Social Media Content Creation: A Newbie’s Information

Whether you’re trying to become a content creator or you want to tap into social media content for your business, now is a great time to get started on social media.

Social media marketing has one of the best ROIs, and when you create high-value content, there’s no limit to how high interest in and demand for your business can soar.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the world of social media content creation and how it all works.

In this post, you’ll learn:

Examples of Social Media Platforms and the Content That Works Best for Them

You’ve likely interacted with most of these social media channels already, but may not have thought about them from a content creator perspective.

Here’s an overview of the primary platforms and the type of content that works best for each.

Facebook

Despite recent negative headlines, Facebook remains one of the titans of the social media industry.

This platform still resonates with audiences because it’s an all-in-one resource for content creation.

You can post videos, images, and text posts on Facebook, and these posts can all earn engagement from your audience.

Overall, Facebook is a great foundation for all your content, then you can promote specific pieces on other channels to broaden your reach.

Instagram

Instagram started as a simple photo-sharing platform, but it’s quickly transformed into a home for video content as well.

While Instagram lags behind other video-focused channels like TikTok in terms of the total number of viewers, its Stories and Reels are still a solid alternative to static images.

Plus, its IGTV service allows content creators and businesses to connect with audiences via live streaming for a more personalized, immediate approach.

Twitter

Although Twitter has undergone quite a shakeup behind the scenes, the platform is still valuable for content creators and businesses alike.

As a text-based channel, brands can get the most traction by crafting memorable and clever Tweets, including individual messages and conversation threads, or embedding GIFs for visual treats.

Twitter is also great for sharing links to landing pages or blog posts.

Blogs

For some, blogs may not seem technically like “social media.” However, while blogs aren’t connected to a wider network, they can be perfect for starting a conversation and engaging with your audience.

Better yet, because you’re in control of your blog on your own website, you can manage these interactions and turn them into calls to action.

Plus, blog posts are perfect for sharing across different channels like Facebook, Twitter, and others.

10-Step Content Creation Strategy

Whether you’re running a business or want to create and monetize your own content, you need a comprehensive action plan in place.

So, let’s break down the 10 steps necessary to turn your interactive ideas into high-quality content.

1. Define your target audience.

Who are you developing content for?

For example, a blog post aimed at tech professionals will look and be worded differently from one aimed at single mothers with young children.

Rather than try to create content for “everyone,” it’s much better to pick a specific niche and write to them.

Not only is it easier to gain traction, but niche content can help you stay focused.

2. Set your goals

What do you hope to achieve with your content?

If you’re a business owner, you may want to increase your conversion rate or raise brand awareness.

If you’re a content creator, your primary goal may be to amass an audience, so you can monetize your work.

It’s essential to quantify these goals, so you know whether you’re hitting them or not.

One example could be to set a goal to get 100 comments and 1,000 shares for a single video. Once you reach that goal, set another.

3. Understand content limitations

What kind of production infrastructure do you have?

Do you have access to video equipment, microphones, and lights?

Or are you trying to start with a text-heavy blog and develop new content down the road?

Start with what you’re best at, and then incorporate other content types as you build your audience.

You can also get feedback on what your followers want to see next.

4. Create high-quality and engaging content

When it comes to content marketing, quality always trumps quantity.

Yes, you need to be able to maintain momentum with a consistent posting schedule, but two high-value pieces are going to outperform 10 mediocre ones.

Overall, don’t just produce content to have something for the feed.

Make sure each piece has a purpose and fits in with your larger marketing goals.

5. Determine which platforms work best

Just because there are multiple social media platforms doesn’t mean you have to use them all.

For example, your content may be well-suited to Instagram and TikTok, but not so much Facebook or Twitter.

Instead of wasting time on platforms that won’t generate results, focus your attention on those that will move your needle.

6. Build a content library

Ideally, you can have multiple pieces ready to go as soon as you launch your page.

This way, you can build up a buffer, and you’re not under pressure to produce new material every week or month.

Start with core content pieces that address the foundations of your brand.

From there, you can branch out further into your niche and explore different perspectives.

7. Develop a content schedule

Some content creators like to produce a new piece every day, while others may opt for once a week.

There is no “right” answer, but you want to make sure you don’t wait too long between content releases.

Otherwise, it’s hard to maintain momentum and build an audience.

It’s also best to start small (i.e., twice a month) and then add more content as you streamline the process.

8. Optimize content for each social media platform

Social media marketing is so effective because you can boost your brand quickly on each platform and via search engines.

In some cases, a business’ Facebook page may rank higher than its website.

So, be sure to optimize all of your content with keyword-friendly captions, transcripts, images, and more.

Each component is valuable, so don’t just create a cool title and think that’s sufficient.

9. Use keyword research to generate new ideas

One of the primary challenges of social media content creation is coming up with ideas over the long term.

Keyword research can tell you what your audience is searching for, so you can create pieces to address those questions. Then, you can develop a content plan accordingly.

