You read it in the headline, but we’ll reiterate it here: Yes, you should be running your social media pages like a magazine. (With some caveats, of course.)
“But wait,” you say, “Social media killed print media! Surely there is nothing to learn from that long-lost world of glossy pages and diet advice? When was the last time I even picked up a Reader’s Digest instead of my phone?”
“Yes,” we say as we solemnly nod in response, “All this is true. But we can still learn something from the ancient art of magazine journalism.”
What we mean when we say “treat your social like a magazine” is that you need to be entertaining, educating, and inspiring your readers — er, followers — instead of just selling to them.
Now here come the caveats.
This strategy is especially true for businesses that are B2B or that sell services or products that aren’t typically popular on social media or don’t translate well to a visual medium. Because yes, there are businesses that post pictures of their scrumptious food or beautifully displayed products and who always receive the equivalent of a social standing ovation from their captive audience.
It’s not that these businesses don’t have to try on social media, but their product is a more tantalizing offering for the algorithm gods, and their strategy should be, in turn, slightly different — more akin to a vision board. (Although, we’ll save that for another blog.)
For those businesses that would benefit more from treating their social like a magazine, here’s why. You’ll have a way harder time attracting new followers and converting them into new clients or customers if you don’t.
Sure, you’ll still have those followers who already know and love you in real life, so they figured they’d “like” you on social media, too. And your employees will always be there to give you an obligatory thumbs up. But to attract a total stranger, you have to give them a reason to follow. And they’ll be more likely to do so if they see a feed already filled with things that interest them.
Plus, the algorithm will be more likely to suggest your content if it senses that it’s naturally engaging and not just a thinly disguised advertisement.
How To Start [Your Brand Name Here] Magazine
When transforming your social, the first step is to pin down who your dream follower/future client is and what they’re interested in. Then, you can figure out what kind of educational, entertaining, and inspirational content they’d like to see.
Quick tip: Content that is tangentially related to your line of work is fair game, too. Your dream customer has more than one interest. Just be careful not to post too much content that strays from your specialty, or your followers may forget what you do!
Here’s a breakdown on the different kinds of “magazine-like” content you should be posting:
Educational content includes infographics, text-based explainers, and how-to videos.
What this could look like:
A behavioral healthcare provider posts a video featuring a healthcare professional explaining strategies for navigating unhealthy family dynamics. The next month, they turn the same information into a carousel infographic.
Entertaining content includes relatable memes and videos either made by you or sourced (with credit and permission!) from other pages, as well as activities or polls that are engagement generators.
What this could look like:
A B2B company posts a relatable meme about a frustration that their customer commonly faces at work (and that they can fix).
A healthcare company posts a social media prompt asking their followers to comment their health goals using emojis.
Inspirational content includes encouraging words of advice/quotes and highlights the stories of your clients or other content creators in your field.
What this could look like:
An online university posts an encouraging message to its students about preparing for finals
A substance abuse treatment center posts a video of a peer counselor telling their story of overcoming addiction
‘This Is All Great, But I Still Need To Make A Living‘
Of course you do! Selling is an essential part of every solid social strategy, even one that follows our magazine method.
Here’s what we mean: Close your eyes and picture what the pages of a periodical look like. Feel the weight of the paper in your hands. Yes, there’s the content that got you to subscribe in the first place. But what’s that in the margins? Yes, that’s right — ads!
You can and should sell your product or service on social media. You just need to do so cleverly and strategically.
Ideally, your social content should follow the 80/20 rule: 80% entertaining, educational, or inspirational, and 20% promotional.
Even when you are selling your product or service, there are ways to make it less obvious and more entertaining — like sneaking broccoli into a cheesy casserole.
Often, you can pair your educational, entertaining, and inspirational content with a Call To Action at the end of your caption, in the final slide of your graphic, or in the final few seconds of your video. Or, you could pair your sales pitch with a visually engaging or clever graphic.
One more thing: posting consistently can be just as important as posting meaningful content. If possible, you need to become a persistent presence on your followers’ social media feeds.
The more they see — and anticipate — your content, the more likely they are to think of you when the time comes to try your product or service.
Turn Your Social Into A Magazine
We currently have spots open for businesses that are ready to invest in their social media and find the audience that they deserve (and that needs them).
We would love to partner with you and transform your social into something that turns your followers into devotees. Click here to contact us.
