When my team and I work on our clients’ social media marketing campaigns, we know that balance is a big factor in our success. Whether you’re talking about balancing text V.S. images, promos V.S. news, or curated V.S. original content, everything has to be just right. It’s all part of the job. But one aspect that many companies fail to execute correctly is educational V.S. entertaining posts. Things end up leaning much heavier towards the “fun” side of content because of two reasons. 1- They think it will gather more engagement. 2 – Well, they don’t know how to do it right. But we do!
So, here’s a secret from the pros. Educational and fact-based content have proven to be some of the most engaging material on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In 2016, the most popular posts were from fact-based industries such as science, medical, or political landscapes. And here you thought it was going to be those silly cat videos! People are taking social media much more seriously these days, which is great news for professionals. Here are the most popular strategies for spreading the wealth of knowledge with your followers:
1. Infographics – There’s nothing quite like a ton of pictures to make a complicated concept more understandable. The truth is, visuals always help us learn. That’s why infographics are so effective. You can transform large concepts into digestible chunks that are accompanied by interesting graphics.
2. Videos – Video is dominating social media right now. Sure, when we think of internet videos, we think of funny cats running around or how-to recipe guides. But you could actually utilize the video medium to explain a complicated educational subject. Captions are your friend in this instance, as you can add important notes to the visuals. Now with live videos, you can offer your followers tutorials and lessons “in the moment.” Live is also a fantastic way to answer customer questions as if you were face-to-face.
3. Blogs – Blogging continues to reign supreme as one of the most effective ways to inform your followers about important concepts and topics. A blog is a fantastic companion to your social media marketing efforts as it will establish your brand in a professional light and give you a whole slew of original content to share on your various accounts.
4. Trivia and “Did You Know?” – Break down a complicated fact into a simple form in the form of a trivia or “did you know?” post. These are a great way to implement a bit of fun into the facts and draw your audience’s attention. They won’t have to spend much time with this content, but they can still learn something big. In other words, a big pay off with not a lot of effort on the follower’s part. Perfect for the average internet user.
5. Content curation – As always, it’s important to share other’s work from your online community. But it doesn’t have to begin and end with what they’ve said. You can share your own thoughts about the subject in the form of Quote Tweeting or comment on the post when you share on Facebook.
As you can see, it’s time to face facts – you need to create and share educational content! Social media isn’t just about fun material or even promotional marketing. Serious content like blogs, videos, and infographics will attract a significant amount of engagement and in the long run, conversions.
Contact us today to learn more about our work in the social media marketing industry!
