10 Types of Social Media Content That Drive Engagement & Growth

Social media contented tin make marque awareness, summation customer loyalty, and thrust different affirmative outcomes for your business.

But pinch truthful overmuch sound connected societal media, it’s difficult to cognize which posts will guidelines retired and resonate pinch your target audience.

Which is why we’ve created this database of 10 types of societal media contented to usage crossed your societal media accounts to thrust your desired results.

A short-form promotional video is simply a type of societal media contented focused connected 1 of your products aliases services that’s 5 seconds to 3 minutes long. 

For example, Instagram reels are short-form videos ranging from 15 to 90 seconds. And tin easy beryllium utilized for promotional purposes. 

Here’s an Instagram reel from Nike that promotes their caller diversion wear.

Not each statement will person Nike’s trading budget. But moreover a small business committed to societal media tin make reels activity for them.

Check retired really section fittingness nine Kin Culture uses Instagram reels to beforehand their play moving club. 

Both reels worked because they’re visually engaging. And they supply nan spectator pinch accusation astir nan marque and what it has to offer.

Benefits of Short-Form Videos

Better Reach and Discoverability

Many societal media platforms prioritize short-form videos successful their algorithms, expanding nan likelihood of your contented being seen by a wider audience.

Short-form video is well-suited for social media advertising campaigns. Which tin thief you scope caller audiences and execute your goals faster.

Potentially Higher Engagement Rates

Short-form promotional videos are perfect for an assemblage pinch a constricted attraction span. Their little quality makes it much apt that viewers will watch nan full video, stock it, etc.

2. Behind-the-Scenes Videos

Behind-the-scenes videos springiness viewers a glimpse into nan soul workings of your business. To thief build spot and credibility.

And because astir group are people curious, this footage piques their interest. Which whitethorn promote likes, comments, and messages.

Behind-the-scenes videos could see worker highlights, nan merchandise improvement process, aliases upcoming motorboat teasers. 

You could moreover create comedic insights into agency life for illustration Semrush does connected Instagram.

Benefits of Behind-the-Scenes Videos

Better Storytelling

Behind-the-scenes videos let brands to show their stories much efficaciously by showing nan journey, struggles, and successes down nan scenes.

Increased Connection pinch Your Audience

These videos tin build a stronger relationship betwixt your assemblage and marque by showing nan quality broadside of your business. Which tin foster trust.

More Anticipation

Use behind-the-scenes videos to tease caller products, shop openings, aliases different events to build excitement for your launch. 

3. Tutorials and How-to Videos

Tutorials and how-to videos stock nan process of really thing is done. Think astir that past DIY video you saw connected YouTube—that’s an illustration of a tutorial video.

Tutorials and how-to videos fto you stock knowledge pinch your target assemblage and found yourself arsenic an master successful your field. 

For example, cooking marque Tasty creates authoritative, visually engaging tutorial videos connected their TikTok channel.

And statement that how-to videos tin activity good arsenic long-form content. Especially if nan process is lengthy aliases involved. 

Benefits of Tutorials and How-To Videos

Potentially Better Engagement

Tutorial videos promote repetition views and shares arsenic group return to nan contented for reference. Which drives sustained engagement.

Increases Authority

Sharing tutorials and showing your target assemblage nan extent of your expertise helps found credibility. Which builds trust. 

Has Long-Term Value

Because tutorials and how-to videos are evergreen (i.e., they don’t spell retired of date), they tin pull views and engagement complete a agelong play of time. 

4. User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is immoderate contented created by customers, fans, and different users. And is repurposed by businesses—typically connected their ain societal media channels.

Because UGC is created by users, it acts arsenic a individual proposal astir a merchandise aliases service. Which is apt to beryllium seen arsenic much trustworthy to different prospects.

One of nan astir impactful examples of UGC comes from Apple. 

The company’s #ShotoniPhone run challenged iPhone users to sprout and station their champion photos connected Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). 

From submissions, Apple selected nan champion images to usage connected advertisement campaigns astir nan world.

Here’s a #ShotoniPhone illustration from a follower successful Germany.

Reviews and testimonials are different type of UGC that businesses tin usage (though it often takes a spot much activity to create nan posts). 

Skincare marque Purito Seoul uses a customer reappraisal to item their statement of sun lotion.

Notice really they’ve utilized a carousel? This intends they tin stock much than 1 affirmative customer reappraisal successful a azygous post, helping reenforce nan connection that nan spectator should acquisition their product.

Benefits of UGC Content

UGC is created by existent users. Which intends it tin beryllium much relatable and trustworthy than brand-generated content.

Grows Brand Loyalists

Because UGC encourages assemblage engagement, they consciousness portion of a community. Which tin consequence successful marque defense and semipermanent relationships.

Cost-Effective

Because users create nan contented themselves, it keeps your societal media accumulation costs low.

5. Influencer Marketing Content

Influencer marketing is erstwhile a marque partners pinch an influencer to create contented that promotes nan brand’s products aliases services.

Brands usage influencer marketing to execute galore goals, but it tin beryllium peculiarly effective for expanding sales. Because users often make purchasing decisions based connected influencer posts. 

This is really Ice Spice and Dunkin’ worked together to beforehand nan company’s America Runs connected Donuts campaign:

If your societal media costs don’t agelong to large sanction celebrities, look for smaller influencers successful your niche to build mutually beneficial relationships with.

All that said, influencer trading isn’t for everyone. Consider your assemblage and your fund earlier utilizing it arsenic portion of your societal media contented trading plan.

Benefits of Influencer Marketing

Increased Reach

Influencer trading to summation your scope connected societal media by tapping into nan influencer’s follower base. 

