Have you heard of the 50/50 rule? It's where 50% of the content you post on social media is your own, while 50% of it is other people's content. Yes, a whopping one-half of what you post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. as part of your social media marketing ought to be other people's content! After all, being social means talking about someone other than yourself once in a while.
But, what kinds of content can you use to fill that 50%? To help, here are four things you can post to social media that aren't your own blog posts, web pages, or social media profiles:
Statistics
If you come across a really good industry statistic, or a new one is released, or if there's one that you use to convince potential customers that they need your service, then share those! It doesn't necessarily have to be a statistic that's jaw-dropping, or one that's released yesterday, it just has to be one that's of interest to your audience (and true). Below's an example of a statistic that we tweeted. Note our personal touch:
45% of marketers note social media has a below average cost-per-lead compared to other channels. That's always nice to hear!
Relevant Articles
You're not the only one saying great things, right? So, why not share some of the other great things that you find on blogs and industry publications? They don't have to be the blog posts of your competitors. It just needs to be something that your audience would think would be worth reading. Make sure that when you do this, that you don't just tweet the title and the link. That's boring. Add your own spin, or simply just say that this is a great article that you should read, or that the author did a good job (the author will at least like that and perhaps like your status or retweet your tweet). Here's an example of what we mean:
Need photos for your blog? Well, Getty Images won't give them to you for free:
Note: Articles that are about your company (like a press release), or that are guest posts on other blogs, don't count for this one. Although the content is appearing on a third-party site, it is still about you, and is still your own content. The point of posting other people's content is to give others some of the spotlight, especially since we all love it when other people highlight our content!
Someone Else's Post/Tweet/Update
Who says finding someone else's content has to take a lot of time and research? Why not simply find something neat that someone has already shared on social media, and share it again? All this one takes is a few minutes taking a look at the news feed, finding something interesting, clicking a couple of things, and presto! You've posted someone else's content! Depending on the platform, you don't even have to add anything else to the tweet or post. Just share it!
An Upcoming Event (Not Your Own)
Is there an upcoming trade show, webinar, or networking event that you or your company is attending and are really excited about? Then, talk about that! Share the link to the sign up page, or a link to an informational page, or the schedule of the event, and encourage others to attend with you. The more people that show up to this event, the more there will be to talk about once the event is done. It's a win-win!
Any Other Ideas?
What other kinds of content have you shared that wasn't your own? Videos? Photos? Tell us in the comments!