How Blog Posts Help Your Social Media Work Harder
If you manage social media for your business, you have probably had days when you sit down to create a post and have absolutely no idea what to say. You open Facebook or Instagram, stare at the screen, and think, “Didn’t I just post something?”
Coming up with fresh ideas week after week can be overwhelming and exhausting. The good news is you may already have more content than you realize you have.
If you’re writing blog posts for your business, they can become one of your best resources for your social media platforms. Instead of thinking about your blog posts and other social media platforms as two separate tasks, you can use them to help each other. Your blog gives you somewhere you can post important things you want to talk about, whereas your social media platforms can help get that important information in front of more people.
Your Blog Gives You Something to Talk About
One of the hardest parts of social media is figuring out what to post. Your blog can take some of that pressure away. Think about how much information you put into a single blog post. You may have tips, examples, common mistakes, answers to frequently asked questions, personal experiences, or helpful advice all in one place. Each of those ideas has the potential to become their own social media posts.
Instead of sitting down to a blank screen and trying to come up with something new, start by looking at something you have already written. I think you will find you have more available content waiting for you than you know.
One Blog Doesn’t Equal One Social Media Post
It’s easy to post a new blog, share it on social media, and then move on to the next thing. That doesn’t have to be the end of it. One blog can give you several different opportunities to connect with your audience.
Say you have written a blog called “What To Post To Social Media When You Have No Ideas.” You could create one post announcing the blog and encouraging people to read it. A few days later you may share one of the tips from that blog. Another tip or idea from the blog could become a reel. You could even create a post around a key takeaway from the blog or even ask your audience a question related to the topic. Before you know it, that one blog post has helped fill several spots in your social media calendar.
Your Content Doesn’t Always Have to Sell Something
When you aren’t sure what to post, it’s easy to fall back on promoting your business. There is nothing wrong with telling people about your business or what you sell; after all, that’s why you’re on social media. However, not every post needs to ask someone to buy something.
Your blog can give you a place to share helpful and educational information between those promotional posts. Answer common questions, share a quick tip, or share a way to solve a common problem. This gives people a reason to follow you even if they are not ready to buy something from you quite yet.
Social Media Can Give Your Blog a Longer Life
The relationship between your blog and social media can go both ways. Your blog gives you ideas for social media, while your social platforms can help your older blogs continue to reach new people long after they have been posted. Just because you shared a blog when it was first published doesn’t mean you can’t share it again. You may have new followers who were not around the first time. Someone who started following you six months ago may have missed the original post the first time. Even people who saw it before can benefit from a reminder.
Older blogs can also become relevant because of a season, conversation, client questions, or current topic. Before assuming you need something new, take a look in your archives; there may be a blog that you can bring back out and repurpose.
Your Blog Gives People Somewhere to Go
Social media is great for introducing an idea, but there is only so much you can fit into a caption, reel, or graphic. That’s where your blog comes in. A social media post can capture someone’s attention and introduce the subject. Then if they want to learn more, you can direct them to the blog post. Instead of trying to explain everything in one caption, you can offer a helpful takeaway and invite them to visit your blog post for more information.
Think of it this way: Social media starts the conversation; your blog gives you room to continue it.
Let Social Media Inspire Your Blog Post, Too
Your blog post can help you figure out what to post on social media, but your social media can also help you decide on what to write about next.
Pay attention to the conversations happening with your followers. Are they repeatedly asking the same questions? Did one particular post receive more comments or shares? Is there a subject that seems to get more people talking? Those responses are clues to what topics your audience wants to hear more about. A simple social media post might become a full-blown blog post, and then in turn that post could provide more content for your social media platforms. It’s a cycle that can help make planning easier.
One Blog Post Can Go a Long Way
Imagine you have posted a blog called “What To Post To Social Media When You Have No Ideas.”
That one blog can become a:
- Facebook or Instagram sharing one helpful tip.
- Reel featuring three quick takeaways.
- Pool: Ask your audience about their own experience.
- Pintrest pin directing them to your blog post.
- Email highlighting one idea linking back to your website or blog post.
- Future social media post highlighting something you didn’t cover the first time.
Even with all those ideas, you still haven’t used everything you could from that one blog post. You don’t always need something new; sometimes you simply need to look at the content you already have in a different way.
Make Your Content Work Together
Your blog and social media shouldn’t feel like two separate jobs. When they are working together, your blog can make planning your social media easier, while your social media platforms can help your blogs reach more people and stay useful longer.
The next time you sit down and wonder what you’re going to post, don’t immediately start from scratch. Take a few minutes to look back through your older blog posts. Pull out useful tips. Find a question you haven’t answered yet. Turn a section into a reel, or share an older blog that deserves another look. Your next social media posts may already be written. You just have to find them.
