Content is at the heart of every social strategy. It’s how brands make their first and lasting impressions on social. It’s the essential ingredient for how brands communicate and connect with new and loyal customers.
In this article, we’ll walk through the most valuable types of social media content identified by marketers and how you can use social analytics to determine the best types of content for your business.
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Video
According to 54% of marketers, video is the most valuable content format for achieving social goals.
Despite the growing demand for video among consumers and the value of video in achieving social goals, marketers’ content strategies continue to favor photos and posts containing links. Findings from the Index reveal that overall only 14% of Facebook posts, 11% of Instagram posts and 5% of Twitter posts include video content. When looking at the breakdown of published video content, brands within a few industries are outdoing those benchmarks.
Why video works on social:
Social video content is hot right now, and for good reason. No matter what your goals are for social, video can help you accomplish them.
An overwhelming majority of video marketers say video has helped increase sales, traffic to their website and users’ understanding of their product or service, according to Wyzowl’s 2021 State of Video Marketing Survey.
If your goals are more focused on community engagement, social video content can be a valuable resource to lean on. Instagram videos get 49% more engagement than photo posts. Tweets with video have 10x more engagement than those without. People are also twice as likely to share videos with their friends than any other type of content.
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Images
Images are a very close second in the rankings of the most valuable content format. They’re also the most frequently posted content type across social networks.
Unlike most videos, still images can be absorbed and appreciated in an instant. The colors, composure, text or (lack thereof) and other details give social users an immediate impression of your brand.
Why images work on social:
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather look at a picture than read a thousand words. The majority of social media users will feel that way too, as they crave convenience, accessibility and brevity.
These days, mobile devices are equipped with high-definition cameras and editing tools, so anyone can embrace their inner photographer. That means social media marketers can take the reins on creating images for their content strategy without enlisting a ton of resources. It’s also opened the door for consumers to contribute high-quality user-generated content (UGC) for their favorite brands.
UGC images add another dimension to a brand’s visual identity, while also building community and relatability between a brand and social users.
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Stories
Stories aren’t necessarily going to supercharge brand awareness, but they are community engagement gold. Just over a quarter of marketers say stories are one of the most valuable types of social media content.
Why stories work on social:
In the US, 73% of people agree that Stories enable them to experience new things outside their everyday lives.
Across platforms, stories get top billing on social network interfaces. In addition to prominent placement, the interactive and timely nature of stories makes them highly engaging for consumers. For marketers, the variety of easy-to-manipulate stickers, interactive elements, filters and sounds gives total creative freedom and more room to express their brand personalities.
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