Running a business’ social media account is easy, right? Take some pictures, reshare relatable memes, post links to your products — simple!
Not quite.
I’m a freelance content creator for Creative Circle; I write blogs, manage our candidate newsletter, and own our Instagram and LinkedIn accounts. To me, creating content is equal parts exciting and complicated, especially when it comes to social media.
I get to share job search advice and tips, feature interviews with experts in the marketing and creative space, highlight exciting new job openings, spotlight our talented candidates, and I even get to sprinkle in the occasional Taylor Swift meme. It’s exciting and rewarding — especially when someone finds my content useful.
But sometimes my content doesn’t reach the audience I want to. That’s the complicated part. Maybe I jumped on a trend too late, or posted at the wrong time, or didn’t align my post caption strategically enough with the latest hashtags and keywords. And when a post receives little engagement, that can be deflating.
Social media content creation and management requires careful planning, strategic execution, and skill. Don’t just take it from me; take it from the 800+ voters and dozens of comments from social media creators on my recent LinkedIn Poll. As Kiara F. says, managing socials is like “playing chess, but with memes and hashtags.”
If you’re like me, you’re constantly looking for ways to level-up your social media chess game — to get new followers, to increase engagement, to deliver the content your audience truly cares about. And you know what my favorite source of inspiration is? Other creators.
I’ve partnered with two Creative Circle freelancers to compile a list of five tips to produce quality, engaging social media content.
Jordin Smith has four years of experience managing and creating social media content. She finds it thrilling to curate content that excites her audience and piques their curiosity. She’s currently working with clients in the fashion and beauty space.
Brian Benton has five years of experience as a social media art director. He enjoys how the spontaneity and limitations of tight deadlines and less-than-desirable shooting locations push him to think creatively. His clients are in the technology, entertainment, and ecommerce space.
Here are 5 tips to consider:
Don’t constantly scramble to hop on the latest audio trend. It might not be as impactful as you think.
Trending audio has taken social media by storm. It’s fun, catchy, and very in-the-moment, but it truthfully only impacts engagement for a small percent of the population. It has its time and place, but it doesn’t well-suit the content you want to remain evergreen.
“Sometimes content production timelines can run longer than expected, and the trendy music can really date that edit,” says Brian. “You don’t want your video to feel outdated when someone comes across it on their TikTok Discover or Instagram Explore page for the first time.”
Listen. Listen. Listen.
Yes, we do get paid to scroll. And for good reason. Scrolling, listening, and exploring is where ideas are born as you identify emerging trends, understand your audience’s behavior and preferences, monitor your competitors’ activity, and more.
Jordin says, “Listening is my number one tip. I scroll social media searching for anything that excites me. I listen to what people are saying, what they’re listening to, and what they want more of.” She suggests listening to what your audience sounds like and tailoring your content to that.
Brian warns creators about replicating what their competitors are doing. “Consider finding inspiration one or two degrees away from your direct competitors. For example, if you are creating content for a high-end pet brand, see what high-end fashion is doing.”
Since scrolling for research can quickly turn to “doom scrolling”, consider setting a timer for 30–40 minutes each day and limit yourself to that time. As you scroll, save the content that inspires you or note it down somewhere.
Stand out with a strong brand voice.
In a crowded market, your unique voice can set you apart from your competitors. What personality traits do you want your brand to embody? Is it friendly, authoritative, humorous, or professional? You can shift your voice slightly from channel to channel, too. Remember — your voice doesn’t just shine through in your content and post captions, but also in the way you engage with your followers in the comments.
Jordin says “The demographics from platform to platform are different, so I tweak my voice accordingly. LinkedIn gets the professional voice, TikTok gets the younger, cooler voice, while Instagram gets the voice of the big sister.”
Brian suggests some ways to get creative with your tone. “To stand out, try giving a more casual piece of content a professional feel or vice versa. Consider shooting something that is funnier or more trend-driven with great lighting and a high-end camera. Or use viral TikTok style editing for a more serious piece of content. This can help keep personality in posts while remaining on brand,” Brian says.
Have fun.
Splashing some fun into your content can help humanize your brand and make your page a place where your followers want to hang out. Try being real about your industry and adding tasteful humor; for example, leaning into jokes about the future of AI, or the frustrations graphic designers can experience working with clients.
LinkedIn polls usually reach 3–5x more people than posts without a poll! Try asking your audience a lighthearted question or get their opinion on a topic that means something to your brand. Drop an open-ended question in the post body and encourage your followers to engage. This can be a fun way to create conversation with your audience in a more personal way.
Post when your followers are online.
This is unique to each business and channel — check your channel insights to know when the majority of your followers are online. Identify peak times of engagement and post then. Experiment with posting at different times and days of the week, then track the performance of those posts.
At Creative Circle, our followers (mostly jobseekers) spend some time online in the evenings, so we’ve tested posting during those hours and have seen some success. When in doubt, you can always fall back on these broad guidelines as a starting point, to give your content the best possible chance of success.
If you’re craving more tips, consider following these three accounts on Instagram. They’re constantly serving digital content tips to my feed:
If you’re currently working in social media content creation and enjoying your work, stick to it — you have one of the most desirable jobs in the world right now! And, according to market.us, the digital content creation market is projected to climb to 90.4 billion by 2033 (from 27.1 billion in 2023).
If you’re looking for work in this industry, sign up for our job alerts and search our open roles. If you’re in need of a social media content creation or consultation for your business, connect with us — we have an impressive pool of talent ready to work for you!
About the Author.
Kayleigh is a Creative Circle freelancer — when she’s not chasing around her two young boys or laughing at Corporate Natalie videos, she spends her time creating content for us! She specializes in sharing advice for our talent community, so if you’re a creative with an appetite for blogs on market trends, job search guidance, and freelance life, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn to ensure you never miss the latest.
