Source: Constant Contact
What’s the hardest part of using social media for your business or organization?
If you’re like most small business owners, coming up with content is at the top of your list.
Whether it’s finding the time to create content, or just figuring out what to post on social media on a day-to-day basis — it’s easy to let coming up with content ideas slow you down.
Creating consistent and valuable content is no small feat. But as with many challenges, your best option could be to take things one day at a time.
Welcome to our 30 Day Social Media Content Challenge
We’ve brainstormed a list of 30 content ideas for you to try on your different social media networks.
Don’t worry. Most of these can be completed in a matter of minutes. We’ve also included helpful examples from other successful small businesses and organizations.
The rest is up to you!
You can try all 30 or pick and choose from the list. If you find one type of content you really like, don’t be afraid to try it twice.
As you get started, pay attention to what works well and what your audience seems to be most engaged with. The more you know about your online community, the easier it will be to create great content!
Ready to get started? Here are 30 ideas for you to try out:
1. Take a picture of your workspace
Giving people a look behind the scenes allows them to get to know your business and build the trust you need to turn them into a customer.
Tip: Instagram is a great tool for editing photos on your phone and posting them easily to your different social media channels, like Facebook or Twitter.
Recommended networks: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
2. Answer a question
You’re answering questions from customers every single day. Chances are a lot of the people who follow your updates on sites like Facebook and Twitter will have the same questions! Pick one question and answer it today.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn
3. Introduce your newest employees on social media
People love to see the people who make your business or organization great. Use social media to introduce new employees and make a more human connection.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn
4. Share something popular
If something is popular at your store or on your website, chances are it will be popular on social media too. Look to highlight your most popular assets on your different social networks.
Tip: Even if you’ve posted a link before, there’s a good chance a lot of people missed it the first time. This is especially true on a high volume site like Twitter. You can link to popular blog posts or webpage multiple times to drive traffic to your website.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram
5. Interview a customer
People do business with people that they know, like, and trust. One of the best ways to build that trust is to show real people using or talking about your products or services.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (video)
6. Post a fill-in-the-blank
Remember fill in the blank questions from when you were taking tests back in school? Those types of questions are a lot more fun on social media. This is a great way to encourage customers to engage with you and share their ideas.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
7. Share something about a community event you’re looking forward to
Small businesses play an important role in the community. If your business speaks to a local clientele, look for opportunities to connect with your surroundings and be part of the local conversation.
Recommend networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
8. Share something funny
Entertainment is a big part of why people go on social media in the first place. Look for opportunities to have fun with fans and followers — just be sure to stay true to your brand.
Gifford Cat Shelter@GiffordCatsOscar and Trixie are very sweet… and very flexible
#AdoptDontShop #adoptable
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
9. Share your story
Every business and organization has a story — some longer than others. Look for opportunities to share pieces of that story and let people know why you do what you do.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn
10. Share someone else’s content
Here’s some good news: you do not have to create every piece of content from scratch.
In fact, sharing other people’s content is a great way to build relationships for your business and can also help position you as a source of helpful information.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn
11. Share a TBT
“Throwback Thursday” is a trend on social media where users share an older image on Thursdays as a look back to an earlier time.
You can post an image on any social network and add the hashtag #TBT. Throwback Thursdays are especially popular on Instagram and are a great way to make a personal connection with your followers.
Recommended networks: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest
12. Post something seasonal
Adjust your social media posting schedule to reflect the changing seasons. If it’s a hot summer day, offer a way to cool off. If you’re looking forward to the fall, give some advice for heading back to school.
This is a great way to make a more personal connection with your fans and followers, even if you’re still talking about your products.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
13. Share some inspiration
What inspires you? It could be a picture of your team, an article you read online, or just a quote that you think your audience would connect with.
If you’re a nonprofit, sharing inspiration could be something simple like an update on your progress for the year or a milestone worth celebrating.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
14. Highlight a customer of the month
Don’t just show your customers talking about you; talk about your customers! Once a month, pick one special customer or supporter and celebrate them.
If they are a fan or a follower, you can easily tag them and they will receive a notification that you’re featuring them!
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
15. Share something about an event that you recently attended
Hopefully you have time to get out of your store or office occasionally and attend an event. Did you take notes or snap any pictures? Have you seen any articles or blog posts about the event that you think your audience would be interested in? Share it and let people see what you’ve been up to.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Tip: Even if it isn’t an event directly related to your business, sharing something about a local event can be a great way to connect with your community. Pay attention to what worked well at that event and think about how your business or organization could host something successful as well.
16. Share an attention-grabbing statistic
Have you read an interesting statistic or new study that relates to your industry? Share it! Stats catch people’s attention and are a great form of shareable content.
