How to Create Engaging Content for Your Business
The three most popular app categories are social media, entertainment, and utility. What do these represent? Social media, at its core, tells us that people are interested in other people. Entertainment says that humans need escapism.
Finally, Utilitarian apps such as Maps, Calendar, Money Management, and Reminders make it clear that consumers value quality service. A good rule of thumb for your online content creation is to have each piece of content fall into one of these categories.
Social Media
If you can effectively discuss topics such as:
celebrities
sports stars
influencers
industry leaders
anyone notable to your audience
You will begin to see a spike in interactions on your posts. This strategy requires creativity and grunt work. You cannot plagiarize a headline or discuss a cheesy sound byte that has already been blasted out to the world by every other media outlet. You need to get creative here. The best way to do this is to listen to yourself, put your authentic twist on the topic you would like to discuss. Stop worrying about attractive wording that will get clicks and start worrying about curating original thoughts.
Those are the kinds of posts that stimulate interest and conversation. And all of that conversation is happening right in your backyard- your comment section. Engagement is crucial because it allows you to interact and get to know your followers. Using these insights to understand their thoughts, values, and ideas will allow you to create even better content for your specific audience moving forward. Here is how to capitalize on the current landscape: if you sell sporting goods, you are now a media company that also happens to sell sporting goods. Many of the most notable brands have adopted this ideology since 2010.
Entertainment
How do you entertain a group of 18-25-year-old males if you are selling male workout supplements? Easy. Stop thinking 100% about workout content. While that may be the pillar of your content, do not be afraid to post a playlist of music that caters to that age and demographic. It is about connecting with your audience, not selling them stuff 24/7. Another technique is to discuss things that are tangentially related to what you sell, or, one mental step away. Doing this puts you in a new category within your industry.
You are leaving the bloody waters of competing for attention and have entered the blue ocean strategy. In the example, the company selling workout supplements might discuss Cam Newton’s new hairstyle. That is because that age group and demographic is already interested in Cam’s lifestyle and NFL career. This post works well because it takes the consumer a second to realize that a brand is producing this content and not an individual. Fortunately, he or she will respect and admire that you aren’t trying to sell them something.
Utility
It is pretty simple: you have to replicate the most consumer-centric company you as a consumer have ever experienced. For many of us, that is Amazon. Point being, do the right thing for your customers all the time, even if its ROI is negative in the short term. Keeping with the workout supplement example, say you post a healthy snack recipe your followers can use. A user may comment that he loves that idea, and has been meaning to try the roasted almonds you used in the post. You now have an opportunity to reply to his comment and offer to send him a package of those almonds to his house, free of charge.
Why would you do this? Well, it is both a selfless act and a selfish one. It is selfless in the sense that you are giving a gift to a random follower for no reason at all and brightening his day. It is selfish because your 297 other followers are going to see you offer this and change the perspective on your brand.
The user receiving the gift is now significantly much more likely to purchase from you than he was before, along with the other followers who saw your offer unfold- only for a $6 box of roasted almonds. There are so many ways to get creative with your stellar service on these platforms.