One of the most common questions I’m asked by potential clients (and former clients at my last position) is “What types of things should I be posting?” It may sound silly when you say it outloud, but it can be extremely frustrating.

One thing you’ll find, and I’m sure I’ve said it before, is that you do NOT want to only post promotions for your business. While it’s certainly important to keep your followers up-to-date on your business’ news and offers, only posting this type of content will come off as “spam” to your follwers. You’ll notice a decrease in followers and/or a drop in post reach if this is your page’s only type of post. In order to keep this type of content “clickable,” I’ve also got a few prompts to help make your promotions more creative.

So…what can you do?

Well, first things first: Take a step back & out-of-the-box.

Are you feeling a bit more creative? Separated from your business? Good. Now check out a few prompts to get your brain going.

Post prompts (for any platform):

Be a bit random.

1. Do you have any tips or tricks that just make life easier? If you don’t, you may consider looking up a few Life Hacks…but either way, share them! You may even have a follower or two who recommends something amazing in return. Share their tips as well and credit them (see, we just got two birds with one stone, here!).
2. Have you read a good book lately? What did you think of the latest Leo DiCaprio movie…and does he deserve an Oscar for it? Is there a blog you follow whose updates you love? Feel free to make random, “lifestyle” recommendations to your followers. You may even receive responses recommending great books to you!
3. First things first: Don’t be afraid to post something totally unrelated to your business. Some of the most popular posts on my own business pages have been random gifs about things like coffee or my favorite TV shows, and my highest performing Instagram posts have been inspirational quotes. So, browse iFunny, Instagram, Imagur, BuzzFeed, Pinterest…or your own personal favorite Facebook pages. Look for something that simply appeals to you (or your family). Find a cute video or a funny meme and share it! Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Show-off your expertise.

1. Think: “A Day in the Life.” Give your audience a behind-the-scenes tour of your offices or a step-by-step video of how your products are created or delivered. If your company partakes in events, snap a few photos (selfies!) with your phone & take a minute to upload them in-the-moment…or just show off what goes on to make your events happen.
2. What’s going on in your industry? Post news articles, videos, or photos to highlight any changes that may be happening. You may even want to do a bit of research to learn more to share with your followers. Show off your expertise!
3. Do you love working with a certain company? Whether they’re a supplier or even a competitor, post occassional recommendations in your industry to demonstrate your connectedness.
4. Put together a quick video or infographic as a tutorial on any products or services you offer (especially if they’re new!).
5. Has your business recently received an award? That should definitely be posted. Include a photo of the award as well as what it is & what it means!
6. If you have any amazing case studies, consider sharing links to them! This is a great way to promote your business by saying you’re awesome without actually saying it yourself…you know what I mean?

Keep your followers up-to-date on your business (yes, a few promotions are still OK!).

1. Do you have a fan-favorite product or service? Have you received/been tagged in photos or videos from your followers? Shoot them a message and ask if you can share their post – they’ll likely be honored & excited! Make sure any photos you post are good quality!
2. Have you just received a shipment of a new product? Post a teaser photo (ie; “big news coming soon!”) or a professional photo of your new offering.
3. Share a photo or video that has nothing to do with your business but is still interesting to your audience (such as a picture of a couple holding hands on the beach)…and then link it back to your company’s products or services!
4. Don’t forget to remind your followers of any weekly coupons/deals you do!

Ask questions (& give answers).

1. Ask your followers simple, silly, or personal questions such as their chocolate preference (a great Valentine’s Day or Easter post).
2. Start a debate (but don’t be TOO political).
3. Do you have an FAQ section on your website? Post answers to these in graphic, video, or infographic form!
4. Are there industry questions being asked that could be important to your audience? Think about any industry changes that may spark questions to you or your followers.

Turn your business into a family (or at least make your team relatable).

1. Here’s an easy one: Is there anything you use or bring to work that you couldn’t do without? Take a picture of it and post why you need it (for me, this item is coffee. ALL the coffee!).
2. If there are any holidays (even silly ones like #NationalCoffeeDay), post photos of your office celebrating! At RxWiki, we coordinated with the office to wear red on Go Red For Women Day, and then posted a photo to our office Facebook album…and not only was it popular because of the trend but it was also popular because it put faces to the company.
3. Show your employees some love! This can go a few ways: Feature an employee profile (weekly or monthly) with a quick interview and photo, or share something cool (and possibly not-work-related) that they’re doing. Is your cashier a marathon-runner extraordinaire? Does your accountant foster dogs? You may need to really get to know your employees or coworkers for this one…but personally, I don’t see that as a bad thing, either! 😉

Keep your eyes peeled.

1. Watch your page analytics to see what types of post your audience engages with the most…and post more of that! Make sure you check your analytics regularly, too, because social media is always changing.
2. Don’t forget to keep track of which platforms your audience engages with the most, that way you can put most of your creative juices into that platform!
3. Look at your competitors for specific ideas on what to post. You don’t need to mimic their posts exactly (and of course, you shouldn’t), but allow them to give you ideas. Pay special attention to which posts receive the most likes or shares!

Hopefully I’ve given you a few ideas on how to get creative with your posts. This post was initially inspired by something I wrote for the RxWiki Solutions project I worked on at my last job. For more ideas & inspirations, shoot me an e-mail at mariercarlson@gmail.com and check this post out.

Happy posting!