They say to write content so that your website gets more leads, but what are the best social media post ideas for your business? Are you worried about privacy, or burning yourself out? What if you're just not ready (financially or emotionally) to outsource your social media content yet, but your feeds have gone dry?
There's nothing wrong with you. What you're feeling is completely normal and will happen from time to time, especially since online marketing strategies change and evolved fairly quickly.
The beauty of social media is that it's different for everyone, and when done right, it connects us and builds trust between you and your potential customers.
Here are some tips to spark some ideas for your social media business posts again:
Start. Just start.
Take that ugly, unprofessional photo and share it with the world. Write the haphazard caption and post it, typos and all. Let go of the grid color scheme and checkered pattern for once, and don't worry if your website is outdated. (All of our websites are outdated. It's fine.)
Throughout your content creation career, you're likely to go through cycles of either posting on social media regularly, pre-writing and pre-scheduling content like a boss, and then completely disappearing from the internet, entirely. Getting consistent on social media takes practice. It's normal to not have it all together at first (until you hire it out, and then your team can take over when you just can't. even.).
Try letting go of some of the self-judgment and just post something. Then do it again tomorrow. You'll feel better, I promise!
Switch it up. Use a different feature in your favorite social media platform to be more active.
Still not feeling it? Switch it up! For example, Instagram at the moment is my favorite (although I'm making a slow, molasses-paced switch away from Facebook-owned apps and turning to Twitter for more meaningful interactions) so I'll use it as an example, if you're looking for some Instagram social media content ideas.
Tired of being glued to your phone and posting things in real time to stories? Stop using them! (I know, genius, right?)
Experiment with NOT posting to your IG Story for a week, just to give yourself a break. I know your ego won't let you believe it, but very few (if any!) people will notice. On the Instagram app, we all only have space for about 3-4 stories to show up at the top of our phone screen, and if you're not one of them, we'll survive.
Instead, try pre-scheduling 3 grid/feed photos to post while you're away. Get creative! What can you communicate in a limited number of characters and one stationary graphic or <1 min video?
Feeling like there's no point because no one engages with your posts, anyway? Grab a friend and do an Instagram interview. Pick a topic you both care about (that will be genuinely fun to talk about, because 2020 is determined to suck the fun out of everything, it seems) and set a date to have a chat. Tell your audience about it in advance.
Post a couple stories about what the chat will be about, and don't forget to use the "Countdown" feature so that IG can notify your followers. Then when the moment comes -- hop on and have fun! Let's use social media the way it was intended... to be SOCIAL.
Say what you think you shouldn't be saying*
*unless it's something in defense of your privilege or the privilege of people you love. Save the "I think I shouldn't talk about how unfair white fragility is, but here goes" or "I have an inheritance but I have suffered too" or "My uncle is a police officer and now our lives are in danger, too" confessions for your therapist.
You know how you've been wanting to say something, but you don't know what, and you don't want to get it wrong or hurt anybody? The tough love I have for you is that you're already hurting people by not saying it. The year 2020 has shown us that the world does not want more of the same ol' same ol'. We want opinions. We want groundbreaking, DIFFERENT points of view.
Speak up.
Say something controversial that will get your white friends to say, "... oh."
Tell the world what you're disappointed in. (We can live without a positive, inspirational quote for a day. Give us the truth.)
Be the mama or auntie that we need right now.
Maybe the best gift you can give us is some social media content during covid that's different. We're all already tired of or numb to what we've been consuming for months, now. Be brave and say something that needs to be said on your social media channels.
Share something personal.
Spoiler alert: Sharing something personal is on-brand and on-topic. Unless you already have documented business plans to hire X contractors by a particular date to do all your writing for you, YOU are the brand.
Not your logo, not your colors. You.
You're the reason people will resonate. Whether it's your special needs child, your unorthodox living situation, your unusual philosophy when it comes to sending kids to college, whatever.
Concerned about your privacy? The snark in me wants to say "Well then you should really get off the internet and get rid of your smart phone," but the truth is that you are in charge of how much you share and how much people know. If you don't want your nudes leaked, then don't take them or store them with an internet-enabled device.
Here's a framework: Give your readers context and culture.
- Context: If you've already accomplished something you know they aspire to, then give them the story that surrounds it. Your natural tendency to be a confident woman in your 50s didn't just land in your lap. What did it take to get to where you are, today? What does it look like from day to day? Share a snippet or sneak peek into your life on your social media. Give them the backstory!
- Culture: Your ideal clients already share your culture. Whether it's your InstantPot obsession, being a BIPOC in your industry, living that spoonie life, or simply staying afloat during the 2020 recession. We need more of your realness on social media, so post about it and share it with us!
Keep It Simple: Share How You're Feeling
Because we need deeper content on social media, let's be honest: While the stock photos of hands on keyboards and mugs from Target are lovely, they don't inspire anything other than more comparisonitis. We definitely don't need more of that.
Go a little deeper: what feelings have you felt, lately? (This is a good practice in self-awareness to do regularly anyway, whether or not you need social media content ideas)
Let's say you were, "So proud, tearing up, and trying to keep it together or so-and-so would probably make fun of me. Gosh I'm one big emotional ball of fuzzy feelings, sometimes." Share what made you feel that way! We don't need to know all the nitty gritty details because what's important is YOU and your interpretation and feelings. We don't have your exact family history or your dog, but we can connect via your lived, human experience.
How about negative feelings? Should I share those, too?
Yes, those can and should be shared too. Do you remember that red hot anger, the sweaty palms, the swirling dizziness, the prickly feeling in your armpits and the urge to punch that b*tch right there in the school pick-up line? Great (Well, not great, but you know what I mean).
Take time to reflect on specific experiences and what they mean to you and your life - where you've been and the work you're trying to do in the world, if these a**-hats would stop getting in the way.
Again, we don't need to know the details (although how great would it be for your post to go viral on NextDoor so she could read for herself, right? No, Rochelle. Don't do it.)
When in doubt, go within!
If you haven't noticed, all of these suggestions are intended to help you create heart-centered, authentic social media content that will set you apart from your competition. The beauty of social media is that it's different for everyone, and when done right, it connects us and builds trust between you and your potential customers.
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