How to Create More Shareable Content on Social Media

Have you ever spent time and energy on a photo or status for your business social media accounts, eagerly posted it, and found yourself shocked when it received little to no attention? Generating effective content for social media involves strategy, and pinpointing a method for increasing engagement can seem baffling at first.

When it comes to creating engaging content, it’s important to remember some of the core reasons people use social media.

Community

Many people view their social channels as a tool for networking. They use it to keep up with friends and family and engage in online discussions.

Entertainment

People often turn to social media for the same reasons they turn on the TV or open a book to read. It’s full to the brim with humor, visual appeal, and useful information.

Consider whether your content will speak to either of these intrinsic values for your audience. And do this before you tweet your thoughts, snap a photo, or turn on the live camera. Having a firm grip on this principle will help to guide your social media strategy.

Once you understand the methodology behind effective social media posts, it’s time to start creating! Here are a few ideas for engaging social media content from our team of strategists at VitalStorm.

Trending Topics

Creating an online atmosphere that fosters community often involves joining discussions about popular topics. Have you noticed a hashtag trending on twitter? Engage your audience in the conversation. Be on the lookout for national news or industry-specific news that would inform your followers and prompt healthy discussion.

As a general rule, keep things lighthearted. Stay away from politically-charged topics that might isolate a portion of your audience. Remember to keep your professional internet “voice” separate from your personal one.

Company Culture

Another aspect to building a sense of authentic online community is sharing some of your business’ personality. Feature employees for their hard work or celebrate their milestones (birthdays, weddings, babies, work anniversaries, etc.). Give your followers some insight into your company culture on a daily basis or share photos from exciting company events. By providing a window “behind the scenes” at your business, you’re giving your audience content they won’t find elsewhere. You’re also giving a face to your brand and business.

Contests/Incentives

One of the easiest ways to get a post shared repeatedly is to offer incentives to your audience. Have your followers enter an online contest by liking a specific post, sharing it, and liking your main Facebook business page. Promise a free product or discount to one lucky contest winner. Then sit back and watch the engagement roll in! This strategy is effective for two reasons:

1) Your followers are sharing a post with each of their online networks, which exponentially increases exposure for that post and for your brand name.

2) It encourages other active social media users to “like” your page and see more of your content regularly as new followers.

Video Content

When our eyes are glued to a screen, our brains are trained to respond to movement. Sharing a video instead of a photo every now and then can catch your followers’ eyes and draw them in to engage with your page. Filming brand videos that illustrate what your business can do effectively makes an impression on your followers and helps to transform them into regular customers. According to Online Marketing Institute, research shows that 73% of customers are more likely to make a purchase after viewing informational video content.

Boosted Posts

If you’re eager to get a specific post in front of more Facebook users and you’re not having luck getting the shares you need organically, sometimes it is well worth it to budget for boosting the post. Using Facebook’s “boosted post” feature allows you directly translate your dollars into post views.

You set the amount you want to pay Facebook to expose your post to more people, select the right geographic and demographic settings for your target audience, and schedule how many days you want the boosted post to appear in newsfeeds. Facebook then adjusts its algorithms so that more users will see the content you created. Since boosted posts reach Facebook users outside your network of followers, this can also be an effective way to attract new followers to your page.

Create More Shareable Content and Generate New Leads

Strategizing shareable content takes time and effort, but it broadens the scope of your online exposure. When more consumers are exposed to your brand and form a positive impression based on your social media content, that will increase your engagement, making it more likely to get more leads.

Our Social/Local (SOLO) team at VitalStorm understands how to create more shareable content on social media and can help improve engagement for your business. If you’re interested in boosting your social media performance and overall reach, give us a call at 877-311-5695.