10 Sources of Inspiration for Your Social Media Posts

According to CoSchedule, "88% of Businesses Are Using Social Media." While this figure may not surprise you, it does reinforce the fact that businesses need to be consistently posting quality content on social media if they want to beat the competition.

But what do you do when you've shared your own content umpteen times and your creative juices have stopped flowing? ​

Here are 10 sources of inspiration for your social media posts to help you get back on track when you just can't think of what to post about on social media next.

1. Weird and Wonderful Dates

Instead of just posting about the same old dates in the calendar as everyone else (eg Easter, Christmas and New Year), why not post about some of the weird and wonderful dates in the calendar like #NationalDonutDay, which in 2018 takes place on 1 June?

​For a list of the more unusual dates, check out Time and Date's Fun, Wacky & Trivial Holidays and Hootsuite's A List of Weird ‘Holidays’ to Celebrate on Social Media.​

2. Spectacular Statistics

Use statistics to back up and give credibility to your argument. Simply type "statistics" and whatever you are interested in, into the browser and you'll have plenty to choose from.

For example, I typed "statistics social media 2018" into my browser and one of the results on page one was a report by CoSchedule. Here's the statistic I picked up:

"Customers Spend 20-40% More On Companies Who Engage With Them On Social Media."

Remember to always give credit to the source.

3. What's On?

Be the first to let your followers know about events that might be of interest to them. You could create a Google Alert so you're notified as soon as an event is announced or sign up to the mailing lists of the main organisers of events in your industry.

Not only will the organisers be happy that you're promoting their event (and perhaps give you a shout out too), but your audience will soon come to regard you as a valuable source of knowledge, which will encourage them to come back to your account.

4. Quality Quotes

Love 'em or hate 'em, quotes,  especially inspirational quotes, tend to do particularly well on social media and generate a lot of engagement.

There are lots of sites that you can visit to find that perfect quote, for example Brainy Quote, or just type "quotes about + your subject of interest" into the browser and you'll be spoilt for choice.

Again, remember to always give credit and if necessary seek permission first. ​​​

5. Testimonials

Testimonials from happy customers are brilliant social proof that you are someone who can be trusted.

Just as a lot of us read Amazon's reviews before we place an order or read what others have to say about a destination on TripAdvisor before we visit it, testimonials will reassure your audience that you will be true to your word and that you can be relied upon to deliver what you promise.

You can use a free tool like Canva to make your quotes and written testimonials stand out more.

6. Questions

Questions are a great way to encourage engagement from your audience.

There are a thousand and one things you can ask your audience which will all help to encourage engagement and strengthen your relationship with them:

• What would you like us to blog about?

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• What would you like us to post about on Twitter/ Facebook etc?

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• Are you going to X?

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• Did you see this?

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• Did you hear about this?

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• We're thinking of introducing a new service to xyz. What do you think?

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• Have you tried our xyz yet?

You could always check online to see what questions your competitors are asking.

7. Past Milestones

People love to see old photos and to find out how others succeeded.

Do you have any photos or videos from your company's history that you could post about?

For example, you might have one of your first office, the original team (point out who's still there) or when you won an award.

8. Congratulate Your Prospects and Customers

If one of your prospects or customers achieves something extra amazing, give them a big pat on the back on social media. 

For example, if someone wins an award or gives a talk at a leading conference, go ahead and congratulate them about it on social media.

While they may be too modest to shout it out from the rooftops on social media, I bet they'll be really pleased when you do.

9. Behind the Scene Photos and Knowledge

Let people in to your world. Show them about your business.

​Let them see what steps are involved in delivering their order or baking their favourite muffins.

10. Quizzes

People love to take part in online quizzes. There are lots of little quizzes you could run. For example, take a photo at a very odd angle of something related to your company and get people to guess what it is.

So if you were a business centre you might take a photo at a very odd angle of part of a filing cabinet, and then post it online to see who can guess what it is.

I hope you've found this blog post on sources of inspiration for your social media posts useful. Bear in mind if you're using them that different types of content tend to work better on different social media platforms. For example, what works well on Facebook, isn't necessarily going to work so well on LinkedIn and vice versa.

Please leave any comments below.

If you would like to talk to someone about your social media or any other aspect of your marketing, get in touch today. You can:
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• Email me directly at tara@ticketyboomarketing.co.uk

• Call me on 0131 629 5117

• Schedule a free 1-2-1 consultation here

I'm on standby to help you with your marketing. Get in touch now.