Don’t Know What To Say On Social Media? 15 Ideas To Get The

Conversation Started

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Stuck for what to say on social media?

If any of your New Year’s resolutions are related to promoting your business on social media I

would bet that knowing what to say and how to say it are high on the list

Whether you’re just starting a new business page, want to grow your fan base or want to increase engagement with your

followers, it comes down to how you communicate and what you say

Staring at a blank piece of paper as you plan your posts can be very daunting

(I know, I’ve been there!)

But once you get started the momentum builds and you’ll find the content and

conversation start happening naturally

So, here are 15 ways to get the conversation started (summarized in this slide from my

recent “Simplifying Social Media” webinar – you can catch the replay if you missed it!)

Mmspark.com/simplify-social-media-webinar

Keep in mind as you plan your posts that the goal of your content on social media is to get people interacting with you and to

start conversations

1. Fun Stuff!

Most people are on social media for a bit of light relief and we all love a funny quote or picture

Whether you like it or not fun stuff gets good engagement and is a great way to

start off your page

Make the fun stuff relevant to your business, or something topical, seasonal, a major sporting event or trending news and use popular hash tags and you’ll draw new

visitors to your page

Here are a couple of recent examples of fun stuff that’s worked well

2. Third party links

You don’t have to write all your posts or create content from scratch every time

Quite often there is really good content being shared on social media which your

fans will appreciate seeing

Make sure you LIKE the pages you follow and you’ll receive updates from those

pages in your newsfeed

My favorite pages to follow are those of influencers in my niche

As you learn from them you can share their great content and ideas with your

followers

It’s a win win!

You’ll get brownie points for sharing and like’ing their content, so you’ll get noticed

by the people you’re aspiring to be like

Plus, you’re providing great content to your fans without having to create anything

3. Status updates

Despite all the wonderful scheduling and automation tools for social media (which I

couldn’t live without!) there’s no substitution for being present and making an appearance

It’s important to spend time on your business pages regularly and consistently

and this is when you’ll post a status update

Let your fans see behind the scenes, maybe talk about a new program or event

you’re working on, or a new tool you’re using to run your business

Or chat about a workshop you’ve been to, a new tip you’ve learnt or just share how

you’re feeling

Status updates show that you’re human, you’re present, and you care enough to turn up! It

sounds simple but it does take a commitment

4. Photos

Images work well on social media so use as many as you can

As of the time of posting this images are pulling better than videos

Take a screen capture of your new blog posts and post this as an image/blog post update on Face book, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram

Top Tip:

Notice in the examples below how the images work well with text incorporated into them

This is a great strategy for sharing your blog posts, tips etc…

Images show up larger in your fans’ newsfeed and are very eye-catching, and more likely to be LIKE’d,

commented on and shared

5. Video

While images are hot property on social media at the moment videos work well too

Your fans can see and play videos from within their newsfeeds

Videos are a great way to promote events, webinars and special offers

Remember less is more and keep it short and sweet (1-2 minutes is perfect)

6. Infographics

They’re a pictorial way of showing a large amount of information, such as 10 Tips to…or sharing the results of an industry survey

I think info graphics are a bit overused now but they’re popular and visually appealing

so still worth using

If you don’t fancy creating your own find some good ones in your niche and share them

You’ve probably seen info graphics, even if you’re not sure what they are!

7. Tips and News

I love short tips and tricks on social media and they’re easy to compile from your blog

posts and updates

Pick one tip and post it on your page, ideally as an image or in a short video

Here are a couple of examples, News can be industry news, “hot news” trending on social media, or as in

James Wedmore’s example here, news from a member sharing their success story

Getting your fans and followers to share their stories – spotlighting their achievements and

success stories – is very powerful as they’ll share with their contacts

Also consider including case studies and real stories to bring your page to life and

make it very human and personal

8. Fan Page Parties on Facebook

If you want to build your fan page base up quickly this is a great way to meet others in your niche and get people visiting your page

It’s expected that if people visit your page and LIKE it that you will reciprocate

Take the time to share the Fan Page party with your fans, LIKE it and also share your page link

Also visit the pages of the other party goers and start building those all important

relationships

I’ve met some great people through Face book Fan Page Parties and we now consistently support each other’s

blogs and fan pages

9. Promotion

Contrary to much of the advice on social media it IS ok to promote your products,

services and events

Just don’t do it constantly or you’ll turn your fans off

Mix your promotions up with a liberal dose of good quality content and your fans will

still love you

Personally I try to always promote to a freebie rather than directing fans to a sales page

This strategy works well for webinars, events and special offers

And remember you can be promoting other people’s products and receiving an affiliate commission, as in

this example from Amy Porterfield

10. Blog Posts

Social media should be a key part of your blog promotion strategy

See the Top Tip in #4 for how you can combine the power of images with getting

your new blog post out to the universe

If you’re using WordPress you can automate blog posting to your social media

accounts using a plug-in

Notice in the Amanda Blain post how she’s promoting a blog post from 2 years earlier – because it’s relevant

I’m sure if you read the whole introduction she’ll be using hashtags relevant to Memorial Day – to get extra views

from people outside her circles (in Google+)

Marie Forleo’s blog is actually a vlog (video blog) so her updates are usually videos

But she does also post a static picture of her vlog and post that as an update

Test out different formats with your audience and see what works best for you

11. Conversation

This might sound obvious, but along with #3 (status updates) above it’s important

not only to be present on social media but to have conversations

If people are taking the time to visit your page and leave messages, make sure you

reply quickly

Within 24 hours is expected, but the sooner the better

Use mobile apps to get notifications when someone leaves you a message, and make

sure you reply within a few hours

12. Quotes

Always popular – you can use sites like e-cards or inspirational wisdom to find a

lifetime’s supply of motivational, inspirational quotes

Or make your own

I keep a swipe file of quotes and tips I come across in magazines, articles or books and

often share these on social media (so you’re not just churning out the same old things as

everyone else!)

13. Questions

Questions are one of the best ways to get engagement on your pages

Best are questions that require one word answers so people can respond quickly

Or ask questions and ask people to LIKE your page if they agree

There are some other ideas in the examples below….and don’t forget you can mix and

match these 15 ideas

For example, you could ask a question as an introduction to your latest blog post

14. Caption Contests

This comes under fun, relevant and engaging! Share a great picture and ask

your fans to caption it

Here’s a lovely one from SocialBo…

15. Contests

Last but not least, everyone loves to win things so consider a contest

If you’re running a contest on Facebook there are certain guidelines (although these were

relaxed considerably in 2013) so read up on the Terms and Conditions before launching

Make the prize relevant to your business or you’ll get lots of engagement – from freebie

seekers who will never become your customer

Top Tip:

Remember you want to attract your ideal client, not random strangers who just want your free stuff!

CLOSING TIP!

I hope you’ve found some ideas and inspiration here to get you started on social media

These ideas work equally well on Face book, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, but the

secret is to test the ideas with your audience and see what works

Make sure, whatever you’re posting that you include a Call To Action

Ask your fans to LIKE, share, comment, and get involved

And then turn up and respond!

How do you get the conversation started on social media?

Please share your tips in the comments

MMSpark.com Resources….Freebies & Guides

12 Top Social Media TipsMmspark.com/mmfreebie

Information packed webinarshttp://mmspark.com/webinars/