Do you want to work as a social media content creator? Many people these days see it as their dream job. In 2016, Twitter reported that 66% of individuals used the site to start a new company.
While the economic power of social media is undeniable nowadays, the chances of success are getting smaller by the minute. According to Forbes, content creators are underpaid for their work. Furthermore, consumers squander hours reading low-quality information, while advertisers spend a lot of money for little return.
But despite all of this information, you can still make it as a content creator on social media; it just comes with a lot of challenges. So, today, we’ll talk about how to build an audience, as well as some types of content you should avoid if you’re ready to aim for the stars.
How To Build a Loyal Audience
1. Be Mindful of Trends
As a content creator, you yourself are both a brand and its voice. That just means you’ll have to learn to keep up with trends so as to now fall behind. Keep up with everything that’s going on in your field. Follow industry giants that know the ins and out of your niche, and don’t forget to check their pages and posts often, as they not only follow trends but also create them.
2. Optimize Content for Each Platform
While you don’t need to publish content on every social media outlet, the majority of successful creators do. Keeping to one platform today may prove difficult as more and more people are growing massive followings that are hard to compete with.
Combine at least a few platforms and ensure that you optimize the content for it. For example, if Instagram is your main platform, create a TikTok account as well to post videos. Maybe even take a gamble on a YouTube channel where you can post longer BTS-type content or promotional shorts.
3. Know the Audience You’re Trying To Reach
Begin by looking at the age group, gender, and location, and then go further. Learn about their motivations, social activities, and more. Once you delve deep and research everything about your potential audience, you’ll have generated content that your audience is interested in.
Making broad assumptions about your target audience and not honing in on a specific niche may still work, but with the oversaturated market we have today, the chances of success are way less likely.
4. Analyze Your Content
You must review your social media content marketing data on a regular basis. You’ll save money and enhance your ROI by figuring out what’s working and what isn’t.
Second, you must think about the other brands and influencers you’re working with. To locate the ideal creators to recruit for your social media content marketing campaign, use an effective tool that allows you to select influencers based on their connection to your social networks, category, engagement rates, and fan following.
These types of tools are easily accessible online, plus you can also hire a company to do it for your once your reach spreads a bit.
5. Find a Unique Voice
Just because you’re creating content for companies that sponsor you on social media, it doesn’t mean that the content in question has to be dull, plodding, or lifeless. To give your post individuality, use your voice.
While it is true that the brand you’re working with may have a script you need to use, there are still ways to make it more interesting.
The Types of Content You Should Stop Posting
1. A Lot of Promotional Content
Instead of simply trying to market yourself online, try to join existing conversations and add value to them. Listen to what your audience is already talking about, read what influencers are saying, and then see if there’s something you can add to the conversation.
A good way to keep an eye on promotional content is to use the so-called 5-3-2 rule.
- 5 posts should be shared posts from others, something relevant to your audience produced by someone else.
- 3 posts should be meaningful content you’ve created yourself (no direct selling)
- 2 posts should serve to humanize you and your brand, so post something more personal and relaxed
2. Posts With Grammatical Errors
Just like your website, your social media pages serve as virtual storefronts. Making a content error, whether it’s a minor typo or a full-fledged language blunder, might give the impression that you don’t care. Make sure you proofread your copy before publishing it when you’re composing it. Better still, send it to a colleague to edit before publishing.
3. Re-posting in the Same Format
Although you want to retain a consistent brand voice, posting the same material across multiple media is a mistake. It goes without saying that each social media platform is unique. For one thing, they appeal to various audiences and lend themselves to different types of material.
LinkedIn is more official and copy-heavy, whereas Instagram is more visual and casual, and Twitter is better for bite-sized information and GIFs. Here you can check out some strategies to get more Twitter followers.
Social Media Content You Should Publish More
We’ve talked about what you should avoid, but what about the content that’s been proven to work. Here are just a few ideas.
- UGC – User-generated content is extremely popular, it not only humanizes you but also encourages engagement, and it has been proven to increase conversions.
- Podcasts – To attract more listeners, try starting a podcast. Podcasts have huge momentum right now, and you can post shorts and previews on your social.
- Live Streams – Live streams allow you to communicate with your audience in real-time. And if someone can’t join in and watch right away? You can always create an archive of past streams on YouTube.
- Memes – It might sound strange, but memes are great for engagement. However, do make sure they’re not used for promotional services; nothing is more hated on the internet than that. Use them simply to connect to your audience and make them laugh.
