Leveraging social media effectively can be a game-changer for brands, entrepreneurs, and influencers. The secret to unlocking social media success, however, is to identify the types of content that generate the most engagements, virality, and, eventually, conversion.
Here, we look at the top-performing content types and what makes them stand out.
Table of Contents
Video content
Videos are unquestionably one of the most engaging content formats on social media networks. Video content has enormous influence, ranging from short-form TikToks and Instagram Reels to long-form YouTube videos. Here’s why.
1. High engagement rate: Videos grab viewers’ attention instantly and keep them engaged. The mix of graphics and music provides a more immersive experience.
2. Various formats: Live videos, how-to content, product reviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews all provide new opportunities to connect with your audience.
3. Platform algorithms: Video content is often prioritized on social media platforms, resulting in increased organic reach.
Pro Tip: To maximize impact, keep videos brief and make the first few seconds captivating to catch the viewer’s attention.
Related Article: Learn How to Identify your Target Audience on Social Media
User generated content (UGC)
User-generated information, such as customer reviews, testimonials, or images, helps to authenticate your brand.
Here is what makes user-generated content effective:
- Authenticity and trust: Providing real-life examples of others enjoying your product or service increases credibility.
- Community building: Encouraging followers to develop and share content promotes a sense of community.
- Economical: User-generated content (UGC) is essentially free advertising for your company.
Action step: Launch campaigns encouraging followers to share their experiences using a specific hashtag for simple tracking and reposting.
Infographics
Infographics are visual representations of information or data that help people understand complex ideas. They are highly shareable because:
- Easy-to-digest information: Infographics simplify complex ideas into visual representations.
- Excellent for education: This format is ideal for explaining or visualizing facts.
- SEO advantages: Infographics are linkable content items that can generate backlinks when posted on blogs and websites.
Design tip: Keep the design clean and data-focused, and use your brand’s color palette to ensure consistency.
Polls, quizzes, and interactive content
Interactive content such as polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions encourages user participation and is therefore very engaging. The reasons for their success are:
1. Increase engagement: People enjoy expressing their thoughts and testing their knowledge.
2. Data collection: Businesses can gather valuable insights into their audience’s preferences.
3. Virality potential: Unique quizzes and relevant polls are more likely to be shared.
Run a “What Type of Traveler Are You?” survey to interact with tourists and tailor information based on the most popular answers.
Stories and short-lived content
Ephemeral content, which disappears after 24 hours (e.g., Instagram Stories, Snapchat Snaps), conveys a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Key benefits are:
- Fear of missing out (FOMO): People are more likely to read your posts since they know they won’t be available for long.
- Behind-the-scenes access: This content is ideal for providing sneak peeks, live updates, and direct engagement with your audience.
- Frequent engagement: Stories help you keep in front of your followers’ minds without overwhelming them.
Engagement tip: To increase engagement, use features like polls, questions, and swipe ups.
Related Article: How to Create an Effective Social Media Marketing Plan
Memes and relatable content
Humor and relatability contribute significantly to social media success. Memes, GIFs, and relevant content typically become viral because:
1. Easy shareability: Users enjoy sharing memes that relate to them, which increases your reach.
2. Emotional connection: Humor establishes an emotional connection, making your brand memorable.
3. Trend leveraging: Participating in trendy meme formats increases the likelihood that your content will go viral.
Note: When developing humorous content, keep in consideration your audience’s preferences and cultural sensitivity.
Educational and how-to content
People commonly use social media to master new skills and get insights. Educational information, particularly “how-to” guides, does extremely well.
- Value addition: Providing useful information will keep your viewers coming back.
- Shareable knowledge: If your audience finds your content useful, they are more likely to share it.
- Evergreen appeal: How-to content is typically useful long after it is published.
Content ideas include step-by-step instructions, explanation videos, and carousel posts that simplify ideas.
Behind the scenes content
Showing what happens behind the scenes helps your brand seem more relatable and authentic.
It provides followers with an exclusive look at your processes, whether they are product development, team activities, or day-to-day operations.
- Transparency: People appreciate seeing a human side to your brand.
- Relationship building: This type of content promotes a stronger connection with your audience.
- Authenticity: Raw, unpolished content often performs better because it appears real.
Application: Use behind-the-scenes content to announce new product launches or introduce team members.
Personal stories and authentic content
Personal stories have a powerful emotional impact on listeners. Sharing experiences, problems, and successes strengthens human connections and encourages participation.
- Emotional impact: Stories that evoke emotion promote engagement.
- Relatability: Sharing your journey, lessons learned, or critical events might motivate others.
- Transparency and vulnerability: Showing the real you build a trustworthy image.
Engagement Tip: Encourage your audience to share their stories in the comments section to allow a two-way conversation.
Related Article: Understanding Social Media Algorithms
Final thoughts
Creating content that performs successfully on social media necessitates a planned approach and an awareness of your audience’s preferences.
The key to creating entertaining and valuable content is to strike a mix between videos, memes, infographics, and how-to guides. Experiment with different content formats and track performance metrics to improve your strategy.
