Recently, I read a blog post titled “10 Tips For Creating Killer Social Content.”  Since we run several social media campaigns here at IMAVEX, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Quora, I thought it would be appropriate for me to not only read but also respond to the blog post. To leave a comment on the blog post, you have to create an account. I would rather write a blog response anyway!

Below I will list all of these tips, and give a brief response to each tip. Let me preface this by saying I agree with them all. When creating social content, just remember… content is king.

1. Make it original. Of course, you want to make it original. Not only will your audience thank you for having original content, but search engines will also love you for posting original material. Granted, there are times where posting press releases is acceptable, but for the most part, sharing original content is best.

2. Make it useful. People will read your blog because you are giving them value in the content you post. So make sure the content is useful for the persons reading it. If you write a blog about marketing, make sure most of your content is about marketing.

3. Make it fresh. Post often. We try to post every day, and while we usually only post two or three blogs a week, we are still trying to get new fresh content out there. People that come to your website/blog on Monday will expect to see something new (fresh) when he or she returns on Wednesday. So post often. There is no such thing as too much content.

4. Go out on a limb. Not sure if your audience will like what you have to say? Go out on a limb and see. If you try it, and it works you can thank me later. If it doesn’t work, try something different. I am not saying live on the limb, just go out there every now and then and see what you can do.

5. Don’t ignore comments. If people take the time to comment, that means they probably took the time to read the blog. So if someone leaves a comment, take the time to respond. If they leave an email address, shoot the person an email saying thanks. One technique we have used is commenting back and thanking those who choose to leave a comment. You can also judge the quality of a post on the number of comments you get.

6. Put things in perspective. Be honest with what you are writing about, and make sure you understand your audience. Don’t be afraid of explaining yourself and if you need to fact check before posting your blog post… do!

7. Match the message to the medium. If you are writing a blog post, make sure you post it on your blog. If you have a video, share it on YouTube and Vimeo. You can work videos into a blog, but match the message to the medium. You will get good at this, just try it and see what makes sense for you and your goals.

8. Employ (updated) SEO best practice. This is all about getting found online. If you are writing a blog, the goal is to get found. If you are not getting found, try writing more often. Try writing more often and writing with updated SEO best practices. If you don’t understand search engine optimization, feel free to give us a call and we can walk you through that. SEO is an ongoing battle, and if you want to continue to be found, you will need to work on this as you write more content.

9. Write well. You don’t have to be a good writer to be a good blogger, but again… remember your audience. If you writing a marketing blog, that means most of the people that are reading your blog are other marketing professionals. So write to them. They will expect a higher level of writing than if you were writing to football fans. (Speaking of football, the Super Bowl was just in town… what a thrill!)

10. Be emphatic. I always say, “Don’t write for you… write for them.” Write for your audience. Sure, put your own twist on the things you are writing, but if you want to keep getting found and want people to come back to your website, you need to write for them. Write for the people that read and you will build a following.

That was fun! We are always looking for content, and it’s nice when another blogger can inspire a blog post. I have to thank Debra Donston-Miller from The BrainYard, a community for social business.

Comments are appreciated… let’s get the conversation going!

Source: http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_networking_consumer/231902730