10. Pay attention to social trends

Trending topics can shift on a dime, and they’re constantly changing based on numerous variables.

While it’s impossible to know what will be trending at any given time, you can still jump on them as soon as they develop.

In this case, you’ll need a streamlined content production system to capitalize on trends before they fizzle out.

How to Analyze Your Content Performance

Social media platforms often come with analytical tools that can tell you everything about who’s engaging with your content.

Pay attention to elements like time of day, location, and demographic data.

For example, you may determine that mornings are best for engagement, so try to post earlier in the day.

Or, you may realize most of your audience is from a specific geographic area, so you can create location-specific content.

Later

5 Tools to Make Content Creation Easier

Coming up with ideas is the easy part – creating content is much harder.

Fortunately, we’re living in a golden age of content creation, so there are tons of tools at your disposal.

Best of all, most of these options have free versions, so you can start building your library without a significant investment.

Canva

When it comes to professional graphic design, nothing beats Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

However, Canva makes these tools accessible to everyone, even if you have no graphic design experience.

You can find tons of templates and tutorials on how to make your content pop.

Hootsuite

Managing your content schedule can easily become a full-time job, especially if you’re posting to multiple channels. 

Hootsuite allows you to schedule pieces for publication ahead of time, and it integrates all of your channels into a single dashboard.

So, you can spend a few hours here every week and maintain consistency.

Lumen 5

Video content is king, and Lumen5 allows you to create captivating videos without studio or camera equipment.

You can utilize tons of templates and stock video footage to craft anything for virtually any industry.

While Lumen5 doesn’t work for customized content creation, it’s valuable for businesses that want to post more often.

Google Trends

One of the best ways to capture an audience on social media is to play into current trends. 

Google Trends can show you the trends for specific keywords.

This way, you can see if they’re trending up or down, and you can even see where interest is spiking around the country.

Google Trends has tons of data points to utilize, so you can make sure your content is as engaging as possible.

BuzzSumo

While Google Trends gives you raw data, BuzzSumo helps you turn information into an action plan.

This cloud-based app can give you valuable insights into various high-engagement topics, so you’re always capturing the most engagement.

The app can even guide you through how to use it for maximum results.

Solutions to Scale High-Quality Content Production

Producing content can be a full-time job, but you also must worry about managing your profiles and engaging with your audience.

Fortunately, there are tools available to help you scale up quickly, such as:

WriterAccess

Instead of spending time writing your own blog or landing page content, why not outsource the work to high-quality writers across dozens of industries?

You just provide the information, and you’ll receive SEO-friendly writing that will help convert leads into loyal fans.

Monday.com

If you have a collaborative content production team, Monday.com can make it easier to work on multiple projects simultaneously.

This software is designed to maximize productivity with a full suite of tools your team can use to move the needle and turn to-do lists into completed tasks.

Zapier

One of the best ways to ensure you can scale up your content production is to automate as many tasks as possible. 

Zapier allows you to trigger tasks across different programs and platforms, so you don’t have to do everything manually.

For example, once you publish a post, that could trigger another program to promote the post across all social channels.

Creating Interactive Content

While passive content is the most common type, interactive content is much more engaging.

You can use interactive content to your advantage and collect more data from your target audience in the process.

Fortunately, some programs allow you to create this kind of content from scratch, like:

Ion

Ion is a full-service package that allows you to build various content pieces that can combine to create a cohesive buyer’s journey from start to finish.

Plus, it uses a super-easy interface, so anyone can master content creation, all without needing to learn coding or programming.

ThingLink

If you’re looking to teach your audience something, ThingLink allows you to turn regular content into interactive content.

In this case, you can embed links into existing images or videos that take users to a separate landing or content page.

This program works for breaking down complex ideas into engaging content.

‘Not To Do’ List (Top Mistakes Creators Make)

While it can be exciting to start producing content, there are plenty of pitfalls and obstacles you can encounter on the way.

Make sure to avoid these mistakes so you can maintain momentum and build an audience faster.

Posting Infrequently

While it’s impossible to say how often you should post, it should be at least once or twice a week, depending on the kind of content you’re producing.

On top of a set publishing schedule, you also want to engage with your audience on social media daily.

While you don’t have to spend hours online every time, you shouldn’t neglect your followers, either.

Always Following Trends

While trends can help inform your content creation schedule, you also want to focus on building valuable evergreen content that your audience will always enjoy.

Ideally, you can have a mix of timeless and trending pieces, so your feed is always fresh and engaging.

Not Following a Plan

One problem many creators face is a lack of a cohesive action plan.

All too often, creators just start publishing pieces and trying to see what sticks.

This strategy never works because it takes time to build an audience, so it’s easy to give up when you’re not getting clicks immediately. Instead, create a plan and stick to it (while tweaking it slightly based on data).

Getting started

If you’re ready to get started on your content creation journey, here are two places to begin:

• Learn how to scale your content production with WriterAccess. Enjoy a 14-day trial to see how it works.
• Discover how to create interactive content with ION.