Do you ever feel like you’re posting to social media just for the sake of posting? Or perhaps that social media is a “necessary evil” for your business? 

The key to a better social media experience as a business owner is better content. While Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be a great way to share sales and product launches, they’re an even better way to build your brand personality, establish trusting relationships with both current and prospective customers, and expand your reach and visibility. Not sure how to create content that accomplishes these tasks? Here are five quick tips for creating better content on your business’s social media.

Tip #1: Keep it short but interesting

People scroll social media quickly. A study by Facebook found that people spend an average of only 1.7 seconds with a piece of content before they continue to scroll. To get and keep their attention, keep your content short but interesting. If you have something to share that is a longer read, that’s a great opportunity to add the content to your website (as a blog or even a new page) and use good call-to-action to get click-throughs. 

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Tip #2: Ask questions

We all like to feel heard, and that often extends to sharing our thoughts and opinions with the brands we use or are interested in. Asking simple questions in some of your social media posts can encourage people to have a conversation with you, to get to know you better, and build a trusting relationship that helps your business grow. It can be as easy as “Have you tried our [product]?” or, “Who else is running on Dunkin’ today?” accompanied by a photo of your newest product or your morning cup of coffee. 

Tip #3: Give them more

While social media is certainly a great place to share your products and services, that can’t be 100% of your content. No-one wants to be blatantly advertised to in every post they see. Try to follow a “rule of thirds” for your social media content: ⅓ of your posts are sales and products, ⅓ of your posts are ideas and news from your industry, and the final ⅓ of your posts are personal stories, employee highlights, etc. (these more personal shares really help humanize your brand and build that trusting relationship from tip #1).

Tip #4: Don’t cross-post content

I know it’s tempting. They even put the button right there for you! But your audience on Facebook is different from your audience on Instagram, which is different from your audience on Twitter. Even if you want to share the same general content, using the cross-post button is not a good user experience for said audiences. Oftentimes instead of an image, you only get a link. Or your tags don’t come through from one platform to another. You don’t want your platform-specific audience to feel like they are an afterthought, so take the extra few minutes to post directly to your specific channels.

Tip #5: Engage with your audience

While having full-out conversations on your social media posts can be very time-consuming, a quick “reaction” or a “Thanks for your support, Name!” can go a really long way in building a relationship with your followers. This goes for reviews, too. Whether the review is positive or negative, engage with the user. Thank them for their support or ask them to direct message, email, or call you so you can help them resolve their issue. Though it might not seem like it, your responses to people are also part of your brand content on social media. A little communication with your users can go a long way for building trust with your audience.

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Creating better content on your business’s social media can help you build your brand, expand your reach and visibility, attract new customers, and encourage existing customers to purchase again. Put these five quick tips to work for you and your business and be sure to let us know how they work for you! 

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