THINGS TO
POST ON
SOCIAL MEDIA
By Julia Doherty
Never run out of social media content ideas again! The following list covers just about everything you could possibly post on social media. From personal, to business-related, to promotional posts, this list of ideas will keep you inspired for a long time.
1. Quotes: Humorous, inspiring or motivational quotes always perform well. Check out
brainy quote, post planner or wordswag for inspirational quotes.
2. Fill-in-the-blank /caption this posts: (e.g. “If I had £1 million I would _________”)
or upload an image of something funny and ask your audience to add a caption. 3. Polls: (e.g. “Which of these books is your favourite?”).
4. Behind-the-scenes photos: Take candid shots of yourself, your employees, or snap a shot
of your office or workspace.
5. Statistics or data: Share new, relevant industry statistics (these perform great in terms of
retweets on Twitter and shares on LinkedIn / Facebook).
6. Post a link to an old blog post: There’s nothing wrong with recycling, and old posts will
gain new engagement, extending their life. I find using software such as MeetEdgar or Buffer are both great tools to regurgitate that epic content that you wrote a while ago. 7. Questions: Pose simple, basic questions that your followers can answer quickly.
8. Link to a guest post: Share (or re-share) a link to a post you contributed on another site.
9. Post a branded image: Post a funny or inspirational image with your logo or website URL
on it. I would recommend using free software such as PicMonkey or Canva to brand your images (keeping graphic design costs to a minimum).
10. Infographics: Find an infographic your followers would appreciate. Create a Pinterest
board specifically for infographics. In my opinion, infographics are a bit like marmite, some people love it, but others hate it.
11. Product photos: Work best on sites like Pinterest or Instagram. Think about how you
can add a unique angle to the shots (e.g. an employee actually using the product, a customer-submitted photo, etc.).
12. Behind-the-scenes product shots: Photos of your products being manufactured or
sourced.
13. Link to a controversial blog post: There’s nothing better for eliciting engagement than a
14.
improve your products. This strategy works a treat, especially on Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps you are having a book cover designed, or a new website being built or even deciding what colour to paint the offices? Get your audience involved.
15. Let Pinterest inspire you: Pinterest is a goldmine in terms of finding beautiful images you
can share (particularly images with quotes). Just be sure to give credit where credit is due. 16. Share a helpful resource: If you’re truly concerned about sharing the most useful info with
your followers, don’t be afraid to direct them to other people’s valuable content (not just your own). For example, we will often be seen sharing content from social media gurus such as Social Media Examiner or Mashable. In the early days I would re-write each article onto my website but that is extremely difficult to keep up with. Why do that when the gurus have already compiled excellent content. Always have your visitor / customer in mind when sharing content on your social media channels.
17. Post a Slideshare presentation: If you want to find one that’s already proven itself to be
popular, go to the ‘Trending in Social Media’ section at the bottom of the Slideshare homepage.
18. Link to a case study or whitepaper: Case studies or white papers are great for delivering
useful info in a way that’s often more palatable and actionable than a standard blog post. 19. Ask for or post reviews / testimonials: Eliciting reviews from fans or followers is one
of the best ways to get testimonials you can use as social proof on your website. You can also screenshot them and use them as images on your other social media channels.
20. Recommend a tool: Share a (preferably free) tool or resource you think your followers
would find useful. We find that this one is extremely popular for our particular industry. 21. Share book reviews: Sharing a book review (remember to add an image of the book
cover) is a fantastic way to gain credibility with your audience. This works tremendously well for business coaches and mentors.
22. A day in the life post: Give a recap of a typical day in the life of a graphic designer, author,
CEO, etc. This works brilliantly if you are launching a new product. Producing a Vlog (video blog) is more powerful than a written version. Experiment with Periscope (the Twitter streaming live product). Upload to YouTube and Facebook independently.
23. Recommend your favourite products: If you’re an e-commerce site, share a list of your
top sellers or highest-rated products. If you’re a service provider, share a list of the products that help you succeed in your business.
24. Share tips and advice: Periodically post a random tip or trick your followers would find
useful. Hint: using random tip numbers adds interest to your post (e.g. Tip #52: __________).
25. Provide a recommendation: We’ve already mentioned “ask for recommendations” but
have you also considered sharing the love by recommending a business you’ve worked with successfully in the past? On Twitter, you can do this as a Follow Friday. Whichever platform you decide to post a recommendation on, always remember to tag that business into the post.
26. Share a work/life balance tip: Your social media followers want to know you’re a real
person with the same struggles as them. Share a tip you’ve learned for balancing work, life and family.
27. Ask for advice: Pose a hypothetical question and ask your followers what they would do in
that situation.
28. Take a trip down memory lane: Share photos of old logos, websites or your very first
product. Throwback Thursday is an ideal opportunity for this. Remember the hashtags though!
29. Random posts that show you’re a real person: For instance, what you had for dinner last
night or what you’re doing this weekend. This technique works better on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest – it’s not a strategy that I would recommend for LinkedIn.
30. Share popular Pulse articles: Visit Linkedin’s Pulse area and see what is trending today
for your category. Share these articles, remembering to add an additional note as to why you are sharing it!
31. Share a comic or meme: Getting your customers to laugh with you is a great way to start
building relationships.
32. Post a video testimonial: Share a video review; or better yet, ask your social media
followers to submit their own video testimonials.
