In this article we are going to explain exactly what original content is, what it means for you, and how you can start to create content that works for both you and your audience. Let’s go!

So, what exactly is “original content”?

Social media marketing expert Kimberley-Ann Jiminez describes original content as:

“Any piece of content created by your brand used to instruct, educate, entertain or empower”.

That means basically anything that you create from scratch, whether it be a blog post, an infographic, a photo, or a video; all of these are original content.

Why do I need to create “original content” when I’m an actor/ singer/ artist/ other?”

When it comes to your online presence, there are so many reasons why it’s important to always be creating and sharing fresh, new content with your audience (and a variety of types, if you can!). Let’s outline the main reasons:

1 – Helps you stand out in a crowded online space 

Even though there may be thousands of people all working in the same niche; it’s your individual story and experience that can really create and provide value to your audience. A good way to stand out is to truly show your personality and what you have to bring to the table.

Even in an industry where there are “industry standards” for work or for content creation, adding your personal flavour to the conversation can really make you stand out.

2 – Become a subject matter expert

When you give your audience more information about your topic you are establishing yourself as someone who really knows what they’re talking about. Your confidence in your knowledge shines through, which in turn makes people trust you. When people trust your opinion and advice (and it works for them) they will come back time and time again to seek out more information. For a lot of people starting out in your industry or niche, they want and need all the help they can get. That’s where you can provide real value to them, in turn building an engaged audience!

3 – Build your community

Original content that your audience enjoys and can utilise helps forge relationships – they trust you and they want to know more about what you have to offer. Similarly, even if your content is something that entertains or inspires your audience, it’s still eliciting a response from your audience, and that’s what helps build your audience. Similar to how your art can make the audience feel or think in a different way, your posts should do the same.

The more your audience love your content the more comments, likes, shares and mentions you’ll get. Not only that but people will trust you and feel like they know you, which in turn will make them comfortable approaching you and initiating conversation via social media. Interacting with your audience will make potential fans think you really care about the people you’re interacting with, which in turn will make them want to join the club. The more engaged your audience is, the more you’ll attract more!

4 – Add value to your audience

When creating original content, whether you entertain, inform or educate, you’re offering your audience something of value. It could be knowledge that helps them in their industry, information that helps them progress in their niche, or just something to entertain them when they have some free time. Whatever role your content has for your audience, it’s important to maximise it so they keep coming back.

5 – Builds rapport with your audience which potentially leads to sales

Although we’ve already covered building a community (see #3), it’s important to note that building an engaged community can also lead to potential sales. If you’re a creator who is selling your products or work online, a thriving community will be more likely to buy.

It can be particularly hard for independent artists to make sales online, but if you have a community that like and trust you, they will want to support you, and in turn feel much better about parting with their money for you.

So how do I choose what type of content to create?!

The easiest thing to do is to look at what others in your niche are creating and pay attention to the pieces that have had a lot of likes, comments and shares.  If it works for your competitors, it’s probably going to work for you. 

However, this isn’t a fail-safe method. Others in your niche may have more fans, or may be more established, and therefore it’s hard to tell whether their audience are really enjoying the content, or whether they’re more inclined to like it because they already support the person.

Ask yourself the following four questions to help figure out the best way to create original content that works for your target audience:

1 – How does your target audience normally (and prefer) to consume content?

How does your audience consume content? Do they prefer video content? Are they avid readers? Do they need direct and informative infographics? Pay attention to what has worked for you before – and what works for others in your niche. This will give you hints as to what type of content your audience actually enjoys. And therefore you can modify your social media offering to incorporate that!

For example, if you are a comedian that makes jokes about the lives of Millennials, you may find more luck sharing short videos, sketches and jokes on a platform such as Snapchat. After all, it has been proven that some 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Snapchat, and a sizeable majority of these users (71%) visit the platform multiple times per day (Pew Research Center, 2018). Therefore, clearly your target audience prefers to consume content on Snapchat, so start to invest time and effort on that platform!

2 – How often and when do you want to post?

There is no specific formula to how much you should be posting, or when, although studies have shown that there seems to be some trends. Check out the graphic below to help you figure out the best time to post: 

3 – What feels natural to you?

Above all, an important thing to keep in mind is what feels natural to you. What type of offering actually suits your personality? If you’re quite a shy person videos are probably not going to present the best version of yourself. If you prefer to write your ideas down than to share them vocally, writing could be the best option for you.

The great thing is that there is something to suit every personality type, and whatever your strengths are, you can find a media format that really can connect with your audience whilst also encouraging you to offer the absolute best of your personality, and in turn, help to cultivate your relationship with your audience.

