24 Ideas to Rock Your Social Media Content Strategy

We live in the social media age of instant gratification. Whether it’s Facebook, Google or the latest tweet, answers to our most pressing questions have never been more readily available.The Internet has become the go-to resource for content, but wading through the social muck can be a challenge, and understanding where to begin when creating a social media presence can feel overwhelming.As a business professional, being online and building your personal brand through social media is essential. However, simply showing up online is not enough. Your social media efforts require that you not only engage an already over stimulated society, but also increase your bottom line by providing fresh, relevant content.Building a social media content strategy and then creating a content calendar is an excellent way to keep you focused on the needs of your subscribers, fans and followers, rather than bouncing day to day without direction.

24 Ideas to Rock Your Social Media Content Strategy

Multi Media

1. What niche or program can you spotlight? Whether it is you on screen or a screencast of your latest PowerPoint, connecting with your audience through video is imperative. A free program to create and share your screencast is Screenr. Just click “record now” and within seconds you are recording anything you can see on your screen. Then choose where you want to share your video instantly. Choose from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more!2. Record an interview with a vendor or local business partner that can speak to your readers concerns and offer tips and quick fixes. The amount of 60-90 second snippets you could create is endless!3. Create a video where you answer your potential clients frequently asked questions.4. Discuss current events and explain how it impacts your client.5. Choose locations in your area and pass along fun facts and trivia. Pick a location and record a “Where’s Waldo” video with one simple question: where are you located. Make sure your location is easy to identify. Post this on Facebook and use it as a conversation starter or incorporate it into a giveaway.6. Record testimonials from your clients and post them to your blog and Facebook page as a way to boost credibility.

Step-by-Step Guides:

1. Walk your clients through the buying process. Turn your article into a pdf and then offer that download as an opt-in incentive on your website.2. Take frequently asked questions and offer an instructional guide3. Turn your product into a step-by-step instructional. Not only do you allow clients to connect with you online and get a sense of who you are, but video is a great way to allow your potential clients to connect with you in a very authentic way.

How-to’s and Tip’s

1. Offer insight into the buying process and your expertise on what they can expect to gain by working with you or purchasing your product. What common issues do your buyers face? What problems/challenges can you offer tips or how-to's on?2. Offer Weekly Tips or Tricks via video postcards. A free online tool I have used many times is Movavi. It's easy to use and the price is right!3. Share slides from a recent presentation on slideshare and then copy and paste into a blog post.4. Share thoughts, takeaways and your most important clips from conferences, seminars, educational trainings etc. through slideshows, screencasts and slideshare.

Blog & Social Media Content

1. Discuss highlights and share insights from recent industry events you have attended. It's a great opportunity to give clients a behind the scenes look at your business and industry as you offer your feedback on what you learned or felt were the key takeaways.2. Promote your videos by syndicating to 25 video sites at once through TubeMogul and then track your results through their detailed analytics dashboard.3. Create weekly webinars related to questions on your blog or Facebook page.4. Revive past content by reposting videos, articles and trainings to Facebook, Twitter and Social Bookmarking sites. If you are a Wordpress user, a great way to revive old blog posts is through Tweet Old Post.5. Ask via your social networks what the needs of your audience are and do this consistently. It’s an easy way to stay topical and on target with the information your fans and followers are hungry for. Then take this information and write a blog Q&A that responds to their questions or concerns.6. Explain what a current event or topic means to your audience by either offering a unique perspective. You can also give details behind the who, what, why and how of a specific topic including the impact it will or could have on the industry.7. Take common myths and offer facts surrounding those often misunderstood topics.8. Promote company news including changes, events, updates, promotions, new hires, etc to allow the community to feel connected to the brand9. Survey your community through Survey Monkey or a Twtpoll about their most pressing questions and then use this material through an informational video or blog post. Share information in a way that solves a challenge, fulfills a need or offers support.10. Share pictures as often as possible. If there is an event or conference you attend, post the pictures to your social sites and write an article about it. You want your audience to become interested and engaged in who you are and what matters most to you.11. Ask hypothetical questions or tell a story to identify clients needs.One last thought I will offer is the importance of tracking your efforts and consistently evaluating the effectiveness of your message through social monitoring tools such as SocialBro, Hootsuite, Twitter Counter and Crowd Booster.What social media tools or strategies would you add to this list? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!