20 top content ideas for your business social media

Planning social media content for your business can be either a creatively stimulating experience, or it can be daunting. There are so many aspects to consider, but with the right processes, your business social media posting can be made simple. Here are our top 20 content ideas for your business social media accounts.

Visually striking content draws the eye, and therefore attention. The strategic use of high-quality, eye-catching images and video content can be enough to draw users attention without too much in-depth accompanying text. Do not be afraid to be bold, but do not lose your brand identity for the sake of drawing attention. Balance is key.

Ideally, using your own images and video content is preferable. If you were to use common stock images, there is the possibility that other users may have seen or used this image themselves, or potentially even a competitor of your business. By producing your own image and video content, or having the content produced specifically for your use, this online content can only be traced back to your business and can be tailored to your company’s stylistic brand identity. If it is not possible to produce or commission original images and video content, there are other online avenues (such as Unsplash) where free images are available for public use. Be sure to check the image licenses to ensure the owner of the image has permitted the use of the image.

Harnessing purpose-made imagery can also be achieved through illustration. Having a discussion with a professional illustrator about creating bespoke imagery and branding that showcases your brand’s online identity is an alternative to photographic imagery worth consideration. It can be tied into all aspects of your marketing, and remain absolutely unique to your business. Users may find your brand identity more recognisable as a result.

Educational content can be presented in a number of ways. Simple “how-to” content in image and video format is effective. You may wish to inform customers of information about your company, how to use a product, information on surrounding subjects related to your business, and a number of other engaging topics. Be creative and consider what would be helpful to your customers and target audiences.

Infographics are an excellent example of bite-sized, visually stimulating content. Presenting key facts, information or brand values in stylistic icons and (potentially keyword-rich) simple text can be effective and ideal for leading customers to seek more information.

Consider utilising online design tools and platforms such as Canva or Adobe Spark to customise your images. This has a number of benefits, such as the ability to streamline how you create your social media content. Create a range of cohesive templates with your chosen fonts and colour scheme pre-set-up. This can help to save time in the production process of your content, personalising your imagery further, which can be a helpful tool to establishing brand identity and affinity with fans, followers and potential customers or clients.

It can be tempting to use unusual, cursive fonts on or attached to your content. The problem with this is if a viewer cannot read your text at a glance, they may not take notice or recall what it said. Simple, bold, easy-to-read fonts can have a far greater impact than aesthetically pleasing yet complicated fonts. Colour can also impact this; contrasting colours to emphasise the text is an excellent way to elevate the text.

Deciding on your social media style and voice is a crucial decision best made before beginning the process of posting. While your website may be thoroughly professional and serious, maybe you would consider taking a more candid approach to how you communicate on social media to present a different side of the business. You may choose to use a humorous tone where possible to manage and respond to customers and their feedback. Or you may choose to remain consistent on social media with your professional voice. However you choose to present yourself on social media, it is best to plan in advance.

Hashtags are gateways to users interested in specific topics. Carefully selected hashtags accurately reference your content to interested users, so be sure to choose your keyword hashtags carefully. Over-hashtagging and random, seemingly irrelevant hashtags can be counter-productive. We have explained Hashtags in more detail previously here.

Similar to the way hashtags bring together users of like-minded interests, Facebook groups are
collectives of users brought together by common interests, topics, events and causes.
Becoming a member of one or several active Facebook groups is a great opportunity to share
your content and open discussions which can lead users to your profile, website and products.

Although social media is a global community, there are a number of simple methods for targeting local audiences on social media. Tagging and hashtagging geographical locations in your posts or referencing key locations and monuments in local areas are excellent methods for capturing the attention of local audiences. Tapping into communities and encouraging local participation in your company events or campaigns can encourage interest and activity, which reflects well on your business.

If your main goal with social media is to draw traffic to your website or blog, using social media posts to showcase what you have to offer is an ideal method. Opportunities to advertise email subscription services for regular, potentially exclusive content, or perhaps a new blog or product offering, is ample. By making it as easy as possible for users to click through via links and content snippets, your web pages are more likely to be reached.

There may be prime opportunities to embed NAP details (Name, Address, Phone Number…) into your social media posts. This is unlikely to be a regular occurrence, but should the opportunity arise, providing this information may lead you to sales or customer interactions of great value.

Most social media platforms allow for some form of content buckets. Set up your content buckets so that users can find and access key information about your business. From showcasing key products to meet-the-team photos and company event displays, the opportunity to showcase your business are endless. Keeping a section for positive reviews about your products or services may also be a positive move as users who browse your content can then access positive feedback about your business at will. It all comes back to what you wish to achieve with social media and which content you wish to be consistently readily available to viewers.

Dedicating time to engaging with potential customers and general users. Establishing regular, positive communication with users and building online rapport within your target community reinforces a sense of trust and positive association with your company. The more online talk about your company or products, the better for your SEO. Stay in touch with your customers and followers through active engagement and social listening. If any negative feedback arises, be prepared to manage this actively.

While over-saturating social media can have a negative impact, regular posting keeps your business alive and fresh in the online communities minds. Do not sacrifice quality for quantity, but remember to stay active.

Content variation is a principal tool for maintaining attention. Producing a mixture of imagery, illustration, video content and educational content is key, but the subject matter within your content is just as important as how it is presented. Continuously battering your audience with the same product information is not conducive to a positive social media environment. Be true to your selected social media voice and style, but be conscious of how your business presents itself and communicates.

Social media trends and general current affairs can create waves of interaction on the specific subject matter. On occasion, there will be social media trends with which your followers may expect to see your statement on the matter. For example, a news article on modern slavery may spark an online conversation that encourages businesses to clarify their stance and approach to the matter. Do not miss opportunities to communicate positively with your audience.

It is possible to use communications with followers on social media as an excuse to push content further afield. For example, if a user were to Tweet a question to your company on Twitter, you may then use this to your advantage by posting the answer to this question as a more detailed, individual post. You could include an image to further outline your response, or include links to key web pages and blogs relevant to the query. This can then be seen by all of your followers, and by new potential customers.

It is possible to use communications with followers on social media as an excuse to push content further afield. For example, if a user were to Tweet a question to your company on Twitter, you may then use this to your advantage by posting the answer to this question as a more detailed, individual post. You could include an image to further outline your response, or include links to key web pages and blogs relevant to the query. This can then be seen by all of your followers, and by new potential customers.

If you wish to have a conversation about managing and improving your social media, do not hesitate to get in touch.