There are many challenges that come with creating engaging content for your social media platforms. As a brand, you want to add value to the everyday lives of your consumers. You want users to experience your brand through storytelling. Every brand has a story; it’s the way you tell it that gets people listening.

As a social community manager, I try to follow these 4 steps when creating content:

1. Be You

Embrace your personality! It’s time to get into the nitty gritty of what your brand really is and scream it to the world…the social world. Your social voice is simply an extension of your brand manifesto. It must be consistent and represent your brand identity.

2. Be Searchable and Relevant

Social media and SEO are the new peanut butter and jelly of digital marketing. By incorporating relevant keywords and tagging users in your posts, brands will begin to see an increase in their social content being shown their search results.

3. Be Short n’ Sweet

According to a recent eye-tracking study, it takes users less than two-tenths of a second to form a first impression.  Users on social media networks have a short attention span. Get to the point and keep things simple.

 4. Be Valuable

Think about your target audience.  What are they interested in? Optimizing your content to include customer experiences, industry news, tips, and quality information can position you as a thought leader in your industry.

Partnering these four concepts with a well-structured content calendar is an indestructible plan for social media success. As your social voice evolves with your customers, you’ll start building relationships and creating brand ambassadors, which will then allow you to ask questions, gain insights, and interact with one another on a more personable level.

+Anna Lea Crowe Social Media Strategist at Webhead Interactive.