Your ideal clients like to consume their information in different ways. Are you varying the content you put out there enough?
Engagement takes many forms when you use social media. Here are 6 ways to engage people with different types of posts. Check out which you already do, which might appeal to your audience most, which you can use to bring variety to how you show up.
You need to gain reader attention by mixing it up; that way you’ll build reader/viewer trust, and help to optimize your content for customer conversion, as well as entertain them. It’s a balance of education, inspiration, connection and converting posts.
There are six main types of posts you can use to attract and retain your audience, each with PROs and CONs.
Let’s tell you what they are, then share why we like them and from how we use them, we’ll share some watch points too.
1. The Newsjacking Post.
People like to read news, but like all their news in one place. You might like to be the ‘go to’ place where they consume their hits of news, so one option is to be the gatherer or curator of those news stories that are relevant to your audience. Once you build this, you can then do Newsjacking. That’s when you take advantage of current events, share the news event and then mix your own opinions into an existing news story.
Here’s how:
- Scan the news (Use sites like Buzzsumo; or search ‘trends for you’ on twitter; check national days and set up Google alerts with keywords)
- Frame some current event relevant to your industry
- Share what you and your company’s position is on the matter and why
- Show how business or their lives might change/cope in response to it OR how your company can help your avatar deal with the news/impact of the news
Why we like it:
- These posts provide raw, current information to your reader
- They help to build trust with your audience because they provide factual information
- They present you as a leading authority in your space on the tip of the information curve.
As an example, something that we share as this type of post is the latest report from Speakersbase on stats & insights on the speaking industry (released once a year). We are always on the lookout for information that helps speakers, authors and coaches understand the trends.
2. The ‘Teach’ Post.
These provide instructions to a user on a given task or actionable item. They can be step-by-step “how to” articles, or general information articles that provide background for an abstract subject, like marketing. These help people to DO something.
Here’s how:
- Pick a problem and provide a solution (go wide/big picture or very detailed)
- Make them highly targeted and more niche-focused to get the best results
- Solve just ONE problem per post
- Share a step by step method you use with your clients
Why we like them:
- You can use with B2B and B2C companies
- They can be done whatever field / industry you are in
- They solve a problem — i.e. they add value!
- They are great for SEO because they contain natural language that indicates the purpose of the article (identify and use meta tags if you can make it sound natural)
- You solve a problem and are seen as the authority, so they are credibility building
- They even help you add in downloads (and thereby build your database)
We use these a lot in our business, and actually have well over 180 ‘how to’ training sessions in the Guides section of our FB group The Connection Hub
3. The Personal Spotlight / Interest Share Post.
People like to read about people, so share your news, share a bit about your values, your working life. In fact share something that helps people get to know you. You want to connect people to you. Sometimes that’s a rant, or showing people what you stand for. Those that want what you want will naturally gravitate to you.
Here’s how:
- If you have team, do a ‘getting to know you’ piece / or show people around your ‘working day’
- Make your workplace feel a little more personal, and show it off — image posts, day in the life stuff… (that mimics the promise of what you do?! Does what it says on the tin)
- Interviewing others (that you know / hang out with) so they can see how you are with people
- Behind the scenes photographs
- Showing vulnerability — be real about situations that are happening for you
- Share your ‘life’ with them
Why we like it:
- It makes your brand and company seem more real, humanized, and more approachable
- You get borrowed credibility and build your reputation when interviewing more ‘known’ peple
- People get to know you more and it builds connections
- They make you seem personal, and helps people connect to you and your values
As an example, we do our #FridayFeeling post to encourage people sharing inside our group, but we also share our own learning and personal insights from events in our lives inside our paid membership.
4. The Cheat Sheet Post
“Cheat sheet” posts more stylized and broader than the Teach Post and may not guide the reader in completing a specific task. These are summary posts — making the complex simple or providing a more concise overview of something.
Why we like them:
- The create sign up to your database 😊
- They allow you to share your opinions and your expertise
- You get to share very catchy content (these posts are very popular)
- The are quick and dirty solutions to a problem — which mean they are popular and more importantly SHARABLE!
- They build your reach and are the ones that most likely deserve some ad spend once they prove themselves!
As an example the one thing we get asked about most is ‘what CRM system should I use’ so we regularly share our CRM comparison Matrix which helps people choose with ease.
5. The Media Post
Everyone loves an image! Visual content is king. A blog is more likely to be read by 94% if it has an image! Infographics, high quality images, and short videos all get more attention than words. Make sure you include photos as part of your sharing.
Here’s how:
- Share your personal day-to-day activities, with a point or reason to it (not just food or animal pictures — contextualise why you are sharing a life snap!)
- Share behind the scenes activities of your work
- Pick images that link to your brand in terms of colours when adding images to blogs
- Take videos, create infographics of the stats in your news and teach posts
Why we like it:
- Visual media has a higher propensity to be shared
- These are brand building & increase your visibility
- On blogs, they create more inbound links, which improves SEO
- It’s a different and lighter way to share your authority on a subject
- It can draw a new or different audience
We love a little behind the scenes share — here’s one of us at our retreat!
6. The Entertaining Post.
Break up someone’s day! Make ’em laugh! Or at least intrigue them! The entertaining blog post’s primary intention is to entertain the user.
Here’s how:
- Share anything that makes YOU laugh!
- Teach them something outrageous or fun
- Share a cartoon that makes a point about your industry
- Reveal a secret about your niche or yourself
Why we like it:
- You are associated with a break in the day
- It helps to humanise your company / brand
- Entertaining content, especially humorous content, has a high likelihood of being shared and remembered
As an example, putting out an old honoured joke like ‘How many motivational speakers does it take to change a lightbulb? Zero, because the change starts with you!’ is likely to get a little laugh and give that light relief to someone reading.
So, we invite you to look at your posting and what you are doing to get attention — is it varied enough? What do you need to do more of? Come and share them with us inside The Connection Hub or comment here, we’d love to hear what you do.