Unblocked: 21 ideas for social media content when you have no clue what to post

21 ideas for social media contentwhen you have no clue what to post

UNBLOCKED

JESSICA HALL CONSULTINGSocial Media, Content & Brand Strategy

WINTER 2016

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Office of Tourism, her insights span many audiences and industries.

She has close to a decade of experience helping brands with social media and content marketing strategy development.

Jessica Hall bring a distinct blend of brand strategy experience, social media expertise and mass communication theory to developing online communities and content that create brand loyalists, inspire action, support other communication initiatives and garner key insights.

Having worked on market research initiatives, brand-positioning blueprints, advertising campaigns and social media plans with brands like Nike, HERSHEY’s, PetSmart, Cox Media, the University of Arizona, Pulte Homes, Suzuki, the

A Phoenix-based social media, content & brand strategist

By blending your audience’s needs and what motivates people to share, social media content can be designed to incite engagement and sharing to increase results — even when you’re experiencing a creative block of what to post.

Knowing that we should post something just for the sake of filling a void, we can strategically create ad hoc content for our social channels by leveraging research.

THE RIGHT STEPPS


SOCIAL CURRENCYShareable content holds social currency; one way or another, it makes the user look good to others.

TRIGGERSTriggers are the hooks that keep an idea top-of-mind and tip-of-tongue. Memorable content will help your message spread.

EMOTIONMessaging with an emotional appeal is more likely to be shared. Playing to your audience’s emotions will help increase awareness.

PUBLICThe more public something is, the more likely people will imitate it. We’ll continue to generate interest as more people become aware of it.

PRACTICAL VALUEAudiences are looking for content that is genuinely useful to them. You can provide them with unique insight and knowledge.

STORIESGood stories get passed along. Content with a strong narrative will help you reach a wider audience.

Social scientist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Berger’s research and findings have identified that people share content that falls under six categories: social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value and stories.

Using his STEPPS philosophy, you can increase the likelihood of generating greater awareness and engagement through sharing.

Using data to drive decisions when creating content

BERGER’S SIX STEPPS

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CAPTION THISGive your fans and followers a chance to shine. Fashion the limelight on them by posting a photo and encouraging them to respond with a witty or creative caption.

Did you get a gut-busting caption from a fan or follower? Share it with everyone a few days after the caption contest, highlighting the user’s great work.

When using anyone’s name, image or likeness, it’s recommended that you get his or her permission to share it before doing so.

DAYS OF THE YEAR There are thousands of odd holidays that can be showcased in conjunction with your company or industry. For example, a candy store could highlight the fact that February 5 is Chocolate Fondue Day.

It’s important to double check that the date represented is the most widely accepted date for the holiday — in some cases, you may find that certain holidays’ dates are misrepresented on various online calendars.

When sharing the content, offer an exclusive discount or offer on the holiday.

BEND THEIR EARQuestions are obviously an excellent way to connect and engage with your audience, but open-ended questions can take a lot of time – which users may not have or be willing to commit – to answer.

Instead, use a fill-in-the-blank prompt to make responding more convenient and faster, especially when character limits are involved. Aligning the prompt with your fans and followers’ interests will increase the likelihood that you’ll get numerous responses.

These answers can even be repurposed to create additional content. In doing this, you’re afforded a great opportunity to thank fans and followers for responding, encouraging them to continue to engage and others to follow suit in the future.

MULTIPLE CHOICESimplifying things further, you can also ask followers to choose from a predetermined set of options. Whether it’s set up a multiple choice question or a poll with only two options, the community can easily respond.

With the latter, you can use engagement as your voting mechanism, such as asking them to retweet the post if they prefer one option or favorite the tweet to indicate that they prefer the second choice.

4 content ideas that leverage social currency to boost engagement and sharing


SOCIAL CURRENCYWhat better way to make a user look good than to give them a platform to connect with others by contributing their opinions, giving them a chance to show their personality or providing the opportunity to share interesting content?