Access to Expert Creators

Working pinch influencers allows you to leverage their skills to create engaging contented that resonates pinch your target assemblage and drives results.

Potentially More Sales

Working pinch influencers to beforehand your products aliases services tin lead to much sales. Because influencers’ followers are apt to spot their recommendations and proceed pinch a purchase.

6. Live Videos and Streams

Incorporating unrecorded video and streaming into your social media contented strategy tin thief you make engagement successful existent time. And interact straight pinch your audience. 

You tin usage unrecorded video to big one-off aliases typical events, present caller research, respond to customer questions, aliases collaborate pinch influencers and manufacture experts. 

Here’s an illustration of really Airbnb utilized YouTube to big a unrecorded chat connected really to create welcoming spaces. 

Benefits of Live Videos and Streams

Sense of Urgency and Exclusivity

Live contented is often perceived arsenic unique. Which tin seduce much users to tune in.

Social media algorithms promote unrecorded content. So your followers get a notification erstwhile you spell live, which tin summation scope and engagement.

Allows You to Collect Feedback

Live video tin beryllium a two-way connection transmission pinch your audience. Use this to your advantage and inquire for feedback successful nan infinitesimal to thief amended your products, services, aliases early events. 

7. Q&As and AMAs

Run unrecorded mobility and reply (Q&A) aliases inquire maine thing (AMA) sessions to build individual connections pinch your followers. And show your expertise. 

You tin do this successful different ways:

• As a unrecorded video connected Instagram
• As a text-based question-and-answer convention connected Reddit
• As a live-tweet thread connected X

After nan Q&A aliases AMA session, you tin drawback screenshots and/or clips and repurpose that contented into different formats.

Reddit is well-known for hosting AMAs pinch established taste figures. 

One of their astir celebrated and memorable AMAs was pinch Jon Stewart, a comedian and writer. And he utilized nan level to thief beforehand a caller show connected Apple TV.

Benefits of Q&As and AMAs

Generate Engagement

Q&As and AMAs are people conversational and question-based. This intends there’s an opportunity to make tons of engagement pinch this type of societal media content.

Greater Transparency

Opening your business up to questions demonstrates transparency, which helps turn user trust—especially erstwhile you big a speech pinch a CEO, owner, aliases founder. 

Allows for Genuine Connections

Addressing customer comments, questions, and concerns straight shows you attraction astir their opinions and are willing successful what they person to say. Which helps fortify relationships.

8. Simple Images and Image Carousels

Sharing photos lets businesses quickly convey concepts pinch their audiences. And tin pat into emotions. 

And images are a superb action for smaller businesses that mightiness not person nan trading fund to partner pinch much costly influencers. Or create tons of video content.

Palate uses images to beforehand its vino tasting arena and showcase its brick-and-mortar shop to promote sign-ups.

Benefits of Images and Image Carousels

Easy to Produce

Because mobile devices are equipped pinch powerful cameras, anyone tin create an image for societal media. 

Visually Engaging

Using eye-catching colors and creation that align pinch your brand identity tin entice users to extremity scrolling. And moreover click.

Allows You to Test

Play astir pinch nan usage of color, style, language, and creation variations. So you tin spot what drives nan astir engagement.

9. Infographics

Infographics are some ocular and informative—two factors that thrust engagement.

And because infographics are easy to scan, audiences tin devour a batch of accusation successful a short magnitude of time. 

Because infographics distill analyzable information, they’re often utilized by B2B companies to thief explicate processes.

Here’s an illustration we shared connected LinkedIn that shows how to behaviour an SEO audit:

If your infographics are peculiarly useful, they tin besides get backlinks (assuming they’re published connected your website) to support hunt motor optimization efforts. And summation property mentions that thief thrust marque awareness.

You tin create infographics utilizing devices specified arsenic Canva, Visme, and Miro to make creating contented for societal media accelerated and easy.

Benefits of Infographics

Eye-Catching

Infographics’ operation of accusation and ocular creation makes them highly shareable, which tin amended your societal media reach.

Simplify Complex Information

Infographics thief simplify analyzable accusation aliases insights by breaking down data, statistics, aliases concepts into ocular elements that are easier to understand.

Easy to Repurpose for Other Campaigns

Infographics are versatile. Which intends you tin usage them successful aggregate ways. For example, email campaigns and landing pages.

10. Memes and GIFs

You’re not utilizing memes and GIFs arsenic portion of your societal contented strategy?

Using well-timed memes and GIFs successful your societal contented helps you pat into trends, show your consciousness of humor, and support your assemblage entertained.

Wendy’s is known for being a peculiarly funny marque connected X. And they often subordinate successful connected trending memes aliases create their own.

Just make judge nan contented is applicable to you. Otherwise, it tin consciousness forced and deed a sour statement pinch your audience. 

Benefits of Memes and GIFs

Because memes are usually funny aliases comedic, group are often eager to stock them. So there’s a large opportunity for your societal media station to scope a wide audience. In immoderate cases, they tin moreover spell viral.

Keeps You Current

Knowing what’s trending online and capitalizing connected that pinch memes and GIFs keeps you connected to your audience’s caller interests. 

Can Say a Lot pinch a Little

Using memes and GIFs allows you to definitive ideas and emotions successful a matter of seconds.

There are galore different types of societal contented you tin adhd to your calendar. So, research to spot what works.

And usage Semrush Social to negociate each your societal media efforts. The instrumentality helps pinch scheduling, monitoring and responding to messages, analyzing performance, and overmuch more.

Try it today.