If you are reading this page, it probably means you have thought about opening a couple of social media accounts to start engaging with your scientific community and maybe even promote your products. You have also probably already tried gallantly, only to feel quickly overwhelmed, right after realising the commitment and various skills that social media content creation requires in this day and age. Worry not, we’re here to help!
Social Media Marketing Webinar
Before getting started, if you prefer to watch rather than read then below you will find the live Social Media marketing webinar. Listen to specialist speakers share ideas to support your social media marketing efforts.
Watch the full chapterised version below.
Social Media Content Planning - First things first.
Ideally, you should have at least 1 month of content planned in advance before starting to post. Of course, you can be the live in the moment type, and post whatever you feel like posting on the day. However, no big brand or content creator has grown their accounts without a little bit of planning ahead.
A simple calendar planner will greatly help you know what is being posted and when at a glance. That way you can easily avoid content fatigue by spreading out different content types such as images, videos, GIFs, image carousels… etc.
It’s important to consider posting times. When is your target audience active on social media? Are your customers spread over different time zones? When are you available to manage the accounts and reply to comments?
World Days and other international events are a great way to not only increase the reach of your posts, but to engage with your ideal customer profile (ICP) and demonstrate thought leadership around the topics relevant to you and your business.
Using world calendar days is a great way for you to plan new content and resurface old, yet still relevant content.
We surveyed over 120 Marketing professionals in the Science, Healthcare and Engineering industry and we found that 74% of them have set content creation as a priority for 2021.
Download the market report: The State of Scientific Marketing Survey 2021
So, how can you create engaging content? What can you talk about?
Repurposing Content for Social Media
Chances are you already have great pieces of “BIG ROCK ” content where you have spent valuable time, energy and resources creating quality, unique content which stands the test of time .
Why not repurpose that content into bite-sized snippets that are highly shareable and optimized for social?
It can be a Webinar, a podcast, video, or even an ebook. Oftenmost, you can create smaller pieces that will grab people’s attention and act as a teaser to promote the content and drive more people to read, watch or download.
You can make graphics out of white papers or ebooks highlighting some interesting facts from them.
As a podcast video example, for Wine Day, we took a podcast we created with Bruker and Gordon Burns talking about wine authenticity and produced a few snippets to promote it.
It’s optimized for social media, eye-catching and piques people’s interest. If you use relevant hashtags (including the World Day ones!) and mention everyone involved, this becomes a fast and accessible way to create content for your social media accounts!
Here is another example of repurposing a video interview. We took this great interview of Mike Greig, from Bruker Daltonics, and formatted it into short, optimized snippets perfect to share on social media and promote the full video.
The Classics
There is nothing wrong with posting a simple picture or video talking about your products or services. However, social media can be more than a shop window. It is also a way to position yourself as a thought leader, showcase your knowledge and make meaningful connections.
Provide added value with each post. Talk about the applications of your product, how to use it, aftercare… etc. There is a world of possibilities and topics that can be used for social media.
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and jump in front of the camera to explain a topic - we all love to see the faces behind the brands!
These videos not only perform very well, they also build trust and a connection between your following and your brand.
Thinking outside the box - New types of content
Social media is the fastest growing and changing Marketing channel . Due to its nature, there is a constant flow of new options and possibilities to distribute your content.
Video reels (think TikTok format) are being pushed in most platforms at the moment. It is a great way to show a more human side of your business or explain complex topics in a quick and entertaining way. It needs minimal editing and you can have some fun with it!
In this example, our very own Danny Layzell made and shared a video to promote a bigger piece of content, our Blogging for Science Webinar .
2D Animation is another accessible option for your social media content. Animated videos and looping GIFs are perfect to spice up your posts and bring more eyes to them.
Adding your GIFs to platforms like Giphy or Tenor ensure shareability throughout all social media apps. Don’t underestimate the reach and usage of these GIFs.
We opened and verified a Giphy account for our AZoCleantech Instagram account we just started working on and it’s picked up over 350k views and shares in two months on Instagram reels and Facebook stories. GIFs work wonders for brand awareness!
These are the basics of content creation for social media, but this is 70% of the work. The rest comes from managing your accounts, replying to comments and thanking those who tag you on other publications. Hashtag research is important, as well as keeping your post varied and alternating between tags (or certain algorithms might flag your content as spam and stop showing it to users).
It is best practice to set aside 10-20 minutes a day to have a look at your social handles, engage with the right accounts and reply to your interactions.
With some planning, well thought out content and setting some time aside you can start creating and nurturing your social media community - there’s one for every topic!
You can get in touch with the team to arrange a free consultation about your organisation's social media strategy and discover how to make your webinars, videos and podcasts into great social media content.
VIDEO