Constant Contact
✔@ConstantContact
#Emailmarketing gets you real business results – for every $1 you spend, you get an average return of $38 http://ow.ly/DjFB30bY0R2
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
17. Ask your audience a multiple choice question
Let fans offer their input with a multiple choice question. This is a great way to boost engagement and also gives your audience the chance to share their ideas.
Tip: You can use multiple choice questions a lot of different ways. Ask fans for feedback about what service qualities are most important to them, what their favorite product is, or even something fun like which award show performance they most enjoyed!
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
18. Create a video, featuring people or products from your business
Creating and sharing videos has never been easier, thanks to social media. With a smartphone, you can snap a quick video and automatically share it on sites like Facebook or Twitter.
Use Instagram’s video feature to create a shareable 60-second video from your store or office. Or try Facebook Live to livestream video from wherever you are. Facebook saves the video to your page, where fans can find it long after the livestream ends.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
19. Do a repeat of something that worked well
Take a look at some of the content you’ve shared in the past. Was there a particular Facebook post that generated a bunch of shares, or a photo on Instagram that saw a ton of comments?
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Look to create something similar and try sharing it again.
Tip: Don’t worry about creating new ideas every time you post. We like to start each work week with “Monday Motivation” to cheer our audience on at the beginning of a long week. What kinds of recurring posts do you think your audience would enjoy?
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
20. Share your latest email newsletter or announcement
Does your business send email newsletters or announcements on a regular basis? If so, you’ve already done the work to create great content. Share your latest email on social media and show fans and followers what they’re missing out on.
Traci Brown@TraciBrown37Check out my latest newsletter No More Pants on Fire http://conta.cc/2kX8giR
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
21. Link to an infographic you think your audience will enjoy
These days, you can find an infographic about anything. Don’t believe me? Log on to Twitter and search for your industry and the word infographic (Example: restaurant infographic).
Chances are you’ll see a ton of infographics related yo your industry. Share one you think your audience will enjoy — just be sure to mention the original source.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest
22. Edit and share an image
You can make an image stand out by editing it online. Facebook and Instagram have built-in editing features. Or try tools like PicMonkey, Canva, or Adobe Spark to edit images by adding text, filters, or overlays in a matter of minutes.
You can also add new designs to images or resize them to fit the dimensions of each social network.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
23. Correct a common misconception that relates to your industry
Education is a powerful tool for building relationships online. Try to teach your audience something they didn’t know, or even misunderstood, about your industry. This is an easy way to share your expertise and hopefully spark a conversation with fans and followers.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
24. Share your favorite book or something that’s on your reading list
Have you read something good lately? Talk about it on social media. This is a great way to connect with fans and followers beyond talking about the products you sell or the services you offer.
Tip: Consider creating a reading list you think your audience would enjoy. These lists are easy to create and you can always ask your staff and customers to add to the list!
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest
25. Give a shout out to another local business or organization
Picking up lunch at a local restaurant? Snap a picture and share it with your audience.
Are you following other local organizations on Facebook or Twitter? Share one of their posts and show some support.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
26. Show off your expertise with a helpful tip
Chances are you know a ton of tips and tricks your audience would love. Write down a list of helpful tips related to a particular product or service you provide. You may even have tips from customers. Share them and make sure to mention the customer in your post.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
27. Post something in celebration of a company milestone, birthday, or little-known holiday
There’s a reason why the people who like your Facebook Page are called fans. These people really do care about your success and want to be there to celebrate it. Let them in on the celebration by talking about it on your different social networks.
Tip: Who doesn’t love a celebration? Invite your customers to celebrate with you by creating a special offer for them to take advantage of.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
28. Cross-promote your social networks
Have you gotten started on a new social network lately? Sharing content across your social networks is a great way to bring your social media audiences together.
Strong Women, Strong Girls Boston@SWSGBostonClick the link to our Facebook page and see a new post on the curriculum for this week, focusing on Johannah Jelks! http://buff.ly/2m8BP59
Tip: If you’re on Pinterest, you can easily share a link to a board on other social networks like Facebook or Twitter. This is a great way to promote multiple pieces of content at once.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
29. Ask people to join your mailing list
Posting to social media is a great way to keep people up-to-date and build an online community. If you want to reach your audience even more effectively, encourage them to join your mailing list. Be clear about what and how often you send, so they know what they’re signing up for.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
30. Thank your customers for their support
Here’s an easy one — say thanks!
It’s never a bad idea to let your customers know how much they mean to you. Tell them what they mean to you and they’ll show you the same with their continued business.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
There you have it: 30 ideas, 30 ways to reach your audience and build your online community.
If you commit to making it all the way through, you’ll have a lot of information about what your audience likes. You’ll also be able to see how much you can accomplish in just a few minutes a day.