So if you don’t know what content to publish today, don’t fall into despair. Here are 20 social media content ideas that may help you to boost your business. Use them for inspiration, and you will overcome your creative block with ease.
3 Steps to Boost Your Business Using Social Media
Different types of social media content can help you to achieve different goals. Today, we will provide you with social media posts ideas that you can use to accomplish the following:
- Grab the target audience’s attention and raise brand awareness.
- Increase engagement and get people to want to buy your products.
- Improve customer loyalty and retention to generate more repeat sales.
Social Media Posts Ideas to Grab the Attention
Before we start discussing ideas, let’s take a look at statistics:
- The total number of uploaded Facebook photos is 250 billion.
- The daily number of posted Instagram photos and videos exceeds 100 million.
- Around 243,000 new photos are uploaded to Facebook every minute.
- About 6,000 tweets are tweeted on Twitter every second.
What do these statistics mean to you as a marketer or business owner? It means that social media users are exposed to tons of content every day, and they do not pay much attention to ordinary posts.
So what should you do to compete successfully in a crowded social media space? You should create exclusive content that will surprise and amaze your target audience. Here are a few ideas on how to create posts that that will not leave your followers indifferent.
Use graphic design illustrations
Instagram and other social media platforms are overloaded with product photos that all look the same. And that’s a huge problem. The more the similar photos users see, the more challenging it gets to grab their attention.
Let’s say you use Instagram to promote your fast food restaurant. If you publish standard burger photos all the time, you will doom your business to failure.
Why? Because most of your customers follow a few different fast-food brands on social media. And they see dozens of similar burger photos on their feed daily. For this reason, your “traditional” content will not captivate their attention.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BMhDv9ojpKq/, https://www.instagram.com/p/B5str6UFJQI/, https://www.instagram.com/p/B8e6lSdhx3p/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8e5nHupOfy/
If you want to achieve your marketing goals, you should create content that looks different. As an option, you can substitute standard product photos with eye-catching graphic design illustrations.
For instance, Starbucks used graphic design illustrations to present its new vegetarian breakfasts. And that was a great way to draw customer’s attention to the new menu options and the ingredients used.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8G-bh-BdjH/
If you have graphic design skills, you can try to create illustrations of your products by yourself. If you don’t have the necessary skills, or if you simply lack time, you can hire freelance professionals. Fortunately, today, the services of graphic designers are affordable for both big and small companies.
Create comparison posts
People tend to compare themselves to others. And they do like to compare all sorts of things with one another. So it’s not a big surprise that they also want to see comparison posts (e.g., “Before and after”, “Expectation vs. Reality”) on their feed.
Have you ever created such type of content before? If not, here are a few ideas on what things you can compare in your social media posts:
- The packaging of your product before and after the redesign
- Photos of your customers before and after using your products
- The uniform of your employees at different years
Source: https://twitter.com/JetBlue/status/1227283670890840064
Look at user-generated content from a new perspective
Do you sell visually appealing products like jewelry, clothing, or home decor items? It’s highly likely that the attractive look of your products encourages buyers not only take photos and make unboxing videos but also create artworks.
Probably, you have seen your customers’ artworks, such as graphic illustrations and hand-drawing pictures, when reviewing tagged posts. But you have never considered these posts as user-generated content that can be used for commercial purposes.
Now you should take a look at watercolor pictures and graphic illustrations from a new perspective. If your talented customer has devoted a real masterpiece to your brand, you should share them on your account. Authentic, exclusive, one-of-a-kind posts will help you to reach a wide audience and get your brand noticed.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8NG27JgJa2/
Captivate your audience with immersive 360 virtual tours
Another great way to win the users’ attention is to use exclusive interactive content such as 360-degree videos.
Source: https://twitter.com/united/status/1225889318784438272
Well, this type of content is not completely new to the market. But as for today, not that many companies use it on social media. So if you leverage 360-degree videos in your marketing strategy, you will make your brand stand out from the crowd.
“Virtual tours perfectly appeal to modern customers who are obsessed with new technologies. So if you want to create a one-of-a-kind customer experience for Millennials and Generation Z, think about using 360-degree videos on social media,” says Martin Doran, digital marketer at EssayGuard.
Social media posts ideas to engage your audience
The next step you should take to boost your business is to engage your audience. Once you grab the users’ attention, you should encourage them to complete the following actions: visit your profile, check out your website, place an order, write a review, etc. Here are a few examples of the posts that generate high engagement.
Take advantage of interactive content
Today, all popular social media platforms allow you to create interactive content such as polls, tests, and quizzes for free. Do you know how to get the most from these features?
Statistics say that interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content. So it will be a wise decision to take each and every opportunity to engage your audience with the help of interactive content:
- Create polls to collect feedback
- Design the tests that help shoppers to choose the right product from a wide range
- Make a quiz to educate your target audience about your industry and your products
- Use polls to show to your customers that you appreciate their opinion and that you take their preferences into account.
