Social media is a fundamental pillar in successful online marketing. With the right content, businesses can capitalize social media channels to promote their brand, establish their authority, build trust and generate more leads.
However, you may struggle with developing content that clicks with the social community. Granted, it’s not really the easiest thing in the world to come up with share-worthy content that can spread like wildfire. But if you know the different types of social media content that can garner attention, then you’re one step closer to discovering your own viral piece.
Without further ado, here are five of the best social media content types you can use:
1. Infographics
An infographic is considered by some as the most important visual content any marketer can use. Infographics can increase the likelihood of a post to be read by up to 30 times. They are also shared 3 times more than text posts in social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
With these numbers in mind, it’s clear that you’re missing out on a lot if you don’t incorporate infographics with your social media marketing. However, you need a solid content strategy first to make the most out of them. The first thing you need to do is to understand what you’re trying to achieve.
Keep in mind that there are several ways to use infographics. You can use them to present statistical data, compare different products, or provide instructions that your target audience will be grateful for. If you can’t seem to come up with brilliant infographic ideas, then you can borrow some inspiration from this post by Siege Media.
2. User-Generated Content
The best type of content is something that your target audience can relate to. And what is the best way to generate relatable content? Simple – have your audience make it for you.
User-generated content or UGC encompass user reviews, photo submissions, and everything else that’s made by users. Remember that peer influence is a major factor when it comes to the buying decisions of the online audience. If a brand is regarded highly by their social connections, then there’s a good chance they’ll trust that brand as well. It is so effective that 50% of all millennials trust
UGC more than any other form of content.
Hampton Creek – an all-natural food company – is one of the known brands built with the help of UGC. Aside from sharing user-submitted posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, they also held a social media contest that generated a ton of UGC from photo submissions.
3. Memes
A lot of marketers forget that most users don’t log in to social media for learning – they’re in it for entertainment. They need something that can help them take a load off and focus on the brighter side of life. This is why memes are so popular in social media networks.
Memes are basically images (sometimes animated GIFs) with witty, humorous captions. They are also usually relatable to the audience, which is why a lot of memes go viral and gain a lot of exposure.
An advantage of memes is that they do not require design skills to use. Instead, marketers can easily use meme generators that will allow you to use your own captions on popularized images.
4. Videos
Videos can be seen as the most immersive type of visual content. One of its biggest benefits is it can quickly capture the audience’s attention. They are also easily distributable through channels like
YouTube, Vimeo, and Instagram.
Just like the previous content types, videos are flexible and can be used for various purposes. You can do a behind-the-scenes video to show the human side of your brand, make a quick “awareness” video, promote the special features of your new product, and so on.
However, some video types don’t come cheap, particularly promo videos for your products. This is why you should start small with video marketing platforms that can provide you with easy-to-use editing tools and templates.
A rule of thumb when making videos is to keep them short and sweet. It’s easy to bore your audience if you include a lot of fluff and repeat certain points. With this being said, try to be straightforward and keep your video within 2-3 minutes in length.
5. Listicles
Entering 2016, one particular social media trend that can be observed is the rise of list-based articles – also known as “listicles”. Listicles, such as this post, do a great job of organizing information and emphasizing your brand’s expertise. It gives the impression that you know your stuff and can provide the audience with the useful resources to supplement their learning.
Not only are listicles easy to read, they are also easy to write for content marketers. This is why listicles are routinely published in company blogs when big content ideas are scarce. Just remember that a successful listicle requires extensive research, valid resources, and a powerful headline. To learn more on writing a great listicle, you can refer to this post.
5 Tips For Effective Professional Websites That Use Social Media
Originally posted on June 17, 2016 @ 8:58 am