One of the biggest questions I hear from business owners who are starting to dabble on social media is, “What should I be posting on Facebook or other sites?” This blog is going to discuss strategic and creative ideas for what your business should post on Facebook (though many of these ideas can apply to other social media platforms as well).
If you’re just getting started on social media and not quite ready to start posting and interacting, be sure to read my other blogs, Are You Making Social Media Harder Than It Needs To Be? and The Ultimate Checklist for Creating Your Facebook Business Page.
Stick to your business strategy.
The first step when deciding what you should be posting on Facebook is thinking back to your overall business strategy as it pertains to social media. Are you trying to bring customers into your restaurant? Are you trying to grow your brand awareness? Whatever your goals, your posts should connect to those objectives.
Follow the Golden Rule.
People generally hate being “sold to” on social media. Instead, try to share educational or otherwise valuable content that will draw people in, and then sparingly include promotional posts if relevant.
Mix it up.
Now you should have a high level strategy for the type of content that makes sense to post, but you don’t want to get repetitive. Brainstorm related posts and content you can share that fits within your strategy, until you have a comprehensive list of the types of posts that are appropriate for your business. Here are some ideas:
- Share your own blogs, whitepapers, ebooks and infographics (again, aim for more educational content as opposed to promotional items).
- Share content from other people and businesses that complements your message and brand, and perhaps make a comment about the content or share your opinion on the piece.
- Ask followers their opinion on a recent development or current trend within your industry, or similarly conduct a poll.
- Run a contest to grow your Facebook likes, encourage people to share content, encourage content downloads or incentivize another marketing activity.
- Share fun images, videos or even memes (if it fits with your brand voice) to show the lighter side of your company.
- Post a thought-provoking quote from someone in your industry or a historical figure, that fits your brand message.
- Share images of employee events or other “behind-the-scenes” looks into your company.
Make a posting plan.
After you’ve brainstormed a list of posting ideas, make yourself a calendar. Start by deciding how often you would like to post on Facebook, and then perhaps decide to dedicate specific days for certain types of posts.
For instance, if you will post once each weekday, you may decide you will post a motivational quote each Monday, your latest blog each Wednesday, and a funny image or video each Friday. Then you only have Tuesday and Thursday to fill in additional content from your brainstormed list.
Posting to Facebook doesn't have to be a daunting task. With a little brainstorming and planning, you’ll have a well-oiled posting schedule ready to go. There are many philosophies when it comes to social media strategies, and I realize my list of ideas has only scratched the surface. If you have thoughts or suggestions to share, please do so in the comments section below!