Here is an example of how Delta Airlines use polls on Twitter to engage the audience and boost brand loyalty. By asking what films travelers would like to watch during the flight, Delta makes customers believe that their opinion counts. This simple question makes customers feel valued and special, and that has a positive impact on loyalty and retention.
Source: https://twitter.com/Delta/status/1225802991338475527
Prioritize video content production
When it comes to engagement on social media, video content is the first thing to consider. Why? Because on Twitter, videos get six times more retweets. On Instagram, sponsored videos get three times more comments. On Facebook, native videos get 478% more shares than videos from other sources.
Source: https://twitter.com/Nike
Experts expect that the demand for video content will keep increasing in the coming years. Therefore if you haven’t leveraged video content in your social media marketing strategy yet, you should revisit your strategy as soon as possible.
Do you produce videos on a regular basis? You are moving in the right direction. Just keep in mind that if you want to be one step ahead of the competition, you have to double the number of videos this year.
Here are a few video content ideas for you:
- Host a Q&A session to address the concerns of your buyers.
- Introduce your employees. That will help you to humanize your brand.
- Produce a parody. Create your version of a popular music video or movie to entertain your audience.
- Show a day-in-the-life of your employee.
- Film a customer testimonial to show that your products are worth trying.
- Share an inspiring story that will motivate your customers and enhance your brand image.
Collaborate with experts in your niche and try out IGTV
Also, we highly suggest you create videos for IGTV. It’s one of the newest ways to reach and engage customers, and you should check whether it works for your business.
Here is an example of how eCommerce brands can use IGTV to boost engagement. Gaiam, a yoga and fitness clothing brand, strives to help its followers to improve their mental and physical health. Twice a week, the company publishes videos where invited experts share useful tips and tricks.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/gaiam/channel/
Most of the videos last from seven to 15 minutes. And for this reason, they couldn’t be posted on the Instagram feed. For Gaiam, IGTV is the only right solution to convey the brand message to customers in a more meaningful way.
Social Media Posts Ideas to Increase Customer Loyalty
Social media marketing is not about finding new customers only. It’s also about but maintaining customer relationships and building loyalty.
Let’s take a look at the following social media post ideas that help companies to increase customer loyalty and achieve success in the long run.
Let people know about your achievements
When you’re using social media to promote your business, don’t be humble. If your brand has won a prestigious award, or if a reputable journal has mentioned one of your employees, don’t hesitate to share this good news with your followers.
Take a look at the following tweet posted by Marriott International. The hotel brand informs its followers that the president and CEO of the company were named the Hotel/Hospitality Property Executive of the Year.
Source: https://twitter.com/MarriottIntl/status/1227296105559396352
This tweet helps Marriott to deliver two important messages to its audience:
- We share this news with you because we value your support
- We have proved one more time that our brand is the leader of the hospitality industry. You can be sure that the quality of our services will never fail to disappoint you.
Be open about your plans
How do you build a relationship with friends? You share your thoughts, dreams, and ideas openly.
When it comes to relationships with your customers, you should do the same. You should speak openly about your plans. And your customers should have a clear understanding of where your company is heading and what goals you are going to achieve.
Here is a tweet by United Airlines. The company has announced that it will add 24 gates to the Denver hub and will provide its customers with more flight options.
Source: https://twitter.com/united/status/1225821637012021248
Tweets and posts like this one help businesses to build more meaningful relationships with their customers. Besides, such content helps to evoke curiosity and create a buzz.
When you’re telling people about your plans, they get excited about what you do. And that gets them emotionally attached to your brand.
Take your audience “behind the scenes”
“Behind the scenes” photos and videos is an effective tool to connect with your audience. If you show your customers how the production process looks like, and if you demonstrate all the length and depth of work involved, they will be more loyal to your brand.
Don’t know where to start? Try to draw the customers’ attention to the following processes:
- New products testing
- Manufacturing and packaging
- Shipping and transportation
- Quality control testing
- Brainstorming sessions with your team
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B70_OOwHzwX/
The more your customers will learn about your brand, the more they will trust your products. So be honest and open with your audience, and you will grow your business fast.
In conclusion
Have you just found a few good social media post ideas to try out? We hope that thanks to this article, you will overcome your creative block with ease.
If you have already felt inspired and are ready to create dozens of new posts, that’s great! We recommend you to use Postfity, a social media scheduler, to optimize the timing of your posts and maximize your impact.
Meta description: Are you struggling to come up with original social media post ideas? We’ve got you covered. Here are ten fantastic social media content ideas to boost your business.
SEO title: Social Media Post Ideas to Take Your Business to the Next Level
Slug: social-media-post-ideas
Author’s bio. Daniela McVicker is a passionate digital marketer. Daniela is interested in everything related to SEO and blogging. She collaborates with Topessaywriting and other websites where she shares her experience and helps marketers make their names in the online world.
