OK, so you read “Choosing the right social media platforms for you” and you’re ready to move forward. You’ve chosen your platforms and are excited to get started posting. But now there’s another question: What do you post?

Here’s the most important thing. If you take nothing else away from this post, take this to heart: Do not — I repeat, do not — post only about your business.

Yes, these are your business profiles. These are business accounts. They are for your business. But they aren’t only about your business.

Let me explain:

Social media serves a dual purpose – it entertains and it educates. Consumers won’t engage with it if it doesn’t do one of those two things. If you only post about your business, people will stop engaging. They’ll see you as a business that cares only about making money and not about being a part of the community. That said, if you never post about what you do, people will become confused about your mission and objective and end up unfollowing. So, how do you strike a balance?

For the right balance, on a five-day posting schedule, I advise businesses to use the 2-2-1 rule. Two posts about your business; two educational posts about your field but not your business; and one fun post.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you own a bakery:

• Monday: Advertise your new red velvet cakes (your business)
• Tuesday: Best ways to make sure your cakes don’t fall in the center (educational)
• Wednesday: It’s National Hot Cocoa Day! (fun!)
• Thursday: Advertise the jumbo cookies you just baked (your business)
• Friday: 5 tips for new bakers (educational)

You can certainly link back to your website as much as you want. But following the 2-2-1 rule helps you ensure that your content is relevant and valuable to your followers.

That’s possibly the most important aspect of content creation: Make sure that whatever you post has value and relevance. If you can’t determine a reason for posting, don’t post. You can always interact, repost, share and like. Social media isn’t just about posting — it’s also about engaging and interacting.

And, as always, if you need help, give us a shout!