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HAPPY HOLIDAYSGlobal organizations or those that promote inclusion and diversity (e.g., universities, non-profits, etc.) can also share content related toworldwide holidays. You can find a complete list of these celebrations and observances here.

If you’re sharing a variety of holiday-themed posts, be sure to monitor for those that may elicit a negative response from some.

TRENDING TOPICS Social media is rife with interesting stories that capture the attention of thousands of people, if not millions. You can search for a news story or event that’s trending on Facebook, a hashtag that’s garnering attention on Twitter or a popular topic on Reddit ( just visit Reddit’s Trending Subreddit page) to create relevant and on-brand content.

News-jacking — the act of aligning your own content with a popular story or topic — can be a powerful tool for brands. However, it’s important that it isn’t seen as overly opportunistic or salacious. Before sharing, have a coworker assess the content for decorum and respect, especially during holidays or in relation to news stories that are sensitive.

NEWSWORTHY INSIGHTSInteresting things happen inside the four walls of organizations or across our industry more often than we realize. Share this enlightening news with your fans and followers by offering a unique perspective.

For example, when infrared cameras were employed to detect leaks by the plumbing industry, one such company offered their audience an explanation of how it works.

Whether you’re joining the conversation or starting it, interesting news and trending topics can be leveraged to engage your audience.


TRIGGERS3 ways to trigger interaction on social networks

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AN INSTANT ILLUSTRATIONOreo captured the nation’s attention during an opportune moment in the 2013 Super Bowl.

NOTABLE AND QUOTABLE Inspiration quotes can elicit strong emotional responses, leading fans and followers to share them with their friends and family.

POSITIVELY PLAYABLEMusic can convey emotion — from excitement to focus — in such a succinct manner. Whether it’s in relation to a big event or an exciting campaign, a playlist can be created and shared with fans and followers.

PRIME AND PIQUE With an air of mystery, you can encourage your audience to click through to get the full story by playing to their curiosity. If you’re planning a campaign, you can also create content to incite interest before it launches.

SHOW EMOTIONYour product or service doesn’t need to be front and center every time. Instead, you can use photos to convey the feelings associated with your brand. Starbucks does a wonderful job of using content that has nothing to do with their business, such as sharing photos of good friends and warm scenes.

IN NEEDSometimes your fans and followers will share more about their lives than you ever imagined they would. In working at the University of Arizona, the social media channels were used to bring attention to fans who were raising funds for important needs, like expensive medical treatments, dealing with a natural disaster or raising funds to tell a significant story.

If it seems appropriate, you too can share this information, highlighting that this isn’t just a marketing channel—it’s a community first and foremost.

Work with the person or group to ensure that youhave everything you need to help them. More importantly, if you come across this information through someone else, ask the person or group directly if they’re okay with your organization highlighting their cause.

It may be excitement, sadness or joy — when content makes us feel something, we feel compelled to share it with others, to offer them the same experience. You can encourage emotional responses — and sharing — by using these content frameworks.


EMOTION5 strategies to encourage emotional responses

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A MOUTH-WATERING MODELBeaucoup Bakery in Vancouver not only makes its audience feel hungry, but also inspires warmth.

FAN/FOLLOWER OF THE MONTHAcknowledge the people who support your company each day by highlighting a fan each month. If you have more than 10,000 fans and followers, you may even want to consider doing this on a weekly basis.

Those who are selected are likely to share this information, putting your brand in front of their friends and family. Other fans are likely to want to be recognized for their continued support.

Before sharing the user’s full name and/or photo, be sure to get their permission to do so.

FAN AND FOLLOWER PHOTOSWhether you’ve encouraged the use of a brand-related hashtag that you can search or users have been sharing content with your company on its social channels, you can use user-generated content to highlight the use of your products or services while also encouraging others to post their own photos.

