How to take your content to the next level

Is your social media content falling flat? The solution might be easier than you think.

Reference this blog post next time you’re looking to add some spice to your organic content. It’ll take your social media skills to the next level – I promise.

GIF or JIF?

Graphic Interchange Formats (GIFs) have been a large part of internet culture for years, and in many ways, they manage to say all the things we can’t.  Feeling sad? There’s a GIF for that. Doing a happy dance? Yup, you guessed it, there’s a GIF. Now if you aren’t familiar, a GIF is a short, moving image that plays on a loop. Here’s a favorite GIF of mine from The Office.

In your social content, GIFs can create a fun and lively atmosphere when interacting with your audience. GIFs tell the public that your organization is witty, lighthearted and up to date on the latest pop culture. However, GIFs aren’t just for memes. You can repurpose videos and tell stories through GIFs. It can condense large presentations or create a loophole for those long paragraph posts.

Check out these resources on how to easily make a GIF:

• Giphy.com – free GIF creator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Canva Pro – exciting, pre-made GIFs available!

Video killed the radio star

Not to be confused with a GIF, videos allow for long-form content to be easily shared and accessible. On the plus side, social media algorithms usually take preference to long-form content and will push it to more of your followers.

When creating a video, don’t get lost in the glitz and glamour. Create a strategy beforehand with your mission and customers in mind. Videos are meant to inspire! Show the behind-the-scenes of your organization, customer testimonials, or a how-to video. As long as the content is interactive and relevant, you’ll be set for success.

Easy and fun tools for creating a video

• Biteable: an easy tool for animated, informational videos!
• Adobe Premiere

*Quick Tip: Include captions on all your videos for more accessible content.

The power of photos

Do you ever feel like you have too much content and not enough time? It’s a rare occurrence, nonetheless, but it can be daunting when you’re handed a large chunk of information to post. Creating an Album post on Facebook or a Carousel post on Instagram allows you to consolidate that content in an effective way.

These posts cause users to linger on your post longer as they scroll, which means it’ll naturally get more engagement from others. Sharing multiple photos from an event, showcasing your products, or providing resources to the public are all excellent ways to utilize carousel and album posts.

*InstaTip: Instagram is your best friend for carousels!

In the end…

Visually interesting and interactive content is going to elevate your content regardless of the format. An easy way to add this thought process to your content planning is to create a checklist!

• Copy
• Visual (GIF, video, image, carousel images, etc.)
• Hashtag
• URL (if traffic is the objective)

Run through this quick checklist to ensure you’ve captured your objective, mission, and identity within your post. Don’t forget to think outside of the box.