How to Create Engaging Social Media Content: 10 Examples & Ideas for 2024
In today‘s digital landscape, having a strong presence on social media is essential for any brand looking to connect with their target audience. But with so much noise and competition on social platforms, it can be challenging to create content that truly stands out and resonates with your followers.
The key is to focus on crafting social media content that is valuable, relevant, and engaging for your specific audience. This means going beyond just promoting your products or services, and instead thinking about what types of content will genuinely interest and entertain your followers.
To help spark some ideas, we‘ve rounded up 10 different types of social media content along with real-world examples to inspire your own strategy in 2024 and beyond. Let‘s dive in!
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Inspirational quotes and messages
People love to share inspiring and uplifting content on social media. Consider creating graphics with motivational quotes or messages that align with your brand values. GoPro often posts stunning user-generated visuals paired with inspiring quotes about adventure and living life to the fullest which resonates well with their adventurous audience. -
Behind-the-scenes & employee spotlights
Give your followers a genuine look at the people and processes behind your brand. Share candid photos and videos from your office, events, or production process. Introduce your team members and showcase your company culture. Warby Parker does a great job highlighting their employees in fun ways, like having them share their favorite frames, to humanize the brand. -
User-generated content & customer spotlights
Your customers can be your best content creators. Encourage them to tag you in their posts and photos with your product, then re-share that content on your own channels (with credit and permission of course). Featuring real customer photos and stories is an authentic way to showcase your products and build social proof. Airbnb regularly shares stunning photos from real travelers staying in Airbnb properties around the world. -
Contests and giveaways
Running a social media contest is a tried and true way to boost engagement and attract new followers. Give away a prize package of your products or partner with complementary brands. Make entry simple, like "like this post and tag a friend to enter." Sephora has run several successful giveaways, including a recent one giving 100 winners $75 to spend on skincare for tagging a friend in the comments. -
Trending topics & newsjacking
Pay attention to what topics and hashtags are trending, especially ones relevant to your industry, and find creative ways to join the conversation. During the height of the pandemic, many brands took part in the #ChallengeAccepted campaign on Instagram to promote women supporting women, tying it back to their own story or offerings. Jumping on relevant trends (in a tasteful way) shows you‘re plugged in to what‘s going on. -
Polls, questions & conversation starters
An easy way to encourage engagement is simply to ask questions! Post an interesting prompt or poll to get people sharing their opinions and experiences in the comments. SoulCycle often uses the question sticker in Instagram Stories to ask their followers fun questions like their favorite music to sweat to or what they love about the SoulCycle community. -
Memes, GIFs & pop culture references
Don‘t be afraid to show your brand‘s personality and sense of humor with memes, GIFs, and references to popular TV shows, movies and celebrities. These types of posts tend to get a lot of likes, comments and shares. Verizon recently posted a meme referencing the Will Smith slap incident at the 2022 Oscars with the caption "When Verizon competes with the carriers‘ best deals" showing they aren‘t above making a timely joke. -
Interactive content like quizzes & games
Quizzes, trivia, and other interactive content hooks people and gets them clicking. Create a "Which Character Are You?" quiz related to your brand/industry, a "This or That?" poll, a memory match game, or a fun fill-in-the-blank template. Taco Bell ran a "Spot the Imposter" picture game in Instagram Stories to highlight their new breakfast items and engage people‘s problem-solving side. -
Videos – entertainment, education, promotion
Video is king when it comes to social media content. Informative how-tos, entertaining sketches, or heartwarming stories, video offers a compelling way to communicate your brand message. Oreo partners with influencers to create fun recipe videos showing unique ways to incorporate their cookies into desserts which are perfect for sharing and "food porn" appeal. -
Influencer partnerships & takeovers
Find relevant influencers in your industry and collaborate with them to create content for your channels to reach a new audience. You can have them "take over" your Instagram Stories for a day, host an Instagram Live Q&A, or create sponsored posts on their own feeds. Clothing brand Express had actress Lana Condor take over their Instagram for the day to show how she styles pieces from their latest collection.
The key takeaway is to use a mix of different types of content to keep your social media fresh and engaging. Don‘t just post endless product shots – share content that entertains, educates, inspires or makes them laugh. Put yourself in your audience‘s shoes and ask what would make them excited to follow and interact with a brand on social media.
Most importantly, be authentic to your unique brand voice and values. Consistency and creativity are both key. Having trouble coming up with enough content ideas to keep your feed active? Use the list above as a brainstorm starting point and see what you can come up with that‘s a fit for your brand and audience.
We hope this roundup of social media content examples has sparked some inspiration for your own 2024 content plan. Focus on providing value and building real connections with your followers. And remember, social media is all about being social! Encourage two-way interactions as much as possible.
What type of social media content have you found most effective for your brand? Let us know in the comments below! And as always, feel free to reach out if you need any support in developing your social strategy.
