The time has come! You’ve created a business page on social media, the profile is all set up and you’re ready to post. Coming up with the first few posts is no problem, but after two weeks you’ll already run out of content ideas. Now what!
Types of content social media
Creating content for social media can be quite tricky and especially time-consuming, especially when you don’t know where to start. First, it is important to understand what is possible on your platform. For example, you can go live on Facebook, you have the chance to use geotags on Snapchat and, in addition to videos, you can now share stories on TikTok. Make a list for yourself of the possibilities, writing some ideas that you already have right away.
Some social media platforms are more focused on text and photos, where others want you to post videos. See what your target audience finds interesting by experimenting with different types of content yourself and researching what works with the competition. Do you find that product videos work better than product photos? Then invest your time primarily in video and don’t stay busy creating and posting photographic material.
In general, there are six category types of content for social media:
Entertainment
Social media users want to be entertained and are more likely to follow a profile where the content is not just about promotion. Consider a quiz, a this or that post, jokes and fun giveaways. This way you show that your page is entertaining, which the visitor will definitely want to come back for.
Inspiration
Whether it’s a service where you sell an entrepreneurial course or a product revolving around solar energy; surely you can think of something that will inspire your visitors. For example, consider customer success stories, inspire them with quotes or show the various possibilities of a product.
Education
By working with tips, tricks, do’s and don’ts, you establish yourself as an expert in the marketplace. Teach your followers something that many people don’t know about your field and make sure you are open to questions. For example, are you a social media manager? Then share the best times to post. By being open to questions and sharing useful information, you also engage the connection more and come across as friendly and open.
Conversation
The unique thing about social media as opposed to other marketing communications is that you can communicate directly with your audience. Make thorough use of this and send new followers a message sometime. Thank them for following along and let them know that if they have any questions, they can always come to you. By doing so, you ensure that you are more easily approachable. You can also incorporate this into a post by posting a poll or presenting cases.
Connection
It’s also good to focus on connecting with your followers in some posts in your content strategy. This need not be profound and can be as simple as a behind-the-scenes look or a brief interview with an employee. This gives viewers the feeling that they are getting to know the company better and thus makes them more likely to make a purchase.
Promotion
Last in this list of types of content for social media is promotion. These are the posts that many companies post in abundance (maybe even a little too much). Posts highlighting the product, product presentations and other commercial ideas fall under this category. Be careful not to come up with vehement advertising slogans; this does not fit on social media and will put customers off.
These were the six main categories that most posts fall into. By alternating these categories well, you ensure that you keep a good balance and viewers are more likely to follow you. Do you create your content plan in advance? So be sure to write these categories with the posts to check yourself on this.
Content ideas Instagram
One of the most popular social media platforms that businesses start with is Instagram. It is easy to use for beginners, offers many options and there are people of different ages on the platform. You have the ability to share videos and photos, go live (connecting directly with your target audience), create highlights and you can put your website link in your profile. Super convenient anyway!
One feature of Instagram that you should definitely not forget about are Reels. Instagram Reels should be thought of as TikTok videos; short fun videos in which you entertain your target audience. These videos are shared not only with your followers, but also with a very large group of users who do not yet follow your business page. So ideal if you want to grow your account! In these videos, try not to focus solely on selling your product. On the contrary, it is all about entertainment.
Some great content ideas for Instagram Reels are:
- Behind-the-scenes looks; pack a product or show what happens after a customer places their order.
- Answer a frequently asked question, trying to show a person and not work with static images.
- Introduce employees, this creates more customer loyalty.
- Provide tips and tricks based on your products and/or service. Are you a florist? Then show how best to handle a bouquet that is decaying. Are you selling a dropshipping course? Then show how you do product research.
For more ideas, you can always check with the competition to see what resonates well. Don’t expect to go completely viral right away with your first video. Take your time when creating content for social media and schedule it in your calendar to make sure you have enough content saved up for the next month.
Content ideas LinkedIn
Being regularly active on LinkedIn not only puts you in touch with potential customers, but also with potential employees and business partners. This ensures that you cannot just blindly post everything you post on your other social media platforms, such as Instagram or Facebook, on LinkedIn as well.
Some content ideas for LinkedIn:
- Job posts are ideal for a business platform like LinkedIn
- Discuss common misconceptions about your industry
- Share a newspaper or online news article that mentions your business
- Share successes of your employees
- Also, be sure to share (civilized) photos of company outings, so future employees can see how much fun it is to work at your company
Keep it civil on LinkedIn and watch out for possible texts that may be misconstrued by certain audiences. You don’t want to miss out on potential partners because you hadn’t thought carefully about a post you did find funny.
14 general content ideas for social media
Did you find the above content ideas inspiring? Then check out this list of 14 general content ideas you can use on any social media platform! Make sure, of course, that the post fits well with your target audience and company values.
- Post about a current topic within your niche; what happened and how do you as a company view it.
- Celebrate employee milestones; has someone completed 5 years of service or achieved a certificate? If so, this is super fun to share (with permission).
- When doing so, be sure to share milestones of the company itself.
- Peeks behind the scenes; this is what followers find super interesting!
- Answer a frequently asked question from customers.
- Go deeper into a product or service you offer.
- Share a great review you’ve had from a customer; this increases trustworthiness.
- Share tips on a topic within your niche. If you sell furniture, for example, show how best to put certain elements together.
- Sharing do’s and don’ts also shows that you are an expert in your field.
- Create a teaser for a new product coming soon.
- Are you suddenly growing rapidly in number of followers? Then again, post a proposal message or welcome message so people get to know the company better.
- Highlight a pain point, using your product or service as the solution.
- At the beginning of the year, predict the future within your industry.
- Create a post that is about the company’s vision.
If all goes well, after reading this blog, you will have gained plenty of new content ideas and learned more about the different types of content on social media. With this knowledge, you can get started right away! Want to know more about outreach on social media? Try our secret tool today!
