10 social media post ideas that any industry can use
As a social media manager, I can attest to the fact that some days, those creative content juices just don’t flow like they do on other days.
I have created content for, and managed, the social media channels of many businesses in my time as a freelance copywriter, and continue to. And whether I’m building out ideas for next month’s posts for a language school, tech retailer, travel business or other industry I work alongside, I rely on a number of tried and tested social media content pillars. These are categories that a client’s post styles will fall into, and for a monthly retainer client, I have anywhere from 5-10 that I create and post on rotation.
Luckily for you, I’ve provided you 10 social media post ideas in the following guide, because I like to spread the love - and what works.
But wait!
Before we dive into the full list of social media post ideas (some with examples for you to use), you may be asking yourself what platforms I use to make social media graphics and to organise my client’s (and my own) social media content.
I always plan and create posts a month ahead, and in a future blog I’ll lay out my entire social media management process from start to finish for you.
But in short…
To organise my completed graphics and write captions, and then to share them for approval with my clients, I use Trello. I love this task management app, and have used it for years to streamline my entire business.
For creating social media graphics, you cannot go past Canva. It is easy to use even for the most inexperienced designer, and has thousands of social media templates you can change up and use for your own business.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at 10 simple social media post ideas that can be used across any industry.
1) Showcase customer reviews
Any opportunity is a good opportunity to sing the praises of your own business, and sharing reviews and testimonials is a powerful way to grab the attention of prospective customers. Keep your review social media post graphics relatively short and easy to read., and choose the most impactful ones.
Of course, in order to start building a collection of five-star reviews, you need to ask your customers if they would be happy to write you one! I’ve found that most happy clients are more than happy to oblige if you provide them with the very best service.
2) Celebrate industry-specific days
Whenever it’s a slow month, content-wise, I always revert to my favourite social media post idea of all - world days! Every single day across the world there is all manner of weird and wonderful holidays being celebrated, and one of my favourite resources to find them is the website Days Of The Year. Of course, there are more well-known national holidays you can post on, like Christmas and New Years Eve, but there’s thousands of lesser known ones too.
If you run a school, January 24th is the International Day of Education. If you sell wine for a living, May 23rd is Chardonnay Day. There’s even a National Hug A Plumber Day and a World Good Hair Day! I just pulled those ones at random off Days of the Year, but I love world day posts as they provide a fun avenue for promoting your own business.
3) Provide your audience with valuable information
Social media shouldn’t be a place for endless, mindless scrolling with no end game. Providing your followers with a new fact that they didn’t know is a great way to build engagement. If you’re in a trade, post a handy DIY home maintenance fact that will provide value to a wide audience, or if you’re in the beauty industry, health and beauty tips, hacks or facts are always popular.
Showing your followers that you know your industry, and providing them information for free on your social media platforms builds trust in all the right ways.
4) Promote your products and services
Every social media caption should end with a call to action, but you should also be regularly uploading attention-grabbing social media posts that highlight your products and / or services. A clean template neatly listing your offerings and contact details in dot point format goes a long way.
5) Make it a little personal
While your business social media channels should primarily focus on your offerings and providing value by offering insights into your industry, you also need to show potential customers that you are, indeed, human. After all, you’re not a bot and whatever you do, you’re providing a personal service and will likely meet new clients, or at least speak to them on the phone.
Prospective customers are looking for that thing that hooks them and makes them want to learn more about you. Got a cute pet? Show them off! Holidaying in a beautiful setting? Share away! You never know what could turn a prospective client into a regular one!
6) Utilise inspirational quotes
If you’re at a loss of what to post on your social media, the humble quote post can always be relied upon to fill that gap in your grid. This is particularly handy for if you work in a creative field.
Run a fashion brand? Coco Chanel’s quotes about fashion are understated yet memorable. Starting a boutique travel company? Google “inspiring travel quotes” and you’ll be met with thousands to choose from. Post quotes that tie into your brand and your vision, and you’ll boost engagement in one of the simplest ways.
7) Answer common FAQs
Are you a business that regularly gets emails or DM’s asking if you offer a particular product or service, when it’s right there on your website that you do? Me too. That’s why every good website needs an FAQ page. Collecting and regularly posting your own frequently asked questions is a great way to answer burning questions your audience might have.
I’ve had clients stumble upon my FAQ posts by chance, right when they were considering hiring a copywriter or social media manager. And there was my post, answering the very question they had in mind. And sometimes, this has lead to a blossoming business relationship!
8) Spruik your business blog
I blog a lot. For my clients, primarily, but also on this very blog you’re reading right now. I’ve already listed on a previous blog post some easy ways to increase blog traffic, but if you’re wondering how to direct social media followers to your blog and hopefully retain a new client, this one is easy. For myself and my clients, I regularly post feed posts as well as Stories and Reels that direct them to new blogs that have just been published - or older ones that need a boost! The best thing about using Stories on Instagram and Facebook to promote your blogs is that you can include links right there in the post, and they can click right through.
Blogs are powerful customer retainers, I love writing them, and I never stop promoting the importance of them. Many of my blogs are on the first page - if not the top - of Google using my aforementioned blogging optimisation tips. Many of my client’s blogs are too. Take pride in your budding blog collection, use a Canva blog post template and show off your words (or mine - you can hire me as your blogger!) to the world.
9) Embrace that Friday feeling
Like I already mentioned, social media be both imformative yet fun, and cheeky posts keep your online presence current while tickling the fancy of current and prospective customers.
Repost a relevant meme you like (or make one yourself in Canva), a joke that ties into your industry or anything that you think is appropriate for your own audience. These posts are particularly useful on Fridays or weekends, when scrollers are in a more relaxed mood.
10) Introduce your team
Last but certainly not least, it’s so important to put a face to your brand. People wants to know who you are, and who your team is. After all, they will be trusting you to provide a valuable product or service. There’s nothing worse than an impersonal social media feed with no signs of human life.
Each month, why not introduce your audience to a new member of your team? Include an industry-relevant photo of them (think a hairdresser giving a client a trim, a plumber toiling away, a digital marketer smiling while working at their laptop) and write a little bio about why they love their job, their experience and what they like doing outside of work. Make it personal (but not too personal!), and start building that rapport.
Enjoy my writing style and wondering if you can hire me as your business blogger? Absolutely! I write for a broad range of industries, and with businesses both in Australia and abroad.
Reach out today to discuss your blog requirements, and start building the most effective online presence tomorrow.
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