What If I Don’t Have Something to Share on Social Media?

Q: Help! I’m usually good at posting on my company’s social accounts on a regular basis every day, but sometimes I’m completely at a loss. Is it better to skip a day or post something just to stay on schedule?

The task of constantly developing new, engaging content can make social media daunting – we know that. Even if you have a solid one Social media strategy Once in place, you still have no clue what to share from time to time and are tempted to abandon your schedule that you set yourself.

Running out of new content ideas is a common problem whether you’re just starting out to share your brand on social media or you’re a seasoned professional. Here are a few tactics I recommend to help overcome this mental block.

1. Remember that consistency is key

First things first, I suggest sticking to a consistent schedule of posts. Posting regularly will keep your brand in the mind of your audience. They even expect you to post posts over time, which can lead to higher engagement. Not to mention, posting on a regular cadence will help you keep the habit of creating content.

However, a consistent schedule looks different for everyone. Some brands post three times a week while others post three times a day. What is right for you depends on many factors including your target audience, their size, and what your followers are looking for.

Each platform has their recommendations for the best days and times to post, but these are usually incredibly broad. Instead, try to learn what works best for your specific audience.

Here’s how: Pick a platform, then post three times a week for a full month. Then up to seven times a week for the next month and 14 times for the following month.

Three months of data allows you to gain insights through Buffer’s analytics dashboard. Take a look at the Answers tab and you will see: when, what and how often to post to maximize your reach and engagement.

Buffer’s analytics dashboard can show you exactly when and how often to post.

If you’ve seen higher engagement in one month than another, commit yourself to that cadence in the future. Continue to monitor your stats month after month to see what dates, times, and release schedules are working best. One last thing to keep in mind, though: Brands should strike a balance between being consistently informative and annoying. If you see a drop in your numbers after increasing your release schedule, consider stepping back.

Feeling more confident about the best approach for your audience can inspire you to stick to your posting schedule and give them the content they expect.

2. Think big

You know you have to post a certain number of posts each week, but how do you come up with new content?

In a few weeks it will be very easy: you had a big product announcement, you wrote a new blog post, you saw a meme that you just had to recreate. Other weeks, on a Monday morning, you’ll stare at a blinking cursor wondering what to share.

But instead of closing the tab and not sharing at all, push yourself to think outside the box.

For example, if you published a blog post last week and shared it with a link and a caption, think about other ways to re-share it. Create a short graphic that pulls key data from the post, or pull out a favorite quote and create a visual. Canva is a great tool for creating beautiful graphics (and Integration of the buffer with Canva makes it incredibly easy).

We recently released a new version of our social media calendar. To share the news again, but in a different way, we created a visual quote from our product manager.

It can also be helpful to see what other people are posting or if something relevant is trending. If there’s a message posted that affects your industry, let us know what you think. If it’s International Coffee Day and you’re selling alternatives to milk, create a graphic that combines the two.

In October everyone is talking about horror movies. The snack brand Partake Foods jumped on the trend by creating combinations between movie favorites and their goodies.

Also, look through your best performing posts to see what topics your audience likes, then take advantage of the various features of each platform to test out new content on those topics. Try out carousels in Instagram’s feed or use the engagement tools in Stories. Go live on Facebook or write a LinkedIn article. You might find that your audience is more engaged in a different type of post, and you would never have known it if you hadn’t pushed yourself to try something new.

Bonus: Buffer’s Head of PR, Hailey Griffis, offers even more ideas to keep developing new content In this article.

3. Create a backlog

As you brainstorm content ideas, make a rolling list of things you like and want to test. These are not Action Items that you need to do something about right away. Instead, they provide inspiration the next time you’re looking for something to post.

Create a saved folder on Instagram of things you’ve seen on other brands, take screenshots of Facebook posts that you like, or drag links from LinkedIn that you want to mimic. These are great food for thought and reminders of how to push yourself the next time you need it.

Content creation can feel like a monumental task for both small businesses and large influencers. The next time you feel stuck, use it as a growth opportunity. Force yourself to stick to your rhythm, think about something new and different that you want to share, and then see how your audience reacts. You could just be into something.

Do you need help planning your content? Take a look at our last post on “This saves you time when planning and creating social media content. “

Do you have a question that you would like us to answer? Send us a tweet and use #AskTheBufferTeam.