- Marketing often gets a bad wrap
because a lot of it is disruptive and aimless.
Social media is an opportunity to do better than that
by crafting engaging, relevant and complementary messaging
that serves customers and as a result
drives business outcomes.
When deciding what you'll be publishing on social media,
start by identifying topics that are so valuable
that your customers will want to opt in
to receive your messaging.
I recommend coming up with three to five
overarching categories of topics
to direct what themes you'll consistently address
on social media.
A strong example of this
comes from a popular men's shaving brand
that continually covers grooming and hygiene tips,
comedic life hacks,
and deep dives into common health questions.
By regularly producing articles and posts on social media
about these categories of topics,
the brand has carved out a niche for itself
with its customers beyond promoting its products.
To emulate their success,
brainstorm different topic options
to narrow in on what themes will best guide
your future messaging on social media.
But how do you choose topics that are the right fit
for your customers and your company?
By ensuring their engaging, relevant and complementary.
First off, choosing engaging topics
means that the stories you're telling
aren't always promotional
but instead are entertaining, educational,
value-driven or a combo of all three.
When a story you're telling on social media
is enjoyable, teaches something useful
or expresses your viewpoint on an important topic,
it's more likely to be engaging to a customer.
It's okay to talk about the benefits
of your products and services sometimes,
but moving your messaging beyond that is an opportunity
to connect with customers in an unexpected way.
Next, you want to choose topics
that are relevant to your customers.
Basically, do they have any reason to care
about what you're saying.
This is where your customer personas come into play
as the interest your audience has
and the challenges they face
should guide which topics you're addressing.
For the shaving brand I mentioned,
they're thinking critically about how to best answer
the questions their customer base of men
are likely asking about their grooming routines.
And lastly, these topics need to be complementary
to what your company actually does
and what the organization is reasonably expected to know.
While you certainly have the creative freedom
to cover a wide range of topics,
it's important the connection between your messaging
and what you offer as an organization is clear.
This is why it makes sense for that shaving brand
to offer grooming tips and witty life hacks,
as it's logical for a company that sells
razors and shaving cream to have this expertise.
Being thoughtful about aligning your marketing topics
and themes with your brand
can help build a better understanding
of what your company uniquely offers.
Earn the permission to communicate
with your audience on social media
by ensuring the topics your messaging addresses
are always engaging, relevant and complementary.