4 – What are your audience actually going to be interested in?

There’s no use sharing original content if nobody who sees it is going to be interested in it; it’s a waste of time and effort.

Try to think about what your audience would really love to see; for example, if you’re an artist, perhaps you love seeing behind-the-scenes of how particular artists work, the paint brands they use, how long it takes to make their pieces…. and so on. Why not create the same thing for your audience?

Ask yourself: what kind of value can you create for your audience that will keep them coming back again and again?

Examples of original content

• Blog post 
• Video
• Podcast
• Infographic
• Newsletter
• Social Media Post
• Webinar
• Gifs
• Films
• Memes
• Live video or chats 
• Ebooks
• Online events 

Some examples of original content for creatives

ACTORS: A video explaining how you grew a passion for acting, a blog post with your top tips for successful auditions, a photo diary of tips for taking headshots. Here are some more content ideas for actors, including a 30 day calendar!

SINGERS: A fun video where you do impressions of famous singers, a Spotify playlist of famous artists in your genre that your fans may like, an Instagram story of a day in the studio recording

MUSICIANS: A video of a band practice, a curated Spotify playlist of your musical inspirations, a blog post about your songwriting process

ARTISTS: A blog post about what inspires your work, a video behind-the-scenes in your workspace, a product review of paintbrushes you use or have used

WRITERS: A blog post on how your career as a writer started, a video interview of yourself so your readers can get to know you better, host a writing competition on one of your social media platforms, a webinar about how to find ideas for writing fiction

PHOTOGRAPHERS: A behind-the-scenes video of a photoshoot, a blog post about how you edit your photos, a webinar on photography basics for beginners

Now you’ve asked yourself some key questions, take some time to analyse what sort of value you want to offer your followers and what you think they may like to hear about. Research other people in your niche and see what’s working for them. Also take some time to self-reflect; ask yourself what’s going to work best for your personality and what you feel comfortable with. Once you know the answers to these questions you’ll better know how to provide quality content that your audience will love!

The post The Secret To Social Media Success For Creatives: Original Content! appeared first on Social Media Marketing for Creatives.

Spend 30 Minutes Per Day on Social Media

Seems simple enough, right? Spending a minimum of 30 minutes a day on social media can help you see a dramatic change in your online presence. Use this time to check your major social platforms, talk to current followers, reach out to potential fans/collaborators, and post new content. Dedicating this small amount of time every day may not seem like much, but it can really make the difference in the long run. 

Engage More With Your Followers

Why do you think it’s called social media? If you’re only using your social channels to post content, you’re only fighting half the battle. Engaging and conversing with followers and fans on social media is an absolutely crucial way to build your fanbase. Respond to comments on your posts, thank followers for sharing your content, and use hashtag searches to find relevant posts and accounts where you can create your own conversations.

[Tweet “Why do you think it’s called social media? If you’re only using your social channels to post content, you’re only fighting half the battle.”]

Find Your Best Social Platform, and OWN It

Although being present on multiple social platforms and having a huge following on various channels would obviously be ideal, it isn’t a necessity – especially if you’re just starting out. Do some research to find out who your core demographic is, and what social platform they typically use the most. Also think about which platform would be best to promote your specific type of work and reach potential followers. For a rundown on different popular social platforms and what each is best for, take a look at our post here. 

Learn a new Social Platform

This one may seem a little overwhelming, but partnered with our first resolution idea, it’s quite easily achievable. Many platforms make things simple with user-friendly interfaces and designs, and there are more than enough tutorials and articles on the internet that are available to help with almost any problem you may face. Just be sure to learn a platform that is going to work with your goals as well as the artwork you’re creating. Not sure where to start? Here are a few suggestions for up and coming social networks that speak to artists. If you’re a musician, have some fun with Musical.ly , the social network dedicated to music lovers. If you’re an actor, YouTuber or any kind of content creator who loves live video, check out Hype,  which is a combination of Vine meets Snapchat meets Facebook Live! If you’re looking for a professional platform to showcase your creative work (think LinkedIn for artists) Behance, is a great tool to display your portfolio while connecting with other artists.

Put Some Money Into Paid Social Ads

Paid advertisements on social channels are an amazing way to boost your follower growth, as well as put your work in front of eyes that may have never seen it otherwise. And the best part about paid ads, is that you get to choose exactly how much money you want to spend, and exactly when you want to stop. With only a few dollars a day, you can put out content that can help you see a significant change in the way you use social media.  

Hopefully this list puts your mind at ease a little bit when it comes to thinking of that New Year’s resolution; just stay focused and stay determined and you’ll be sure to see results. But most importantly, Happy New Year! 

