If you know me, you'll know that I'm rarely without something to say. But sometimes, I sit here and literally stare into space thinking of just the right thing to say. Am I going to be serious or funny? Am I going to talk about really technical items or lighter, funner things? Talking to clients, I know that they, too, frequently suffer from even worse "social media writers block." They sit in front of their computers, fingers poised above their keyboards, staring at their Facebook page, and then all of a sudden, they freeze.
They have absolutely no idea what to post on their Facebook page. And while I don't have a cure-all for this situation, I do have some suggestions on breaking through your "writer's block."
- Lighten Up. If I could give you only one piece advice, it would be that. It's called "social media" for a reason. It's social. Stop being so concerned about what you're going to post. Obviously there are some things you want to steer clear of (unless these topics ARE your business), but other than a few, have fun with it. People want to see the personal side of your company. They already know you sell "widgets," so don't make every post about what you do or sell. You want to pepper your posts with some company-related items but not every single day.
- Post Photos. People love photos, and it is by far the most popular type of post on Facebook. I tell my clients that Facebook is for photos and Twitter is for links. Post some pictures of your staff, your customers (with their permission, of course), your customers using your product (Now that's a fun way to showcase your company or product!). Post a completely random, funny picture and encourage people to come up with a caption.
- Post Videos. Do you have product demonstrations or client testimonials on tape? Post them! You should have already created a YouTube channel for your business, so you can either upload new videos or just repurpose the ones that are already on the channel! Make sure you have people's permission before you post their images.
- Take a Poll. Use the Facebook poll feature to take a poll. It can relate to your company or product or something in the news. Again, stay away from certain topics unless that's (literally) your business.
- Showcase a "customer of the week." This is a great way to highlight one of your customers, and people love to be recognized for their loyalty!
- Crowd-source. Do you have a new product coming out? A new flavor of something? Have fun and throw it out to your Facebook audience and get their input. One client had a new, seasonal beer coming out, and for fun, asked their followers what they would call it. The response was amazing.
- Ask questions. I've found that the more random, the better. One question a client posted was asking what the going rate for the Tooth Fairy was in everyone's household. It is still one of their most popular and most responded-to posts. Was the client a dentist? Nope. The client was a restaurant.
- Get inspiration from other pages. I have a (private) "favorites" list where I put pages that usually produce good content. I don't copy their posts, but I will get inspiration from time to time, especially if I'm really stuck. I always encourage clients to keep an eye on their competition and see what they're doing. You watch everything else they're doing—why not their social media?
Not too hard, is it? Don't think too much about it. Quite often, the first thing that pops into my head is what I put out there, and I've found that the further removed from the subject, the better the response. People really DO want to know the real "you," so have fun and let them see you!
