Do you get stage fright when it is time to start planning your social media posts?  It’s understandable. A lot of people will be reading what you post and you don’t want to sound like an idiot, right?  If you fall into this category I want you to go back and read tip #1 in this blog series.  The truth is, you don’t have to be Shakespeare or Tom Clancy to write content for social media; in fact, people expect to see posts that are relevant to your business and your expertise in your voice. Most of all they want to be a part of you and what your business has to offer.  However, there will still be times when you run out of things to talk about and you just won’t know what to do.  So here are a few practical tips on what to say - when you have nothing to say.

1. Pass on Relevant Information- Stop trying to make every post mind-blowing or life changing.  People who follow you are interested in the same things you are interested in.  As you browse the internet and visit industry websites, pass on good news articles or tips you get from other sources.  A Dentist could share a good article on preventing gingivitis and a mobile phone dealer could pass on an article about the latest Smartphone in development.  Anything you pass on saves people from having to find it themselves and even if they have seen it, your post can help validate how important it is.

The FYItag software can pull content directly into the application from many of your favorite websites.  Once you set up your favorite sites, you can pass on information with one click of a button. The software automatically creates a post with the content and/or a link so you can edit it or just pass it on.  You can even schedule the posts to go out while you are on vacation or when you know you will be too busy to deal with writing new stuff.  This is a great way to keep information flowing to your followers and keep them interested even when you get busy running your business.

2.  Ask Questions - Social Media is just that, “social.”  Start conversations by asking questions.  A local coffee shop near me recently asked if their customers would like standup comedy or live music on Friday nights.  People weighed in with their votes, commented and made suggestions, and the result is a very successful Friday night with live music.  If it fits your business style, you can ask silly questions too.  I recently saw the question “boxers or briefs?” posed to the followers of another local business with great responses that worked for them.  Being silly may not work for you, but the point is that almost anything goes with Social Media, so engage your audience and keepthem engaged in the conversation just as if they were in the room with you.

The FYItag Social Media Planner lets you plan out posts and questions far in advance.  Want to ask a question about the holiday season but it’s July?  Schedule it while you are thinking about it and let the FYItag service post your question at the right time.  Set it and forget it. 

Have a question you would like your customers to answer right now? Just click on “shout,” a fast way to publish immediately to multiple social media networks simultaneously.  The FYItag service tracks your “shouts” and any responses to them like any scheduled post so you can be spontaneous and organized all at the same time!

FYItag is dedicated to making your business a success with innovative toolsets and free resources for communicating over Social Media Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.  Visit us at FYItag.com to find out more.

Johnathon Howard

CMO

Please check out the other blogs in this series:

Part 1 in the blog series: Starting out

Part 2 in the blog series: Setting up for success

Part 4 in the blog series: Ideas and the power of pictures

Part 5 in the blog series: Social Media – Your new Toy