Social media has revolutionized the world of marketing by providing a targeted channel from which to broadcast brand messages and gather customer intelligence. While it may seem easier to grasp and accessible to all, that doesn’t mean that just any old content will connect with your intended audience. Just because the quantity of your available audience has increased doesn’t mean they doesn’t expect any less when it comes to quality content.
If anything, they expect more in terms of substance, value, and even entertainment. Consider changing your social media recipe by incorporating these top five quality content ingredients:
- Add Visuals. One of the most successful social media sites today is YouTube. Who doesn’t like watching funny videos of twins speaking their own language or animals doing crazy things? Sites like this prove that quality content is not always about the written word. As a visual society born from the TV and DVD generation, today’s audience likes stimulating visuals – from pictures on Flickr to video posts on Facebook. Often, this type of quality content hits viral status than the written word.
- Be Interactive and Conversational. Social media is in a different zip code to the one-way street neighborhood of traditional media. When creating a tweet or a blog, make sure that the content is highly dependent on user feedback. After all, social media is about an engaged audience who is interested in participating in the product or service experience. This means ask questions, post simple surveys, and encourage user comments. This way, you can gather customer intelligence about your target audience whilst enticing them to return for the quality content they seek.
- Create Interest and Buzz. Even if it seems like a ticket on the crazy train, buzz works. Just look at the recent musings of Charlie Sheen. His Twitter rants and raves as well as video blogs that seem like he has gone off the edge has earned him an audience and led to mass adoption of phrases like “winning” and “trolls.” Whether you consider it quality (or not), he illustrates how being different does create interest and buzz.
- Develop a Following with Great Stories. So much of social media success is based on providing value – whether it is in terms of educating the audience or simply entertaining them. The stories don’t have to resort to any type of shock value, but they should be something interesting that resonates with the audience and provides a sense of genuineness. Unlike the campaigns of the past, today’s audience doesn’t want to be fooled or lied to; they want honest and endearing stories that help minimize the stress and dark reality that often defines today’s world.
- Evoke Emotion with a Dash of Humor. Once an unknown, Perez Hilton built a cult following on his irreverent humor and opinion of the entertainment industry. His constant posts that often displayed emotional vents or praise for new singers has created a social media empire. Posting often and using clever writing, his audience has grown into the millions, proving that you don’t have to be a career writer to make it in the world of social media.
Social media has definitely redefined the parameters of quality content. Clearly, quality is often in the eye of the beholder, and not all content has been created to suit all tastes. The most important point to remember is that the above ingredients work for all content. Just be sure that you are serving them up to your intended target audience in a way that appeals to them.
Nina G is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch.
