What to Post?

In a world flooded with digital information, figuring out how to stand out can be a bit overwhelming. Okay, a lot overwhelming.

But it’s definitely possible to play on the same field as the big dogs. After all, we’re all using the same field, bats and balls. Some might have fancier bats – but that’s not going to improve innate talent.

The same holds true for digital marketing. At its core, everyone is striving to fill the internet with quality content.

But what is “quality content”? Honestly, it’s a bit of a misnomer. Many define quality content as being well-written, thoughtful and informative. (We won’t bore you with the long list of attributes often used for measurement.)

But quality isn’t derived from checking off all the necessary attributes. Nor is quality decided by the wordsmith or creative genius who created the content.

Quality is measured purely by the content’s success.

Successful content achieves a goal. Perhaps that goal is to increase traffic, raise search engine rankings, improve engagement or grow conversions.

And who determines that success? It’s not a search engine crawler. It’s not a social media algorithm. It’s 100% your audience. Real live human beings.

That’s where it gets a little tricky. You’re working through a medium in which you can’t see or experience a live reaction to know exactly what’s resonating with your audience. You’re not certain who or why you’re reaching certain folks.

Sure, you can see who is liking a post or commenting – but beyond that you know very little about the “people reached”. Are they people who are jumping up and down when they see your post but forget to click the like button? Are they people who doze off right as they get to your post and their thumb stops scrolling?

As impersonal as the internet is, taking a human approach to content creation is the crux of creating successful content.

So, how do you tackle this?

You continually try different approaches. Think of it as an audition during which you have to sing, play the piano, perform a monologue and read a script. A little something for everyone since you know very little about your casting crew.

Take the same varied approaches to content creation. Maintain the same messaging throughout – just regularly deliver your message in different ways.

Here are a couple of content ideas to help you nail your audition:

Posts of Humanity

Post tidbits and photos acknowledging real people. This can be as simple as happy birthday, happy work anniversary, congratulations or a pat on the back to an employee who’s been working extra hard. Not only does this touch other people, it shows you’re much more than a product or a service.

Pet Posts

Throw up a post that include a photo of your pet. Don’t have a furkid? Borrow one. Fun fact: Posts featuring cats are statistically proven to be among the most successful.

Memes

Spread a laugh with the eye-catching silliness of memes. These graphics with text can work to engage your audience, encourage them to react and are fun to share. 

Feature Articles

Take posts of humanity to the next degree with a full-length article about an individual or an idea.  When cross-promoted on social media outlets, features can be a great tool to drive traffic to your website and increase your on-site SEO through the use of keywords.

Videos

Mix things up by shooting a video to post. These can be of your product in action, your product being made, your services, people using your product… the sky is the limit! Try to keep them under a minute and shoot horizontally. 

Info-Based Articles

You’re the expert! Timely articles that provide knowledgeable information, tips and advice can be highly effective in increasing traffic, improving conversion as well as aid in SEO.

Hit shuffle on these concepts and see which types of content resonate most with your audience. Even if you don’t reach the masses the first few times, you’ll find that providing different types of content will connect with different viewers thereby broadening your audience. And don’t be surprised if content that you least expect to be successful, gives you a homerun. Happy swinging!