In a world where online presence is crucial, leveraging social media is not merely an option but a necessity for businesses aiming to remain relevant and connect with their target audience. It is best to not only post consistently on your platforms but also to share a variety of content. By posting diverse content, your company can build its brand identity, address different objectives, diversify the audience, and extend user engagement. 

We recommend focusing on four types of content. If you can vary your content among these 4 categories, your brand will remain dynamic, interesting, and relevant in the eyes of your followers. The four types of content are: 

1. Educational Content
2. Inspirational Content
3. Conversion-focused Content
4. Entertaining Content

Below, we’ll dive into each content type to share with you exactly what this type of content looks like and share an example of each from our own social media profiles. 

Educational Content

Educational content on social media goes beyond merely promoting a  brand; it teaches, informs, and adds value to the audience. This specialized content spreads information and delivers a brand’s tailored expertise to its audience. Thought leadership is a great example of educational content. Thought leadership involves establishing oneself or a brand as an authority and innovator in a particular industry. 

Examples of educational content on social media:

• How-to or step-by-step guides
• Tools and resources
• Sharing a process 
• Thought leadership

Crafting compelling educational content relies on a strong understanding of your organization’s identity and specific industry. Defining clear objectives for your posts helps organize your topics and ensures a focused and effective message. 

It is crucial to stay up-to-date with current industry trends and incorporate timely information into your social media posts to remain relevant and engaging. Proactively link content to relevant events, discussions, and industry trends. This keeps your brand at the forefront and establishes credibility. Paying attention to the feedback you receive is crucial. Use this input to refine and tailor your educational content for future posts.

Every week, we share a clip from our 60-second SEO series by Chris Long, our VP of Marketing at Go Fish Digital. These concise yet informative clips provide a comprehensive rundown of tips, tricks, and real-world examples. Regularly sharing these insights allows our followers to consistently access valuable information. As a reliable educational source, our followers can confidently count on us. Some may even follow us for these clips primarily.

Inspirational Content

Inspirational content aims to encourage your audience in a way that they feel inspired and that they can achieve their goals. It establishes a distinct voice for your brand and fosters meaningful connections with your audience.

Examples of inspirational content on social media:

• Success stories and milestones
• Employee spotlights and achievements
• Quotes and motivational messages aligned with brand values

Techniques for evoking emotions and building a positive brand image:

• Storytelling: Share authentic and compelling stories about your brand, employees, or customers. Personal narratives can create strong emotional connections. 
• Engagement and Interaction: Respond promptly to comments, messages, and mentions. Engaging in conversations shows that your brand is approachable and values its audience. You may also run polls, create quizzes, and ask open-ended questions to encourage participation and communication.
• Empathy and Social Issues: Show empathy by acknowledging challenges or social issues your audience faces. Position your brand as a supportive ally if it aligns with your brand’s values.

Every month, we showcase our Digital PR team’s outstanding coverage for clients in our ‘Catch of the Month’ post. These posts resonate with our audience, driving engagement and shining a spotlight to promote the impactful work of our digital PR team. 

Every month, we feature individuals from our team in our ‘Employee Spotlight Series.’ These spotlights offer a glimpse into the diverse talents and achievements of our dedicated staff. It’s a celebration of the unique skills, passion, and contributions each team member brings to the table.

Entertaining Content

Social media is a fast-paced environment that revolves around capturing and retaining the user’s attention. Curating tailored content to entertain your audience is the most effective way to maintain their interest. From eye-catching visuals to witty memes and interactive videos, make sure you explore diverse content types that will capture their attention and foster a meaningful connection.

Examples of entertaining content on social media:

• Memes and humor related to the industry
• Behind-the-scenes bloopers or funny anecdotes
• Interactive content such as quizzes and polls
• Reels on social media

Incorporate humor into your content when appropriate if it fits your brand’s tone & voice. Humorous content tends to be shareable and can create a positive association with your brand. Be mindful of cultural sensitivities and ensure that humor aligns with your brand’s tone. Overall, it is crucial to make sure that you are balancing entertaining content with brand messages and values.

This post showcases some behind-the-scenes of our team holiday event. By sharing these glimpses of our team outside of work, we aim to give a first-hand look at how we come together after hours.

Conversion-focused Content

While the previous social media content focused on building a brand identity and fostering connections with your audience, conversion content serves a different purpose. It involves strategically persuading your audience to take specific actions that align with your business goals. The beauty of conversion-focused content lies in integrating your brand voice while directly promoting your company.

Conversion content is your opportunity to guide your audience towards desired actions—whether it’s encouraging them to shop during a sale, follow your social media pages, or share their experiences through a Google review. As you plan your social content calendar, look ahead to upcoming promotions, sales, or events. These events will allow you to create timely, relevant content that drives conversions and will ultimately contribute to the overall success of your business.

Examples:

• Limited-time offers and promotions
• Product/service highlights with clear calls to action
• Customer testimonials and reviews

Conversion-focused content encourages your audience to take specific actions, such as signing up, making a purchase, following your page, or reading an article. Incorporating calls to action in your posts is an effective strategy for guiding your audience toward the desired action. Don’t hesitate to communicate what you want your audience to do.

In Go Fish Digital’s case, while we may not have tangible products, we aim to promote and sell our services. This example post is encouraging users to tune into our LinkedIn Live and learn more about industry insights. Companies should showcase their services or products in a way that aligns with their brand identity.

Conclusion

On social media platforms where attention spans and trends are fleeting and impermanent, it’s crucial to serve your audience a diverse range of content. Educational, inspirational, entertaining, and conversion-focused content are excellent ways to engage with your audience in distinct ways.

These types of content help establish your brand voice and the image you are trying to convey. When scheduling your content throughout the month, shake up the types of content you post to ensure a balanced and engaging mix.

Overall, a dynamic and diverse approach to content is not just nice to have; it’s necessary for any brand looking to thrive in the crowded digital space. Experimenting with these different types of content is the key to reaching a broader audience.

4 Essential Types of Social Media Content for Companies is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.