What do I write on Facebook?

Got an account set up on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus for your business? No idea where to start or what to write? No fear, here are some tips to help you get started.

Many of our clients struggle to know what to talk about on their business channels, especially those who are new and are yet to understand who their audience are.

A one-size-fits-all approach never really works when it comes to writing post, it’ll take time and a gander at your analytics to really understand what your audience enjoys.

In the meantime, while you’re learning, here are some suggestions to get you started.

• Why did you set up that channel?

What platforms are you using? What are their different purposes? What do they do for your product, service, audience, staff, followers? Give each platform a reason to be there — what do you want to talk about on this one? Will it be mostly photos? Inspiration quotes? Recipe ideas? This is a good way to start building ideas.

• Who loves you?

Who already loves your products and talks about it? Can you make them part of your content strategy? It is worth seeing if you have any fans of what you do. What do their channels look like? How do they talk about your product? What do they want to know about it? Talk to them, see if they can help you out by raising your profile. If not, why not create content that helps answer their questions and needs?

• What questions are your users asking that relates to what you do?

If you own a gym, do users want to know the latest gym fashion or how to make homemade protein snacks? If this interests your users then write about it. Can you ride any trends? Use these keywords and searches to build your posts, blogs and questions.

• Develop original content — copy, images, videos, infographics

Not all content needs to be of the highest quality. Baking the latest cake for your cafe? Why not share the recipe using a video. Just launched a new product? Why not use Facebook Live on the launch day? There are times when you need to bring in the pros but quick, topical content creation can be made using your phone. Don’t panic, not every piece of content needs to be original, it is okay to share others work — but try and use your own stuff where you can.

• Boosting your content through paid ads, bloggers, articles etc.

Advertising can be costly and a bit of a minefield. Whilst you’re learning, don’t be afraid to boost a bit of content with some ad spend. Using your analytics, you will be able to see what posts work well. If one is getting a high engagement rate, why not boost if for a few days and see if you can attract more interest from outside of your personal network.

• Why are you creating content? What do you want to achieve by doing it?

This can be a tough one. Sometimes you might find yourself sharing things or writing posts, just because you havent done it for a while. That’s fine for your personal stuff but when writing for your business, give it some consideration.

As well as a business owner or marketer, you are also a customer. What attracts you to other brands? Why do you read their posts, blogs and emails?

What are you hoping to achieve for your business though social media marketing? Website traffic? Sales? Brand awareness?

• How are you going to keep track of what is working? What isn’t working?

It all takes time but it is worth taking a look to see if what you are doing is working. Most platforms have their own analytics and with every post you write, you can track this via Google Analytics too. Set up campaign parameters, make note of what works best — plain text, images, video, tips.. it will help you refine your future content.

• There is no harm in trying.

Don’t be put off with just giving it a go. Share new ideas, state facts (about your product or service), ask questions, create personas for your audience, repurpose old content… Be positive and give it a go.

• Emily Wilkinson, Managing Director.