Ask the user if it’s okay for you to share their photo before doing so. It’s their content, and it could come back to bite you if you don’t get their approval before sharing it. It’s also recommended that you give them credit for the image, attributing the photo to them.

Content can also be used to encourage specific action, as people will often follow suit if they see others are doing something. You can publicize your audiences’ activities to encourage others to partake.


PUBLIC2 tactics to publicize and promote user actions

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A SWEET SAMPLEThose connected to the University of Arizona were prompted to send in photos around Valentine’s Day. Fans adored seeing their love for their significant other and university on display for all to see on the UA’s Facebook Page. They would often tag each other or share their photo from the Page with their friends and family.

TUTORIALS Whether it’s product-specific or related, yet general knowledge, you can share useful information with your fans and followers through the use of how-tovideos, photo tutorials and written instructions.

This content can also live on your website — either in its original format or in a format that fits the needs of your website visitors or the requirements of the channel — to increase its reach and usefulness.

ANTICIPATE THEIR NEEDSAddress your customer’s worries, issues and questions — whether they’re directly related to your offering or not — and they’ll not only share that content, but they’ll return for more. Zulily, an online retailer, developed a back-to-school checklist, and Tide often shares tips on how to organize a closet.

ANSWER FAQSIt’s likely that your social media team, customer service representatives and salespeople get asked some of the same questions over and over. Address those common queries via social media to provide useful, usable insights to your fans and followers.

If this content doesn’t already live on your website, it's recommended that you add it to an FAQ section as it’s created for social media.

FLASH SALENot only can you encourage sales with a flash sale, but you can also encourage your audience to follow your updates more closely and frequently, as they’ll want to watch out for the next one. If you use Snapchat, it’s tailor-made for a limited-time coupon.

From great deals to educational content, your audience is likely to share information that they deem as truly useful.


PRACTICAL VALUE4 methods to provide unique insight and beneficial knowledge

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A WHOLE HUBAdobe offers marketing leaders a host of useful information on its own branded repository.

A DAY IN THE LIFEStorytelling can be used to give your audience a behind-the-scenes peek into your business. Giving fans and followers a recap of a typical day of your organization’s CEO, engineer, customer service representative and many other professionals will show them all that goes into making or providing their favorite product or service.

SHARE A STORY Heartwarming, humorous and interesting things are bound to happen. Setting up a vehicle (e.g., company intranet, specific email address, etc.) for employees to submit these stories to can allow you to capture these moments and share them on your social media channels.

For companies that have a lot of customer interaction, it may be a worthwhile effort to categorize and track these stories. Once several dozen have been collected, an eBook could be created to draw a wider audience’s attention to all the great stories your brand has to tell.

PLAY-BY-PLAY Highlighting important events as they unfold — such as a keynote address at a popular conference or a grand opening — can be an impactful storytelling tool. Fans and followers will feel included and in-the-know.

If there’s only one social media manager at your company, it’s best to recruit at least one additional person to help out during the event. Also, if a speech is planned, it can be helpful to get a transcript of it beforehand to ensure that quotes are accurate.

There are likely dozens of stories in the making throughout your organization each day. Highlighting these accounts can inspire sharing and generate more awareness of your company.


AN INSIGHTFUL INSTANCE Chipotle’s new computer-animated short film, The Scarecrow, does an impactful job of relaying the message that they not only use natural ingredients from sustainable sources, but also that this an issue that the viewer should care about through storytelling.

STORIES3 types of stories to share with your audience

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All of these ideas are perfect for when you’re in a pinch — they’ll help you engage your audience, increase awareness and some may even lead to a sale.

However, the best fix for a creative block when posting to social media is to come up with a solid strategy that hinges upon the intersections of your business’ goals, the audience’s inclinations and your brand’s key messages.

If you’re interested in going through this process, I’m happy to help — and at an affordable rate. Learn more at http://www.jessicahallconsulting.com/social-media-strategy.


PLAN NOWDevelop a strategy first, content creation comes later