Content creation, for dummies?
We all know that social media is an important part of any business, but it can be hard to know exactly what you should be posting and especially what you should not be posting. Working in marketing, my “work” brain is never really switched off. When I am scrolling through Instagram, I take note of what content I see, and I cannot help but analyse whether I would have posted that as a brand or what changes I would have made. That has lead me to quite some ideas on do’s and don’ts when creating content as a brand. Here are some of my top do’s and don’ts listed out for you:
Definite do’s
Do make your content easy to consume
If you want people to read your posts, they need to be easily digestible. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and emojis where appropriate. For some platforms, like LinkedIn, longer captions can be powerful, when the story you are telling is relevant to your audience. As a general rule, always try to look at your content from another point of view and ask yourself whether you would interact with your content.
Do include your branding in each post
You want your followers to see something familiar in each post—that’s why it’s important that each one has a recognisable tone, voice, and color scheme. Make sure their eyes are drawn toward the most important information first (usually the headline), then gradually introduce more details as needed.
Do think about the look & feel of your SoMe account
When you are creating the content, keep an eye on the layout of your SoMe profile. On Instagram for example, you want to create a cohesive grid, so that your account looks professional. Just like including your branding, sticking to a certain look & feel of your content will help your audience to recognise your brand and perhaps the current theme you are promoting.
Do include larger events or holidays into your content strategy
Take notes in your content calendar about large upcoming events which are relevant for your brand, or holidays like Christmas to create bespoke content around these happenings. Including external events into your content strategy is a smart way to show your audience that you are a relevant brand and you know what is happening in the world around you. It also is a great way to find inspiration for content when your ideas are running low.
Please don’ts
Don’t copy-paste content from other brands
It is totally okay to get inspiration from other brands, whether they are direct competitors or not. However, you should never copy other’s content and use that on your own channels. There are many reasons why you should not be doing that, which I will not dive into in this blogpost. If you see some great content on social media created by other brands, take it as an inspiration to find a concept that works for your brand and excites your audience.
Don’t just post anything for the sake of posting
A lot of marketeers are convinced that consistency is key when creating content. I view that a bit differently. I believe that you should only be posting content which gives some form of value to your audience. If you have a week where you get no inspiration to do any post, then rather just take some time away from social media and come back the next week with fresh, new ideas, than posting something irrelevant or unnecessary.
Don’t stick to one form of content
By this I mean, diversify the type of content you are posting. If you were to only post pictures with a short caption on your SoMe channels, it wouldn’t be very interesting for your audience to look at the content you have created over time. A great way to get your audience excited about your content is by offering different types of content e.g. picture carousels, share downloadable PDFs, videos, animations. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of content and see what works best for your audience.
Don’t overthink it
A lot of brands get stuck when trying to come up with “viral” content ideas, but if you start paying attention to what content goes viral, it usually is the type of content that was created spontaneously without much thought behind it. This has to do with the energy you put into the content. By following your intuition and posting content which you think is the right type for your brand, your audience will pick up on that energy and will feel more connected to your business. Try it out, follow your intuition and trust that it will work out.
