Itâs a nightmare to run out of content to publish on social media
One of the responsibilities a social media manager like me does is to create content that is directly aligned to the brand or company’s social media goals. It’s a nightmare to run out of content to publish on social media. You would rather get a saw, cut your head into two, and reboot your brain to reignite even a spark of inspiration so your fingers could start creating content.
All right, I exaggerated the cutting your head part. Nonetheless, it’s true; not knowing what content to create for social media can be stressing and frustrating.
However, consider this: it’s not rocket science to keep you out of your social media woes — that is, if you prepared your pre-social media content creation well. Here’s what you need to have consistent content creation to keep you out of your social media woes:
Who is your audience?
I’m an advocate of knowing your audience. In my social media marketing speaking opportunities, I always introduce Customer Avatar with James Cameron’s 2009 movie.
To simplify marketing terms, a Customer Avatar (also called a Buyer Avatar) is your ideal target person or CUSTOMER. In other words, your Customer Avatar is your Market.
Why should you create a Customer Avatar? Simple: You should be clear whom you are serving. You should know whom you are creating content for. You should identify who
is the best person who will benefit from the content you want to publish on social media.
What should be included in the profile? Demographics and interests, such as:
- Name
- Gender and age
- Books, movies, shows that they subscribe to
- Influencers that your customer follow
But more importantly, it should have the following (or what Seth Godin refers to as psychographics):
- What are their frustrations?
- What are their goals or ambitions in life?
- What keeps them awake at night?
- What does your customer believe in or stand for?
There are many templates on the Internet that could help you create a Customer Avatar for your product or service. I recommend this worksheet from Digital Marketer.
Advanced tip: Opposed Media’s Mitch Miller suggests that you create a second avatar — a best friend of your customer. Why? According to Miller, ”It makes sense to create an archetype of a person that your customer needs to be to make the changes.” This tip isn’t for the faint-hearted, but this could define what you need to say to your customer.
Do you have the right message?
The late Dan Kennedy said it best: “A marketing message is a way of concisely and clearly saying to the right market, ‘here’s what I’m all about, and here’s why you should choose me.’” If you know your product or service well — how it works, its benefits, and how it can help your customer — then you can craft a Message that would resonate with your customers.
No, I am not talking about selling your product or service every time you create content on social media. Posting nothing but selling is a waste of energy and effort! Go try checking your recent posts on your social media page. In a week, how many times did you connect to your Customer Avatar? In return, how many posts consisted of selling your product or service?
Some say that the 80/20 Rule also applies in creating content for social media. 80/20 Rules states that 80% of your social media posts should inform, educate, and entertain your audience, while only 20% should directly promote your business. Then again, you need to keep in mind your market. What works for them?
Here’s an advice: Go and have a look at your social media platforms’s insights. There are also insights on the third-party scheduling tools. The data can help you discover if your message is resonating with your audience.
Where is your audience?
I am triggered whenever I hear a potential business owner client say, “I created an Instagram for my business because everyone is there.” Everyone is not your customer, according to Seth Godin. Consequently, not every social media platform is for you.
Reason number 1: Your audience may not be there. You can’t persuade a teen to go to Facebook when they are having a party on TikTok.
Reason number 2: Spreading your content too thin may not give you enough time to measure which social media posts are working.
Consider the social media platforms where your audience is. Once identified, make sure that you converse with them with a compelling message. The marketing trifecta of market, message, and media is no longer new. Still, it would surely keep you from banging your head on the wall, or worst, cutting your head into two. Perfect the marketing trifecta well so you can say goodbye to your social media woes and wave hello to consistent content creation.
