Content curation is the order of the day!
And we don’t refer to digital content as a way of maximising Search Engine Optimisation and Link Building on your website’s backend. We’re talking about content that people WANT to read, and the sharing of information that people NEED.
So, if you’re a business owner, and you’re conducting some DIY content marketing for your own brand, then get creative and release some genuinely interesting content that piques the interest of your target market.
But this article is not trying to encourage you to create content; you should realise the importance of your own content already. What we are trying to do is help you target the right audience with your content, and one of the best platforms on which to share content is social media.
Social media requires scrutinising. That’s because it is not only a window through which you can share your content, but it allows people to follow (and therefore trust in) the brand. It has also been noticed that people are more likely to read/view content that has been shared by their friends. Potential followers and new-content consumers are only likely to share your content if it has been re-shared by one of their friends, other than through the brand pages itself.
This shows us the value of followers, and that a single follower is probably worth writing content for, rather than would-be followers that you have yet to attract.
But is your follower the right kind of follower?
A social media follower who has a constructive influence on your social media content marketing campaign should, typically, fulfil a couple of key roles for your business. These functions are a trade-off for all the lovely content that you have provided them. These followers must be influencers and engagers.
Influencer
This person shares a large circle of friends to which they regularly post topical content. They’re also considered somewhat learned in the topic that is important to your brand.
Engagers
The follower is regularly found on the specific social media platform, and they can almost always be counted on to share, comment on, and like your content.
Case Study:One of my business’ very loyal clients is one of the largest painting contractors in South Africa. Luckily, one of the brand’s most avid social media followers is an interior & exterior designer with a large following of friends who find her posts incredibly informative. Not only does she post content that is relevant, but she can be trusted to re-share our content regularly, boosting our brand’s share-of-voice online.
So, how is it that you can build an audience of influencers and engagers?
The answer is easy, but in practice it will take time and dedication. Your circle of followers must be appealed to. This means that content must be regularly created. This doesn’t mean re-shared, but rather your brand must make efforts to create content from scratch.
Content must also be created specifically for the platform.
- Facebook: Facebook content must be made up, primarily, of videos, curated-content (links to blogs), and images.
- Twitter: Links to blogs and lots of images!
- Pinterest: High-quality photographs and infographics.
- LinkedIn: Links to industry specific blogs created specifically for the professional, as well as product/service portfolio of images. Quotes seem to work wonders too!
- Instagram: High-quality images, infographics, as well as quotes. Don’t forget to post story-based images often.
- Google+: Links to blogs and other articles found on-site.
- Facebook: I just put this social media platform up again to illustrate its importance.
So, you’ll be able to set up a loyal following on social media if you fulfil our 3-step social media plan. As stated before, the concept is simple, but ensure that you carry out each of the points rigorously in order to attract the correct followers, and get your influencers sharing your content!
Step 1) Share only the highest-quality content. It’s not a bad idea to share that content created by other brands, but make sure that you create enough of your very own content regularly!
Step 2) Follow only the most relevant brands to your business. In addition, make sure that you are running a flawless advertisement campaign on social media at all times!
Step 3) Engage with your followers. This cannot be emphasised enough! Brands often forget to connect with followers’ posts, focusing on their own page and content instead. How is the follower meant to feel connected to a brand that doesn’t engage with them?
Following the above-mentioned steps will put you on the right path of both attracting new followers as well as retaining your current industry influencers (and get them re-sharing your content). Make sure that you appeal to these influencers, as they form the backbone of the audience to which you are targeting your content (as well as products and services).
