How to create addictive social media content

The content you post on social media has the power to turn your brand into something people who don't know you engage with, and your followers into potential leads. To create action like this, you need a solid social media content strategy.

Leonard Brody, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author of The Great Rewrite, said that human beings now have two personas: one that they use in everyday life, and one for online. A good marketer needs to be able to speak to both. Therefore, your online content needs to differ from traditional media content.

For example, the world of Instagram is a strange and wonderful place, and your content needs to be tailored to meet this market.

Everything on Instagram is an ad. Not just influencers and businesses, but people's posts are shaped to present the lifestyle or personal brand they want to convey.

People from my rural high school or extended family often message me and tell me how great I am doing. I am initially taken aback by this because I spend most of my time in a stained pink robe, drinking Pinot Noir with a mullet.

So, I modestly reply, "That's not true."

But then I realise that the image of myself I have created on my personal Instagram is of a girl who is always going to cool media events, doing exercise in beautiful places, and eating exceptional platters! To the people in the small town of Nimbin, I probably do look like a corporate success.

Even though everything on Instagram is essentially an ad, if you do not carefully create your content so you are speaking to the IG audience in their language, you will be ignored like an outsider. You cannot sit with us!

For example, a beautiful girl drinking skinny tea, in a two-piece matching tracksuit, sitting in an elegant location, filtered with a Lightroom Preset would be interacted with and acknowledged. Whereas, a supermarket-style plain white ad, with a box of skinny tea and a price, will be ignored like a social outcast.

If you wanted to advertise a television on Instagram, you wouldn't do a promoted post with a price and a picture of the television. Instead, you would give free televisions to influencers whom you feel can persuade their followers to buy the television by posting about it.

Every picture that you post on Instagram combines to form the sum total of your social brand. Therefore, each post must be carefully constructed. By creating quality content, you can make every advertising dollar you spend directing people to your social account worthwhile.

Here are a few of my tips and tricks for creating high-quality social media content:

Know your brand

The best way to create quality content on social media is to identify specific brand qualities you want to embody and interesting content that reflects your niche. Theme your Instagram to embody your brand by using color schemes or filters.

For example, if you have a chic fashion boutique, you may want to adopt a bright white look, or if you are a travel blogger, use filters that emphasise the color turquoise. This makes your photos posing in the Mediterranean even more stunning.

Once you have defined your content strategy and put it into action, you can refine it over time by monitoring the engagement levels of everything you post.

Post frequently and tell a story

The more you post, the more opportunities you have to connect with your followers and persuade them to purchase whatever it is that you are selling.

Remember your brand story?

Think about ways you could tell this story using social content and consider the other subplots you could create within this story.

Instagram allows you to communicate visually, which can be very effective. Couple this with emotive or engaging stories, and you have your audience hooked.

For example, say you are launching a new product or a book. Don't just do one static post about the launch asking people to support you or buy the product. Instead, post multiple posts and stories in the lead-up to the launch. Show your followers how excited and nervous you are, show them all the hard work that has gone into the project behind the scenes, and finally, show them the event.

Telling a story in this way allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. It also means you can start building hype around a product before it is officially ready for purchase.

Be artistic

The whole concept of Instagram is artistic.

The logo and the size of the photographs we post are based on Polaroid cameras, and Polaroid cameras embody artistic connotations.

Think about every post you make. Ask yourself: How can I make this the best piece of artwork it can be?

Or, how can I artistically use content in new ways to convey the niche I have chosen?

Let's use food as an example. If you make yourself some Vegemite toast, don't post it on Instagram. No one wants to see your Vegemite toast! (even though Vegemite is delicious).

However, if the sun is going down, turning the sky fuchsia, and you happen to be enjoying a seafood platter at Sydney Harbour, you may want to post a picture of the platter silhouetted against the rose-colored sky.

If you have ordered Uber Eats and are wearing stained sweatpants, don't post a picture eating your food in this manner (unless, of course, being a pig or fast food is your niche).

However, if you've ordered a saucepan-sized pizza and are looking glamorous, wearing red lipstick that matches the pepperoni, you may want to get in your underwear and pose with a slice – See what I'm saying? Instagram is a weird and wonderful place. Your content must adhere to this.

It's not all about food! But the fundamentals of what I am getting at here can be applied to any post.

Find your voice

Having a “tone of voice” can help you communicate with your customers more effectively across social channels.

Applying your tone of voice to social media helps you build relationships with your followers and enables you to check your content to see if you are speaking the way you wish to be perceived.

To determine your tone of voice, think about your brand, whether it's a product or a personal brand. Then, consider your brand values and what you stand for. How do you think this would be reflected in a tone of voice? Are you conversational and authentic (like Vice ), or are you serious and informed (like Time Magazine)?

Once you have established your social voice, you can use this for creating content, copywriting, and communicating with your customers in comments and messages online.

Use visuals

Instagram is a powerful marketing tool because it allows you to harness the power of visual stimulation.

Visual marketing leaves lasting impressions and enables you to communicate with audiences faster than you can using text.

From an eCommerce perspective, it allows you to share your products compellingly, and from an influencer perspective, visually stimulating images are more likely to be shared and engaged with.

Have you heard the phrase "Thirst Trap" before?

A Thirst Trap is when someone posts a sexy photo on social media designed to attract attention.

Make your Instagram a Thirst Trap for your customers!

If they like a certain type of content, keep them thirsty by feeding them more.

I’ve listed some tips and tricks for creating good visual content below:

Repost

If you do not have your own content then repost others. Some extremely successful Instagram pages rely entirely on reposts. Quotes are a great thing to repost if you cannot construct your own.

Get a good phone

This may seem like common sense, but in case you are one of those people who have to "justify" splurging on a phone, I am here to tell you that if you want to launch a successful online marketing strategy, you need a device that allows you to create quality content.

These days, the latest iPhone comes with an inbuilt video editor and the ability to wide-angle or selectively focus your photos. These are all the tools you need to launch a do-it-yourself marketing strategy and not have to outsource content creation!

Test & test again

The best thing about social media is that it's forgiving. Your followers don't hold it against you when you post a flop of a video that only gets one like (from your mom).

This allows you to test content and see what your audiences engage with or don't. It also allows you to try something different and set yourself apart.

In my opinion, it is better to be risky than to risk being boring!

(as a matter of fact, this is pretty much my slogan)

In social communities where every second person is trying to start a business or build a brand, standing out is one of the only ways to get cut through.

The great thing about social media's forgiving nature is that it allows you to test unique content and see what works.

Do not be afraid to fail

Learn from your failures and be better.