33. Recommend a colleague on LinkedIn: Encourage your connections to reach out to
someone who acts as a valuable resource for your business.
34. Hold a photo contest: Ask for photo submissions and then get your fans to vote. Share the
winning photos, too!
35. Share a trending Twitter topic: The trends are showcased on your Twitter home page,
but you can also change them to specific locations rather than global. I guarantee you will have additional followers if you start using this tactic.
36. Post during a hashtag hour event: Search for hashtag events by location or industry on
the Green Umbrella Hashtag hour directory.
37. Hold a debate on social media: This can go downhill pretty quickly, so be sure to stay on
top of it! Think before you post!
38. Share breaking industry news: Stay on stop of what’s going on in your industry or niche
by using Google Alerts, Google News or Buzzsumo.
39. Share country-specific holidays: Wish your followers from around the world happy
holidays.
40. Share (and ask for) predictions: For instance, “I predict that Bluewater Fly will win the
Grand National. Who do you think will win?”
41. Offer a free e-book: Build your email list while generating some goodwill with your fans,
just like this one!
42. Hold a live chat: Let your fans ask you anything. Hold a live chat session on a certain day
and time.
43. Use Facebook Interest lists for content ideas: See what topics are trending and share
them with your fans or use them to generate your own content.
44. Profile a team member: Let your followers know they’re dealing with real people.
45. Post a ‘truth or fiction’ question: Let your fans guess whether it’s the truth or a myth.
46. Fan of the month: Acknowledge your brand ambassadors and let them know they’re
appreciated.
47. Share industry research: Post a link to and synopsis of research your fans or followers
would find useful.
48. Hold a flash sale: Use Snapchat to offer a limited-time coupon.
49. Celebrate national days: For instance, did you know June 17 is Apple Strudel Day? Use
a tool like Days of the Year to find out what today’s holiday is. Or check out the Green Umbrella Facebook page as we post these every Monday.
50. Promote someone else: Share a link to a promotion or sale from a complimentary (not
51. Latest company news: Anything changing in your business? New employee? New hours
of operation? New product offering? Won an award? Launched a new website? Moved offices? Remember to add these as a milestone of the business on Facebook, rather than just a regular post.
52. Share pictures from a recent industry event: Remember to use the event hashtag for
maximum exposure.
53. Thank your fans / followers: A simple thank you can go a long way to building
connections with your fans. Always welcome new businesses to your Facebook page and say thanks for following.
54. Offer expert insights into a topic: This helps establish you as a thought leader
in your field.
55. Do a post series: We do this on our blogs, why not on social media? Share a series of
similar posts over a certain number of days.
56. Weekly round up: Post a list of the ‘must read’ articles for the week.
57. Get your employees to guest post: Have your employees take turns posting a ‘fun fact’ on
Facebook or Twitter.
58. Host a webinar: Promote it through all your social media channels.
59. Encourage your followers to support a cause: Post a link to an online fundraiser (and
contribute to it yourself).
60. Hold a giveaway: This can be as simple as asking your fans or followers to
comment to enter.
61. Offer a sneak peek: Whet your fans’ appetites by showing a sneak peek of an upcoming
blog post, contest or product launch.
62. Post a photo collage: A tool like PicMonkey can help you create one.
63. Make an industry prediction: Speculate on what’s in store for your niche or industry.
64. Answer an FAQ: Have a question you get asked a lot? Answer it on social media
65. Ask your followers for content ideas: Find out which issues or problems your.
fans need help with.
66. Post a link to a helpful Facebook or LinkedIn group: If you know of a helpful resource on
67. Tell a story: Share a funny or interesting anecdote from your life.
68. Find out what your competitors are sharing, and do it better: An easy way to do this is
by using a tool like Social Crawlytics.
69. Hold a Q&A session: Promote a live Q&A session where you’ll answer fan questions.
70. Answer a question from Quora: Find a relevant question on Quora and answer
it on social media.
71. Post an excerpt from a blog post: Rather than just posting a link and summary of the post,
cut and paste a particularly intriguing excerpt to pique your readers’ interest.
72. Share a chart: Share an interesting chart or graph that’s relevant to your audience.
73. Promote an industry-related event: This can either be a live or online event.
74. Share a funny advert: Post an advert that would appeal to your fans or followers.
75. Promote your products or services: There’s a reason this one is last on the list. There’s a
time and a place for self-promotion on social media, but first and foremost, use social media to build relationships, establish trust, and build your reputation as an industry expert. When people do want to buy, who do you think they’ll come to first?
I hope you found some value and inspiration in the ideas above. Good luck!
Julia Doherty is the author of “Online Marketing
for Small Business Owners” and finalist in “Most
Innovative Woman of The Year”. With a background
in recruitment and sales, she started her own digital
marketing agency in 2009 after being an early
adopter in the use of social media for business. She
works with a wide range of clients to help grow their
businesses through online marketing. Passionate
about her subject, she is an inspirational and exciting
presenter and trainer.
Available From:
Online Marketing for Small Businesses in easy steps
guides you through the
essential steps you need to take to set your online strategy, make your website
work for you, and then covers the key social networking sites to generate a
stronger and more loyal customer base. It concentrates on activities that are
essential and free, and steers clear of costly forms of online marketing
.
Online Marketing
For Small Businesses
By Julia Doherty
Tel: 01604 726758
iCon Innovation Centre, Eastern Way, Daventry, NN11 0QB www.green-umbrella.biz