Do you find it difficult to post consistently on social media, because you don’t know what to say? These 10 social media content ideas are foolproof ways to boost your business while providing value to your followers.
So, your small business, charity, or voluntary organisation is up and running on social media. You’ve picked which platforms suit you best (or if you haven’t, check out this blog post we wrote for some useful tips). But what should you post?
It’s easy to know what to post on social media when you have a big new product to launch or an event to announce. Those are the times when you’ve got a lot of fresh, exciting things to say, and hopefully, you’ll attract new likes, followers, and leads.
But what do you do to keep your followers interested the rest of the time? You want to remain at the top of people’s minds, even when you don’t have any shiny new things to show off. So how do you keep your feeds interesting? That’s what this blog post, which is all about social media content ideas, can help you with.
You don’t need to post every single day, especially if you lack the time or manpower to do so. What matters is that you put out high quality, engaging posts frequently enough that your followers don’t forget about you. You want to repeat your organisation’s values and goals often enough that they stay in your followers’ memory banks; then they’ll remember you when it’s time to make a purchase or donation. But you also want to deliver that message in enough varied ways that they don’t get sick of hearing it.
Another key tip: avoid transparently selling or pleading for donations every minute of every day. People will only follow you if they feel like you’re providing them value, so you should fill your feed with interesting facts, useful recommendations, and heartwarming sentiments that will brighten up your fans’ days. Only then will they respond positively to the posts where you’re asking them to provide you value by making a purchase, offering a donation, or volunteering.
Below you’ll find ten social media content ideas for your social media feeds that will all, in different ways, boost your business.
1. Share testimonials from customers or beneficiaries
You can post all day every day about how amazing your organisation is, but your followers are much more likely to believe… literally anyone else. After all, you’re not the most objective judge of your own work!
It’s always a good idea to show off the occasional testimonial on your social media feed: it proves to your followers that you’re legit. You should always collect testimonial reviews from customers or from people your organisation has helped, because they make for such valuable content. You could just copy and paste a quote into a social media post, but for a level up, we suggest you use a Canva template (many are available for free!) to create a beautiful visual out of your testimonials.
Here’s an example of a testimonial we put up on the WODIN Instagram page.
2. Shout out another business
Shouting out other businesses, charities, and voluntary organisations on your social media feed is, of course, a kind thing to do. But it’s also a great way to boost your own brand.
Research other organisations that do similar work to you, make a list, and plan which ones you’d like to shout out. Post about the org and why they’re doing great work. Your followers will warm to you, because they’ll feel like you’re providing them value in a way that isn’t totally self-serving. And hopefully (if you remember to tag them!), the org you shouted out will share your post to their followers, which may lead some of their fans to you. It’s a win-win.
3. Remind your followers what makes you different
Few brands are totally unique — you’ll always have competitors working in a similar field — but if you’re doing things right, your organisation will have at least one selling point that helps you stand out from the crowd. You need to tell your followers about what makes you different from all the other businesses they could buy from, or all the other charities they could donate to.
Find fun ways to highlight your uniqueness. You could record a short video where you gush about your org to the camera, you could create eye-catching graphics on Canva that list the qualities that make your org special, or you could write a post that dives deep into just one of those things. Just make sure you remind your followers every now and again why they’re choosing you over everyone else.
Here’s an example of a ‘Why we’re different’ post we put up on the WODIN LinkedIn page.
4. Celebrate anniversaries and milestones
You don’t want all your captions to feel like essays, but the occasional long, heartfelt caption can go a long way. Posts where you write a little bit more than you usually would, and open yourself up emotionally, can help your followers bond with you. Bear in mind, if your pour your soul out in every caption, it won’t feel special anymore; but if you pick your moments, people will know that you’re writing something that’s worth reading.
A good time for such a post is when your organisation is celebrating an anniversary or milestone. Use your org’s 5th birthday, or the day you hit 5,000 followers on Instagram, as a chance to reflect. Post a photo of your team and write a few paragraphs about why this is a big moment for all of you. Give your followers a reason to root for your success.
