Be a Better Social Media Content Creator
By Shari Steinbach, MS RDN, RDBA Contributing Editor
In today’s environment, it’s necessary to use social media to reach consumers with educational content related to your retailer’s services and products. However, consistently creating content that is engaging and relevant can often be a struggle. Improving your skills as a content creator takes time, effort and discipline. Here are some tips to help you deliver content that grabs the interest of your target audience:
Keep up with industry trends – When you create content for social media, you need to display expertise about what is trending in the areas of food, nutrition and retail. Be diligent about reading and social listening. Follow industry experts to gain insights about current happenings and future predictions. Keeping on top of this information will help you determine what is essential to share with consumers.
Know your audience – To create content that will resonate with your audience, you need to understand who they are and what their needs are. Consider their age, gender and income, but also their seasonal motivations. This will help you hone in on content that your audience cares about so you can provide relevant solutions.
Be creative and authentic – Your retailer may have rules for how to share information socially, but use your personality to be engaging and unique. Discover how to blend your store’s guidelines with your creativity and maintain a consistent voice. To add to your creativity, use GIFs, videos, pictures, stickers and emojis to help get your message across in a clear and compelling way. Any recipe shared, for example, needs a picture to capture reader’s attention.
Be consistent with your posts – The quality of your posts is of utmost importance, but having a regular cadence will help attract and grow your audience. You may find that using a system that helps you automate your posts can save time, while maximizing your efficiency. Consider weekly posts that are meaningful to your customers to keep them coming back - Family Meal Friday or Wellness Wednesday tips, for example.
Follow FTC compliance rules – Know the Federal Trade Commission rules for advertising disclosures and refresh yourself on their guidance. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/11/ftc-releases-advertising-disclosures-guidance-online-influencers
Measure results – As with all the work you do, monitoring your performance is essential to determine if you are being successful and/or need change your social strategy. Collect stats on your reach and engagement. Engaging content will inspire clicks, replies, and sharing - a sure sign you are providing relevant content. Finally, make sure you are signed up for the RDBA Social Media Dashboard a valuable tool which allows you to log in and see all your social channels and trending information for over the past ten days.
