What’s Up in Social Media with D: What Is Content, Anyway?

social-media-with-dHi readers! Today’s social media marketing question is so common, I’m just going to paraphrase it from the many times I’ve heard it.

Q:I know I’m supposed to be doing more with my business’ Facebook page, or maybe open a Twitter account, but I just don’t know what I should be posting. I tried to look up ideas online, but all I can find is vague advice to “Create Good Content.” What does that even mean?

A: Ahhh, jargon. “Content” is a marketing buzzword which simply means anything you post online. So if you keep a blog, your blog posts are your content. If you have a Facebook Page, your Facebook posts are your content. If you share pictures, your pictures are content. This article? It’s ValpoLife content. You get the idea.

The harder question is “How do you know if your content is ‘Good?’” The truth is there’s no fixed formula. It’s a question of trial and error, paying close attention to what your followers respond positively to (and what they ignore,) and perfecting what works. Social media marketing is rarely mastered overnight. You don’t need to be a scholar to create good content. You just have to give people what they like – and you may be surprised by what that is.

For example, let’s pretend you own a shoe store and promote it with a Twitter account. Normally, you use Twitter just to announce your upcoming sales, but you don’t have many Followers, and your Tweets don’t get Retweeted, Favorited, or Replied to. Then one day, you post a link to a picture of a man wearing red sequined golf shoes, just for fun. A friend thinks it’s funny and Retweets it. Others see it. Your Tweet suddenly gets more attention! Its Retweeted three times, Favorited six, and you get four new Followers. Voila! Now you know what content is good for your business. Keep posting about your sales, but throw in some humorous Tweets too, and you’re going to see your Twitter account grow. If you want to speed that process up, read what your friends and industry leaders post, Retweet their interesting Tweets, and they’ll repay the favor.

What people respond to is going to vary from industry to industry, from business to business, and from social media type to social media type. What works on Facebook won’t be the same as what works on Google+, so patience and paying attention to each account are important. Track what your followers respond to, and you’ll know what “Good Content” means for your business.

Once you get that down, you’ll want to jump ahead to creating a Marketing Plan and an Editorial Calendar… but those are bits of jargon for future articles. Patience, my pretties.

Thanks for your questions, and keep ‘em coming to share@valpolife.com or darlene@dcohn.com. I’m on Facebook and Twitter. You can find us on LinkedIn, Google+, and most other social media platforms as well. Sometimes I’m even funny.