It's almost impossible NOT to see people recommend "social media marketing" as a way for online businesses to grow their reach, influence, clients, etc. π I dare you to find one online business marketing article written in the last 5 years that doesn't mention social media as a tool for running a work from anywhere business.
I'm not innocent either! π I often recommend social media marketing to clients in strategy sessions as a marketing tool.
That's "all well and good," but what the heck should you be posting on social media? π© And how can you use social media effectively for your online business without spending ALL your time on it? π€
Don't worry. I got you, boo!
Below I outline 15 social media post ideas you can do in 15 minutes (or less!) for your online business. Let's go:
First, context! Lemme tell you the types of posts you should be making.
If you run a digital business, 3 post types are important to you:
You must have all three and make sure they are effectively balanced. Without "growing" content, your account won't grow as quickly. Without "branding" content, you won't build trust. And without "selling" content your account won't make money.
I've divided our 15 social media post ideas into these three categories: Grow, Brand, Sell
Type of content: grow your reach on social media
Share your favorite quotes or sayings on social media. These can be quotes you make up, or quotes from quote websites like Brainy Quote, which provides pre-made images you can repost on social media. Grab the images from Brainy Quote or use a tool like Canva to create your images.
View this post on Instagram
Type of content: grow your reach on social media
Find and share news or pop-culture that relates to your niche. If it's already trending and it's appropriate for your audience, chances are it will perform well and be easy to share.
Type of content: grow your reach on social media
Ask questions of your audience. Questions allow you to collect information on your audience and improve your engagement ranking in social media algorithms if people interact with your content. A few questions to consider asking or prompting:
Type of content: grow your reach on social media
Post a "comment, like or share to enter to win" contest on your social media account. This giveaway could be for a product or service you offer.
Type of content: grow your reach on social media
Ask your audience to send you pictures of them that relate you your business niche. For example, since I teach women how to run work-from-anywhere consulting businesses, I could ask my audience to share a picture of them working at their favorite "non-office" location.
The great thing about this is you can then repost the images people send you as other social media posts later, is long as you have the submitter's permission.
Type of content: build your brand on social media
Share your opinion on something related to your niche. Use these prompts to come up with ideas:
The key to this content idea type is to help people understand the "why" behind what you do.
Type of content: build your brand on social media
Share some knowledge about your niche. For example:
The point of this content is to give the user clarity on what you do.
Type of content: build your brand on social media
Humans like to do business with other humans. As you feel comfortable – and as appropriate – share behind-the-scenes (BTS) pictures or stories about your life. For example,
Type of content: build your brand on social media
Show your audience that you're working in and on your business by giving them a sneak peek behind the curtain with behind-the-scenes content. Some ideas might be:
Type of content: build your brand on social media
An awesome way to build trust with your social media posts is to provide value by teaching what you know. Make a short written post or video explaining a tactic, strategy or frequently asked question.
The point of this post type is to teach the user something so they can see you know your craft.
Type of content: sell on social media
Repost or share a testimonial or recommendation from a previous client
Type of content: sell on social media
This is where you name drop or showcase who you've worked with during your career. For example:
Type of content: sell on social media
Share some results you've gotten for clients. I used to keep a running list of metrics and results I achieved for clients that I could pop into proposals, social media, emails. Sharing content like this helps people who are new to your brand see how you might help them.
Type of content: sell on social media
Shout out any new clients or purchasers. This doesn't have to be long content. Just thank them for working with you and, if appropriate state what they purchased. For example, "Thank you Jane Blow for signing as a new website design client! I'm so excited to help you reshape your online presence!"
This content shows you appreciate your clients – and that you HAVE CLIENTS! And you know who gets clients? π€ People who already have clients, boo! π
Type of content: sell on social media
And of course, it always pays to show the work you do. If you make a website, post a link or screenshot. If you help women get in shape, show before and after pictures. Even if you teach via content online, you can show the actual content.
When you show your work, just make sure you have a CTA (call to action) and the link where people can learn more or sign up.
50% Complete
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.