The post 5 Social Media New Year’s Resolutions for Artists appeared first on Social Media Marketing for Creatives.

We took a look at five of the biggest social platforms and gathered data on average user age, gender, and more to make finding your best social media platform a walk in the park.

Facebook

Key stats:

• 1.9 billion unique monthly users
• 83% of online women, 75% of online men
• Primarily ages 18-49

Facebook is an excellent social media platform for building a community and engaging with followers. Being able to like and reply to followers’ comments and posts promotes healthy customer relationships and feedback. It is also a great platform for posting multiple kinds of content all in one place. If you plan on sharing a mixture of content including photos, videos, updates and general news, then Facebook is the place to be.

Pros

• Central hub for a variety of content
• Different forms of engagement (likes, loves, wows, comments, shares etc.)
• Biggest social platform

Cons

• Over saturated with other business pages
• Millennials are more present on other social networks
• Low organic reach means heavy reliance on boosted posts and ads

Youtube

Key stats:

• 1 billion unique monthly users
• 55% male, 45% female
• Primarily ages 18-49

YouTube reaches more 18-49 year olds than any cable network, and it is an absolutely critical place to be if your brand’s primary focus is video content. User comments allow for followers to leave feedback, general brand and content opinions, as well as ideas for new video content they’d like to see. Another great thing about YouTube is that it is owned by Google, meaning it is given priority over other platforms in Google search results! So if you think that your brand would benefit mainly from video content such as how to videos, vlogs, or video reviews, then get on YouTube immediately.

Pros

• Biggest video platform
• Improves search results (owned by Google)
• Great way to build a community

Cons

• Strictly for video content and video content only
• High quality video content can be time consuming
• High volume of negative comments and ‘trolls’

Instagram

Key stats:

• 600 million unique monthly users
• 38% of online women, 26% of online men
• 90% of users are under 35

Instagram is one of the fastest growing social platforms out there, with a primary focus on visual content. 53% of Instagram users follow brands, making it a great place for businesses to be. It is also a great platform for running photo contests and prize giveaways, using branded hashtags to get followers participating. If your startup revolves around products or services that would best be represented visually (retail, food etc.) then being on Instagram is a no brainer. But be careful! Visual content should be visually appealing, so having high quality photos and videos with proper composition, lighting and direction is key to keep up with competition.

[Tweet “53% of Instagram users follow brands, making it a great place for businesses to be.”]

Pros

• Fast growth
• Majority of users follow brands
• Huge millennial user base

Cons

• Not a big platform for users over 35
• Not the best platform for communicating with customers
• High quality photo and video content can be time consuming

Twitter

Key stats:

• 317 million unique monthly users
• 22% of online men, 15% of online women
• Primarily ages 18-29

Given that Twitter is primarily a copy based social platform, it is fantastic for creating a dialogue with your customers. Regular news updates along with general questions and concerns can be main focal points for creating personable conversations with your customers. Not to mention, hashtags are huge on Twitter; they can be strategically utilized to improve brand awareness and allow customers to easily find you through relative searches. If your main focus as a brand is offering exemplary customer service, building relationships and creating engaging dialogue directly with your customers, then Twitter is the platform for you.

Pros

• One of the best platforms for building customer relationships
• Hashtags make it easier to be discovered
• Not a lot of resources required

Cons

• Low character limit when posting
• Can be confusing to new users
• User growth is stalling

Snapchat

Key stats:

• 300 million unique monthly users
• 70% female, 30% male
• Primarily ages 18-24

Snapchat is another one of the fastest growing social networks, and is also one of the most personable. With the ability to create real-time marketing efforts that cater specifically to your audience, Snapchat can give your followers a behind the scenes look into your brand. Geofilters can also be used to spruce up live events, getting fans and followers more engaged through the sharing of snaps with your custom branded filters. If events, constant sharable moments and regular follower engagement are a big part of your brand, then Snapchat is a great platform to get started on.

Pros

• Extremely fast growing
• Huge platform for millennials
• Great for creating personable posts

Cons

• Brand becomes more transparent
• Tracking success is more difficult than on other platforms
• No ability to like, comment, etc.

Hopefully this article helps you get off on the right foot when it comes to selecting the best social media platform for your startup. Regardless of whatever platform(s) you choose, just remember that nobody likes to be constantly delivered a sales pitch. Keep the majority of your posts personable and natural in order to promote engagement and attract new followers. This is social media, so let’s keep it fun!

The post Finding the Best Social Media Platform for Your Startup appeared first on Social Media Marketing for Creatives.