There are many social media platforms available. No matter which you choose to use, the heart of your social media campaign is the content you publish. Engaging content is what draws people to your business on social media websites. Frequent updates bring people back.

Here are 40 content ideas to keep your social media posts fresh.

I’ve included a mix of professional and personal ideas, to help you develop a useful, yet personal, voice for your audience.

Posts about your business

  1. Coupons for your products and services. For example, cultivate exclusivity by offering specials for your social media followers.
  2. Contests or special promotions.
  3. Case studies. Ask customers to describe how your product or service helped them accomplish their goals.
  4. Testimonials from happy customers about their experiences with your business.
  5. Photos of your recent work. Impress people with before and after photos showcasing your work.
  6. Product updates. Write about updates to your restaurant menu, new products in your catalog, etc.
  7. Business updates. Tell people about changes, like extended summer hours of operation.
  8. Announcements of upcoming events, online and offline. For example, let people know if your company will be at an expo.
  9. Employee profiles.
  10. Awards and accolades your company receives.

Posts for your customers

  1. Tip of the day. Help customers get more from your products or extend the life of your products. Share one of your restaurant’s recipes, a “how-to” article, or a tip that might save your audience money.
  2. Inspirational photos, to give your audience ideas and see creative examples of your products and services.
  3. Customer profiles.
  4. Monthly reminders about topics relevant to your audience. Think about what your audience needs. If you’re a dog groomer, send a reminder to apply flea and tick preventative.
  5. Links to coupons for related products and services offered by other companies.
  6. Product recall notices.
  7. Reminders about events, training sessions, etc.
  8. Links to legal resources relevant to your audience.
  9. Tips for using popular software your customers may use. You could even write a tip about the social media platform you’re posting on.
  10. Seasonal tips. These tips could help all people, not just your customers. For example, let them know that you changed your smoke detector batteries, and that they should do that once a year.

Posts about your industry and running a business

  1. Links to blogs and websites relevant to your industry.
  2. Link to news stories relevant to your industry. As a bonus provide analysis of how a news story or industry change impacts your customer. “This new law means you need to do these three things differently.”
  3. Book/reading resource suggestions.
  4. Tips for running a business. Tell people how you do it. Include best practices, lessons learned, and challenges overcome by your business.
  5. Technology tips. Tell your audience about tools you use, like office productivity applications, your phone system, etc. Solicit your audience for their suggestions and comments.
  6. Tips for managing staff.
  7. Recommendations for other businesses you work with. If you work with excellent vendors, help your audience find them, too.
  8. Writing/grammar/vocabulary tips. Write a post with definitions for commonly used terms or tips on writing for your industry.
  9. Your questions. Solicit your audience for advice, suggestions and recommendations.
  10. Safety tips and reminders. Industry specific tips could range from information on CPR/First Aid certification to internet privacy and password safety.

Posts with personality

  1. Personal news. Write about important life events, like the birth of a child or grandchildren.
  2. List of local happenings and events. Remind people about things happening in your community, like concerts, festivals, and charity events.
  3. Television/movie/music recommendations, especially if there’s an industry connection.
  4. Your opinions. You want to have a voice, but be careful not to alienate people. Steer clear of politics and religion.
  5. Holiday reminders (Mothers Day, Fathers Day, etc.) If it’s not an official holiday, you could write a  “This Day in History” post, especially if it’s relevant to your industry.
  6. Lists of volunteer opportunities in your community (especially if your company will be there, too). Write about the charitable work you do or causes you support.
  7. Your favorite new recipe or drink. Show them a photo! Tell people how to make it!
  8. Your favorite restaurants or places to visit around town. Write about places you’d like to visit, food you’d like to try, cars you’d like to drive, etc.
  9. Humor. Something that happened, that someone said, etc.
  10. Gift ideas. Make suggestions relevant to your audience. If you work in the health or biotech industry, you found these great new stuffed animals shaped like microbes on this website.

I hope this list gives you a lot of ideas for social media topics. Creating a publishing schedule, whether that’s once a day, once a week, or once a month, can keep your content fresh and engaging. On behalf of the entire Get Your Business Online team, I wish you great success growing your business.

About the Author(s)

Whitney Lemon

Whitney is a marketing manager on Google’s Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map team. She hosts Friday 15: Small Business Tips, Google’s series to help small businesses succeed online. Friday 15 is part of Google’s Get Your Business Online program, providing small businesses with a custom domain name and web hosting–at no charge for one year. | More...

Friday 15 Host, Google Small Business Engagement
40 Ideas for Social Media Content