Social Media Marketing for Business

Our friend, Kim Garst, has a fantastic site over at Kimgarst.com and we figured we’d pass along some of her social media wisdom right here. Use this nicely outlined list to stir up a brainstorming session whenever you are looking for a little social media inspiration. Enjoy the read and leave your thoughts in the comments.

One of the questions I get asked most is, “What do I share on social media?”.  When you’re committed to consistently and actively using social media for your business, it’s easy for the so-called ‘idea well’ to dry up from time to time.

And if you’re also committed to connecting with your fans and followers in anengaging and authentic way (i.e. not just talking about your business and products), coming up with content ideas can be even trickier.

For this reason, I’ve put together this list of 50 ideas for what you can share with your social media followers; both in terms of business-related posts, as well as more personal posts that will help you engage with your community in a more personal and meaningful way.

Remember:

People want to connect with you, not just get updates about your business or products!

Here is something I posted on Google+ almost 2 years ago, and I still believe it 100%!

1. Unique business tips that help your audience in some way.
2. Humor…people love to laugh!
3. Inspiration is HUGE and it is one of the most SHARED types of content on social media!
4. Questions! Even random questions like “What’s your favorite dessert?”
5. Offers and deals. This is still the #1 reason people like a brand on Facebook.
6. Behind-the-scenes photos of your life or business.
7. Opinions. People love to know you’re a REAL person with REAL ideas and REAL views!
8. Personal recommendations for your favorite products or services.
9. Industry news your audience will find relevant.
10. Handy tips for how to succeed at something.
11. Photos of your family members or pets.
12. A personal introduction: Share a little about yourself and ask your community to share too! Click to retweet
13. Encouraging and positive quotes (positive messages get more shares than negative ones).
14. Fill-in-the-blank posts…people love to show their creative side!
15. A photo or video of your office, desk or wherever it is you’re working from.
16. Start a conversation: Give your personal take on an issue, and ask your community what they think.
17. Uncommon ideas: This is a great way to become a thought leader in your niche.
18. Photo albums of events or parties (work or personal!).
19. Content shared by your audience…this lets your fans know you’re really listening.
20. Customer success stories or testimonials.
21. A summary of how you started your current business.
22. Hold a Q  & A session…let your community ask you anything! >>>>Click here to retweet<<<<
23. Use a poll to collect opinions and ideas from your community.
24. Image of the Day post: Post one photo of yourself every day so your followers can get to know the ‘real’ you!
25. Ask for input on a particular issue or problem.
26. Create audience-specific boards on Pinterest to encourage all segments of your community to engage with you (for instance, ‘moms’, ‘dads’, ‘aunts’, etc.)
27. Get employees not usually involved with social media to post something. This is a great way to put a more human face to your business.
28. Contests or sweepstakes are always good for growing your fan base.
29. Caption a photo: If you want to make it extra-personal, post a funny photo of yourself J
30. Make predictions. Prediction posts are always popular, and can help establish you as a thought-leader in your industry.
31. Post an audio clip. Many marketers don’t make use of audio (apart from podcasts), but posting a brief audio message adds an extra-personal touch to your posts.
32. Crowdsource: Ask your audience to pitch some ideas.
33. Current events: Ask your followers what they think of a breaking news story or issue.
34. Share your thoughts from an industry conference or event.
35. Debunk common myths in your niche.
36. Customer profiles: Share information or facts about one of your customers (with their permission, of course).
37. Links to other people’s content…you shouldn’t just share your own!
38. Book or movie suggestions.
39. Tips for technology or tools your followers could benefit from.
40. Personal news: New baby in the family? A big move? Let your followers know!
41. Viral videos of interest to your audience.
42. Infographics…just be sure to give credit to your source!
43. Share your travel schedule (within reason!) so you can potentially meet up with your followers.
44. If you don’t offer a particular product or service, recommend someone who does.
45. Share other people’s social media posts, and be sure to tag their business in your post.
46. Expert advice…whether it’s yours or someone else’s.
47. Thank your fans and followers for being a part of your life and business.
48. Think out loud: Something on your mind? Share a candid thought with your fans and encourage them to do the same.
49. Recommend people to follow. Share the love by recommending other people or businesses your fans can like or follow.
50. Ask your followers their biggest need or pain point. You can offer advice, support or create a product or service to fix it! Hint, Hint!

Meet Kim Garst

Kim Garst is the CEO and co-founder of Boom! Social Media Marketing, and authors one of the top 10 social media blogs in the world. Kim is also in the top 20 women and top 50 Forbes social media power influencers. Bringing people and businesses together online since 1995!