One of the most common phrases I hear from small business owners who get in touch with me for social media training is ‘I just don’t know what to post about’.
So I thought I would put together a list of ideas to provide some inspiration for your business-related content. There’s one (sometimes more!) for each letter of the alphabet and most of these ideas can be executed across any of the different social media platforms.
A is for
· About Me – Allow your audience to get to know you and your story, remind people who you are and who you help.
· AMA or ‘Ask Me Anything’ – A great option to encourage your audience to engage and ask you questions about your business or area of expertise.
· Awareness Days – There really seems to be a national day for pretty much anything you could think of (so don't go overboard with this!). Check out the DaysOfTheYear calendar to help find the ones that are relevant for your business or industry.
B is for
· Behind the Scenes – Give your audience an insight into what goes on in your business behind closed doors. Perhaps you’re working on a new product launch or preparing for an event, or you have a workshop, studio or office you could give them a tour of.
· Before and After – Think about the situation your customer or client was in before they enlisted your services or used your product, and where they are now. What problem did you solve? How did they feel then and now?
C is for
· Case Study – Document some of your most successful or proudest client projects as a case study to showcase the problem or brief you were tasked with, what you did, and the results you delivered. Don’t forget to include photos and a testimonial where possible. If the case study is long, house it on your website and link to it from a social media post.
D is for
· Day in the Life – Give an insight into your working day.
· Did you know? - Share some informative or surprising facts or news about your industry.
E is for
· Events – This could be one you’re running or one you’re attending.
F is for
· FAQ – What are the Frequently Asked Questions you get asked? And how would you answer them? Jot them down and there you have a ready-made list of posts which you could build into a content series over several weeks.
G is for
· Guest – Who could you ask, who would be relevant to your audience, to write a Guest Blog for your website? Or appear as a Guest Speaker at an event? This is then content you can post about.
H is for
· How To – Give your audience a tutorial or a demonstration on how to do something.
I is for
· Infographic – Share some data about your business or industry as a graphic. This can be a really informative and engaging form of content. You can create your own using Hubspot's free infographic templates.
J is for
· Jokes – What could you post to make someone laugh or smile? Remember to keep it relevant (and inoffensive!)
K is for
· Keywords – Not the subject of a post as such but remember that it is really important to use keywords in your posts so that you have more chance of being found for the services or products you offer via both the social media platform’s search functionality, and all-important Google.
L is for
· Lists - Things like ‘Top 5 Tips’ or ‘3 reasons to…’ or ‘A-Zs’ like this one are all examples of lists. Such posts are great for delivering advice or information in a digestible way.
M is for
· Myth Busters – What are the top statements you hear about your industry that just aren’t true? Debunk the myths with an informative post which showcases your expertise.
N is for
· Newness – We all love to hear about what’s new – products, services, members of your team, networks you’ve joined, clients you’ve signed, the list goes on…
O is for
· Out of Office – What are you up to when not at work? How can you relate this to your work or industry or values, to keep it relevant for your customers and clients?
P is for
· Poll – Available on most of the major social media platforms, Polls are a great way to get some input from your audience. Is there a way they could help you with a new product or service launch by voting on ideas? Or narrow your shortlist for your next Blog topic?
· Promotion – Whilst no one wants to hear you push your products and services in every post, do make sure you share any special promotions, offers or competitions with your audience
Q is for
· Quotation – Oh don’t we all love a good quote! Find ones that are relevant not just to you but to your audience – and remember to reference!
R is for
· Round Up – Provide a useful end of week post for your audience with a round up of news, articles to read, products, or even a round-up of the highlights of your week.
S is for
· ‘Sneak Peek’ – What’s coming soon? Spark your audience’s interest and create some buzz around something you’re working on.
T is for
· Testimonials – Potential customers may not see the Reviews you already have on your website, Google or other social media platforms. It’s a great idea to share testimonials as posts now and again to build your credibility as well as give an insight into the types of clients you work with.
· Tools of the Trade – Which are the key items, devices, apps, websites etc. that you couldn’t live without in your daily job? Sharing what you use and why you find these useful can be eye-opening for members of your audience.
· Thank you – Who do you want to say thank you to this week?
U is for
· UGC – You don’t need to create all your content yourself. ‘User Generated Content’ refers to posts by your clients about you and your product or services. So do encourage your happy customers to tag you in their posts about you.
V is for
· Video – Do you have any brand or product videos you could share? If not, don’t worry, you can create very simple videos yourself without the need for expensive equipment – check out Danielle Bayes for some simple video inspiration.
W is for
· Who What Why – Share who you are, what you do and why you do it aka your mission
· Workarounds – is there something your target audience struggles with that you can provide a workaround or service to address?
X is for
· eXpertise – almost ; ) Showcase your experience and expertise to your audience. This could be in the form of awards or certifications you’ve achieved, writing an article on a topic of interest or simply thinking about the problems your audience commonly faces and how you would go about tackling them.
Y is for
· Your Audience – know your audience, know what they like, what makes them tick, what they’re interested in. Post curated content (posts that you share) around these subject areas.
Z is for
· Zilch. Zero. OK I definitely struggled with this one! Something that came to mind is Generation Z or ‘Zoomers’ – they might not be your target audience currently but they may well be in the years to come. So have a think about how your content may need to evolve to cater for a wider, potentially younger generation. TikTok anyone?!
I hope you’ve found this article useful. Please do share it with others that might gain some inspiration from it! I would love to hear your thoughts (and any pearls of wisdom for the letters X and Z!).
Find out more about my social media training services.