Feeding the Social Media Content Beast
It’s always hungry, always screaming for more, MORE MORE! The Social Media Beast craves a constant stream of tasty snack-size content, and it’s insatiable. Here’s how harried credit union marketers can keep this ravenous critter happy while keeping their sanity.
Repurpose, recycle, and repeat
The first rule of content cookery is to make the most of every meal. One good meaty blog post can easily turn into weeks of images, video and text posts.
Get absolutely shameless about re-using and re-purposing your content; don’t re-create any wheels unless you really need to. Let’s say you have a toothsome educational article about auto financing. Turn every subhead into a new social media post. Never waste good research; spread it out.
And don’t be afraid to dig deep into your past posts, newsletters, and blog posts. A lot of topics are evergreen, so fish them out of the deep freeze, heat them up, and re-post them next year or next month.
And if things have changed, then start with some quality old content and freshen things up with a few current garnishes.
Chop it up, spread it out
Short content always wins on social media. Slice and dice every headline into easy to swallow chunks of seven words or less (with more info if they tap, of course) and spread the content across several posts. That way, there’s a better chance people will see it and get interested as the scroll through the acres of posts in their feed. And if they miss the first few installments, maybe a later one making the same point in a different way will catch their eye.
Mix it up
Got some fun photos from an event? Turn them into a quick video or animation. Or if you have a fun-to-read article about interest rates (really!) add some images, a graph, or even a little explainer video. Focus on ways to make things more visual. Experiment with different ways of presenting the same idea.
Play with perspectives
As you’re creating new content and rummaging through old content, experiment with different perspectives or audiences. How could you reheat part of an article about home buying and make it relevant to a college student?
Saving for retirement is usually targeted to 50-somethings; what might make the topic interesting to someone who just had their first child? Yeah, you’ve got low car loan rates. That’s boring. But how does a lower car payment impact a young family and your community?
Take it two-way
Another way to fluff up content for round two is to try starting a discussion. Ask a question, invite feedback, turn it into a poll, or toss out an idea to see what people think. Be ready to respond ASAP, and see where things go. Engagement is gold, and people like being asked what they think.
Make it about people
I bet you’ve made the mistake of using social media to advertise. It’s OK, everyone does that at first. Take those grody old posts about your products or rates and turn them around into interesting, authentic, and emotional stories featuring people.
People are interested in people, not your products. Again, rummage through your old posts, your website, your blog, and even old ads, and look for ways to turn that old spam into tasty stories. Yeah, you have mortgages; so does everyone else. But what’s it really like to finance a house for the first time?
Lists always work
If you’re really stumped, remember: people love lists (almost as much as they love cats). It’s a rule older than social media. Take a look at all your ideas and old articles and try turning a few of them into lists: Top 10 Ways to Save Money on Toothpaste, or Five Ways to Save for a House.
Turn FAQs into snacks
For every topic, what are the main ten or 20 things people need to know? Talk to your call center and member service folks, and you’ll have years of material. Break them up into several short lists, or post and discuss one at a time.
It still takes time and care, but whatever social media you’ve decided to use, these tips will help make sure you can keep your Social Media Content Beast fat and happy for years to come!
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