Organizations that rely on social media interactions to drive visits to their landing pages and increase conversions can run out of steam without a solid content strategy. It’s critical to identify content that’s of interest and relevance to your audience, even if it’s not directly within your verticals.
Many industries may share crossover interests with your own. For example, a retailer that sells supplies to college-age students should also stay on top of tech and health developments that affect the same demographics.
Your organization can build stronger digital relationships by watching for news that could add value to your viewers’ lives.
Identify verticals with crossover interests
Your company’s knowledge of your audience should come into play here. Think about what really concerns your primary customers. What are their common interests?
For example, if you mainly work with stay-at-home parents, then you might want to explore news that relates to home security and product safety. These general interests can serve as inspirations for your social media posts and blog content.
Watch audience reactions
Once you identify a few crossover interests, keep a close eye on your engagement rates. Retailers that post health and fitness content relevant to their audience should look to see if link clicks and shares rise or fall.
These stats give you useful feedback on the topics that capture your followers’ attention. If you notice content that gets little to no engagement, then remove similar posts from your upcoming queue.
As you explore other verticals for new social media content, conduct mini test campaigns. Do a split test to learn which topics are more popular.
Invite discussion
If you’re not sure what your audience’s common interests are, just ask them! Post questions on a regular basis and ask them to vote on their preferences.
Offer promotional incentives to gain quality feedback. For example, inform your readers that a random commenter will be selected to win a 20% coupon for his or her next online purchase.
This may inspire scores of followers to respond with constructive input. Put their suggestions to use during your next social media marketing campaign.
Replies and comments can be a great way to get in tune with your audience’s interests and needs.
Experiment
Sometimes, research isn’t enough. You might discover a winning combination of social media topics that your metrics and previous experiences wouldn’t have predicted.
Sometimes your audience won’t realize what they want until it’s placed before them. Take risks with creative posts, goofy images, and campaigns that step outside the box.
Whenever you experiment with unknowns, examine your engagement rates closely. Replicate success when you identify posts that unexpectedly go viral.
Demonstrate value
Keep an eye out for news and updates that actually bring relevant value to your followers’ lives. Avoid gimmicks or sales-y content, because people will generally keep scrolling.
Your organization should strive to enrich customers’ lives by providing vital news, tips, or tutorials on subjects of interest. For example, your college student audience will be interested in learning efficient skin-care techniques that fit into their busy schedules.
Areas that may appeal to your audience’s common interests may include health, finance, home improvement, technology, or productivity. You can identify potential post topics by asking your followers directly, watching related verticals, and experimenting with new content.
Testing out new campaigns and embracing risk will help you pinpoint future success strategies.
