How to Come Up With Content Ideas for Social Media

Here are 3 simple, strategic and structured ways to come up with social media content ideas so you never have to be pulling your hair out staring at an empty content calendar again.

You're busy, you have a million things on your to-do list and you definitely don't have time to be creating content for the sake of content.

Luckily, content is not a game of volume. It's not about the quantity of the content you produce. It's about quality. It's about relevance. It's about purpose.

So to make sure that the content ideas you pursue are 

a) relevant to your target audience

b) strategic to your business goals, and

c) serving a purpose

First, answer these 3 questions:

1. Why is your business on social media? What role does this medium play for your business? Different platforms may serve different purposes. Get clear on what those purposes are.

2. Who is your target audience? Where do they spend their time online?

3. How will you measure the success of your social media activity? To make sure that you're not just throwing mud at the wall hoping something will stick, decide how you'll gauge the performance of your social media marketing. Preferably a mix of quantitative and qualitative signals.

Got your answers? Ok, now let's dive into how to generate those content ideas.

1. Data driven ways to come up with social media content ideas

Use search data to find what your audience is searching for and create content that answers their queries.

There are two great free tools you can use to do this: Google Trends and Answer the Public. Use them to find search queries relating to your

• • brand

  • offering

  • problem you’re solving

  • any trend or pop culture references that relate to your business or audience in some way

This tells you what people are searching for. Create content as answers to these queries, and there you have your content ideas!

Why this method works

• SEO friendly, aiding brand awareness by giving your brand the chance to reach the top of search results as you're creating content that answers people's search queries;

• You're genuinely helping your target audience solve problems they're actively searching for, aiding brand affinity;

• By being proactive in answering your audience’s queries, you make sure it’s your brand providing the answers and position yourself as an authority in your field by doing so, aiding trust.

2. Creative ways to come up with social media content ideas

Here are three creative-driven ways to help you when you're in a content rut.

1. Gather your inspiration in one place. Create a swipe file of effective content from other brands and creators. (Don’t ignore creators!) These can be your competitors but also businesses in entirely different sectors.

They say that there is nothing new under the sun. There is nothing wrong with using other people's content as inspiration. Keep them in a file on Instagram, Pinterest or Notion to give you some inspiration when you're stuck.

3. Audit your website, social media platforms and email newsletters for your best performing content. The email headlines with the highest click-through-rates, the social media content with the most shares and watch time, the web pages with the most visitors and time spent on page. Examine what worked about them. Can you pinpoint exactly why they outperformed other pieces of content? Jot all this down in a coherent, accessible format, learn from it and apply it to your future content planning.

There's no need to reinvent the wheel every time.

Try to replicate what’s already working. You can even use old content. 

Example

Got a reel or TikTok that didn't perform quite like you'd expect? Post it again but with a different 3 second intro/hook and see how that affects performance.

Why this method works

• We all have days when we don't feel our most inspired or creative. By having a swipe file full of inspiration at your fingertips, you're already helping your future self out of a creative block.

• What works today might not work in a year's time. By continuously testing, experimenting and analysing your content, you can use real performance to inform your content planning and get to know what kind of content your audience engages with.

3. Funnel driven ways to come up with social media content ideas

Good content creation helps guide a prospect through the customer journey funnel toward a purchase. 

Let's look at specific types of content you can create to engage your audience at different stages of the funnel.

TOF (Top of funnel): Engaging, widely relatable content that inspires people to share (digital word of mouth), comment and get involved with your content to bring prospects into the top of the funnel.

Example content types: Quizzes, how tos, tips, ideas, jump on trending content. Don't forget to consider SEO for your social media content to optimise discovery!

MOF (Middle of funnel): Educating and positioning content. Is your ideal customer unaware of exactly what your business or product does? Pepper in some content that solidifies the image and purpose of your business in the eyes of your target market.

Example content types: Case studies, testimonials, explainer videos, infographics

BOF (Bottom of funnel): Sales. Content that sells. 

Example content types: Product success stories, product comparisons, calls to action, special offers.

The balance between creating content for each of these stages will be different for every business. The main thing is to find a balance that works for you.

Why this method works

• Considering the stages of the customer journey and the content needed to guide your potential customers through this funnel will help you shape a content plan.

• You can brainstorm content under these three stages and come up with enough content to post over a few months, then repeat the process.

Looking for guidance on what content you should be creating for your business? We can help with tailored 1-1s, consulting, training or audits to help you craft an effective content strategy. Get in touch!