel overwhelmed by all of the planning and creativity that goes into building a content calendar, we’d love if you’d consider working with us at Alter Endeavors.