So you have your business page all set up and you know you need to share some good social stuff with your followers. Things that aren't always about work, but that fit with your business. You may have already made some key decisions like "no swear words" or "no text language". Whatever you feel strongly doesn't fit with your business. Of course I'm not saying don't swear or use txt spek - you will know if that is the right way to connect with your key audience. And sometimes a well-timed swear is very well received.
The next big decision (once you have decided what you would like to share) is how you will share it. Where is this content actually going to come from? Whether you choose to create new content just for your page or you find things to share that have already been created - remember that appropriate content gathering is a time consuming business. You do need to put thought and care into it. And you need a thick skin too - if it doesn't have the impact, reach or go viral for you then chin up and keep on trucking.
Creating
If you opt for creating your own content, then you'll need some tools to do that with. I have used three different tools myself.
Firstly,
Adobe Fireworks, which you can trial for free for 30 days. After that there is a cost involved. I used Fireworks to do all my initial design work for my website and some branded content for my social media channels. I found the tools good, especially for adding transparent backgrounds to elements.The below image is the type of thing I could make, using my specific brand colours:
Next up was
Pic Monkey. Pic Monkey has free as well as paid elements on their site. So you can make content either from your images or theirs. They have a range of fonts, and effects you can add to your pictures as well. Plus they have templates that are the right size for cover images for your Facebook or you can customise the size of your canvas which is excellent, if you want to make a 403x403 image to suit Facebook. Here is an example of what you could do with Pic Monkey:
The amazing star background on this image was a free texture I added. The image was very simple to put together and customise. It's also very effective. I love this font.
Lastly, I have been using
Canva. Now Canva has almost totally won me over, though it has to be said that the free options are more limited than with Pic Monkey. For example, I couldn't get a star image there for free except for stylised geometric shapes. But there are free images there that you can find if you have good search foo. And if you find the perfect image and it isn't free, it will only cost you $1 US. So that isn't so bad either.
This is an example of my Canva work. But you can see more in any of my social media channels, I do love to play at this site a lot:
Again, the above was pretty simple to put together but very effective.
Creating content doesn't have to be a huge outlay of money for you. However, it can be time-consuming, especially if you are looking for fresh new content to be created on a daily or more basis.
Curation
Curating is another option for you, if you don't want to be creating new content or you don't feel you have the design skills to pull it off. But what is curating? Well, in basic terms it's having a trawl through your favourite social media outlets, seeing things that speak to you and sharing those on your page. So it might be a meme another brand has shared that works well for you and your company as well. Or it might be a fun game that another page has run successfully.
Three important things will impact on your curating content. Firstly make sure it is
relevant to your page and your audience. There is no point filling your social media assets with irrelevant noise. It has to be relatable and in line with your company image too. Everything you share can have an impact on your reach and your following. Whether that is negative or positive is dependent on what you select to share.
When you share
give credit to the original poster. It's important to give credit where it is due. This helps you build your integrity with your audience and it helps the creator too as you will help increase their reach as well. I would suggest not sharing content that has been created and branded by your direct competitors. For example if you are both selling bibs in the same quality and price bracket, that might not be the best company to be associating yourself with. But if the business sells bibs and you sell bowls and spoons for first solids, then that's a good alignment to make. You'll have similar audiences, but aren't directly competing.
Lastly,
add your voice to the share. Tell your audience why you are sharing the content. Maybe you found it funny, or it reflects how you feel. Maybe it reminded you of a childhood memory, or just made you hungry. Whatever you say, add your own spin and flair to it.
Creating + Curating
Of course, you don't have to go all in for creating or all in for curating. You can mix it up! Make some, share some. Get creative when you feel like it, curate when you are all out of ideas.
And if you are truly at a loss, you can always contract someone else to spend the time on it for you
plug plug ;)
If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.
Pic's Really Good Peanut Butter offered up a double lidded glass jar, so you can always get to the last of the Pic's. Genius! You can read more here
Well it was super fun watching my newsfeed this morning and I hope you enjoyed reading along. Did you see these ones? Did you see anything that I haven't covered here? Comment below! 
