If you’re a small business owner, your primary focus would be to reach out to a larger audience base. 

With a limited marketing budget and resources, the best way to achieve your goal is by leveraging social media because it gives you the opportunity to reach and engage with your potential customers. All these efforts together will help build a stronger brand presence. 

But, with so many social media platforms around, how do you decide which is the right platform for you? 

You can’t be everywhere. You shouldn’t be, rather. It’s best to identify the demographics of your target audience and figure out the social media platforms where the majority of your target audience is spending time. 

However, the success of your social media campaign ultimately depends largely on the kind of content you are publishing. The most successful pieces of content are those that add value, tell stories and strike a chord with your audience. 

Here are 9 content ideas that you as a small business can implement. 

1. Promote your blog posts

If your business has a blog, promote them through social media posts. 

Write a short, compelling caption about the content of the blog and share the link to the post. 

This attracts traffic to your website and builds brand presence. Remember, promoting your blog posts shouldn’t be more than 10-20% of your overall social media posts. Make sure you do more than that. 

Here is an example of a brand that regularly shares their blog posts on Facebook.

2. Polls and surveys 

Polls and surveys are great ways to boost engagement. You may want to add at least one poll or survey everyday. 

They help you gain insights about your customers. You can also use this format to run contests and lighten the mood. 

3. Videos

Video content attracts a lot of engagement on social media. As per a study, videos happen to be the most favorite type of social media content. 

You can share different types of video content like interview videos, product videos, live videos, taking your audience to a virtual tour of your office, how-to videos, etc. 

Tasty is one such brand that has built a large number of how-to video content on social media.

4. User-generated content 

Creating engaging content consistently can be a challenge especially for small businesses. 

User-generated content is a great way to keep your feed alive while driving engagement. Run a contest or ask your users to share an image of your product and then re-share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag the original content creator. 

Including user-generated content in your social media strategy is a cost-effective option that not only creates awareness but also builds credibility. 

5. Behind the scene images or videos

Take your followers on a behind the scene tour of your organization. Give them a sneak peek of the brand they love — followers love to see the human side of brands. 

Here is an example of Warbyparker that does this just right.

6. Showcase your employees

Showcase your employees, talk about their success stories, and how they are braving it to build your brand. Here is a beautiful message from IKEA and their stand about their employees. 

7. Run an AMA (Ask Me Anything)

AMAR or Ask Me Anything is another popular social media content idea which is basically a Q&A session. 

You can build a lot of engagement through an AMA. It gives you an opportunity to showcase your brand, answer questions to your audience, share your personal side and much more. You can talk about your challenges, success stories, and build awareness about the brand. 

Twitter and Instagram Stories work great for AMAs. 

8. Host contests and giveaways

Contests and giveaways are another effective way to drive engagement. 

You don’t need to give out fancy prizes or giveaways. Even a discount code or a freebie is a great way to create buzz and engage with your followers. What’s important is launching a interesting contests and making it easy for your followers to participate. 

9. Customer testimonials 

Did you just receive a positive customer feedback? Don’t shy away from sharing it on social media. Let the world know about the positive experience your customers had with you.

Here is a retweet example from Buffer sharing a positive experience from a happy customer.

Social media is evolving, new features are being added every other day. There is certainly no dearth of content ideas if you sit down and brainstorm. 

What’s important is experimenting and seeing what your audience responds best to. So, give these content ideas a shot — they’re engaging and cost-effective!

____________________________________________________________________

Adela Belin is a content marketer and blogger at Writers Per Hour. She is passionate about sharing stories with the hope to make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to their personal and professional growth. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.