Here’s an example from WODIN’s LinkedIn, when we celebrated our two year anniversary.
5. Document a day in the life of your organisation
You could document a day in the life of your organisation through pictures, but this might also be a great opportunity to utilise video on your social media feeds. If you feel able to create video (it doesn’t have to be too fancy!), you should give it a go, since many social media platforms favor video in their algorithms.
What if you filmed a few sections of each of the tasks that make up a working day, then edited them together with an upbeat music track? Without too much extra work on top of the work you already do on the daily, you’ll have provided your followers a fun, insider glimpse at how your org operates. It will help them know and trust you a little better, and it’ll give them a strong mental image of what it is you do. Then, when it comes to making a purchase or donation, they’re that much more likely to gravitate toward you.
6. Share tips about your niche
Every organisation has its own particular niche, and as someone working with or running that organisation, you have expertise around that niche that the average consumer doesn’t have. But if they’re following you, they’re interested!
Take the occasional opportunity to share tips and tricks that relate to what you do. You can do it via a text-only post, an eye-catching infographic, or a video where you speak directly to the camera. It’s another engaging way to add value to your followers’ lives without appearing self-serving or salesy. Tips are also super shareable, so you’re much more likely to go viral with posts like these.
Here’s an example of a social media tip we shared on the WODIN TikTok page.
7. Reflect on what you’ve learned while running your org
You want your followers to feel emotionally invested in your brand, so like we noted in tip number 4, it can help to open up in your captions every now and again. That doesn’t necessarily mean spilling your guts out in every other post — it can just mean a thoughtful caption that reflects on your personal experience as a business owner.
Take the time to talk to your followers about what you learned this week, month, or year of running your organisation, perhaps accompanied by a candid photo you took during that period of time. It will lend your brand a warm and relatable personality, and it might also be useful to your followers who are interested in the ins and outs of running a business or charity. Above all else, when you let your followers in on the journey you’re undergoing with your org, they’ll want to be part of that journey, too.
8. Highlight statistics about your niche
Statistics can be important to share for any type of organisation, but especially for a charity or non-profit that is aiming to enact social change. You see a problem with the world and you want to take concrete steps to change it; you also want to galvanise your followers to take part in that change with you. But how can you convince them to do that if they don’t understand the full extent of the problem you’re trying to solve?
Every now and then, share statistics to do with your niche or cause, to remind your followers of what it is you’re fighting for. It’s one thing to tell people that a problem exists, but statistics give that problem a concrete scale, which helps it feel real and urgent.
Here’s an example of a statistic we shared on the WODIN Twitter page.
9. Celebrate figures who inspire you
One easy way to fill out your social media content calendar is to think about significant figures within your niche (either historical or contemporary) — people who inspire you to keep doing what you do — and look up their birthdays. For example, if you work in the equalities sector, you’ve got a wealth of inspirational people to celebrate, from Angela Davis to Harvey Milk. If you’re a chef, you might want to reflect on the impact of Anthony Bourdain or Nadiya Hussain. The list goes on.
Whoever your heroes may be, enter their birthdays into your content calendar, and voila, you have a perfect excuse to make a post about why that person is important. Speaking about these key figures is a great way to educate your followers about your niche. Hopefully, some of them may be inspired to Google these people and do their own research, which means they’ll be thinking more and more deeply about what it is you do.
10. Gush about someone who has supported your org
It’s amazing to celebrate famous figures, but what about the people in your inner circle who make your organisation run, day in day out? Your collaborators, employees, volunteers, investors, and donors deserve some love too.
Find a nice, candid photo and write a glowing caption that highlights all the hard work they’ve invested in your org. It will make that person feel appreciated, and it will also put a face to your company, so your followers will start to see you as a collective of hard-working people rather than just a faceless brand.
Here’s an example of an appreciation post that we put up on the WODIN Instagram page.
