If you’ve ever stared at a blank social media content calendar and wondered, “What on earth should we post?” or “our content seems one-note,” you’re not alone. Many business leaders recognize the importance of social media, but creating a plan can be overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. By diversifying and focusing on a few proven content lanes (many of which you likely already have in place), you can build a balanced, effective strategy without stress.
Here are seven content types that can guide your planning and help you establish a consistent online presence.
1) Brand Building
What it is: Content that tells the world who you are; your mission, values, and unique approach.
Examples:
- A short video about how your company started
- Posts highlighting your methodology, process, and unique ways of providing customer support
- Thoughts about your missions, vision, values, mantra, or tagline
- Inspiring quotes your team lives by
- Behind-the-scenes of meetings or work-in-progress projects, team-building activities, or just having fun
Why it matters: This builds recognition and sets you apart from competitors. When people know what you stand for, they remember you. Your brand is how people think and feel about you based on their cumulative experience.
Tip: Work with your existing web materials, collateral, and HR team. There are likely lots of things to borrow from; when it comes to brand-related posts, you’re not starting from scratch.
2) Thought Leadership
What it is: Sharing insights that showcase your expertise, ingenuity, and perspective.
Examples:
- Posts on industry trends or shifts in your field
- Share quick tips, best practices, or common pitfalls to avoid
- Your take on new research or reports (which you can reshare or @mention the author for expanded reach)
- List questions and answers you’ve fielded with customers
Why it matters: Sharing expertise establishes credibility and trust. People follow and buy from businesses that teach, inspire, and lead conversations.
Tip: If you comment or reshare materials from others, always thank and acknowledge their work. You might share what you liked about it, offer an additional thought, or respectfully share an alternative opinion and why you think otherwise.
3) Culture
What it is: A peek into the personality and energy driving your business and team.
Examples:
- Posting industry-relevant memes or lighthearted humor
- Sharing photos or clips from team-building activities
- Profile an employee’s experience with the company
Why it matters: Culture content humanizes your brand, attracts talent, and fosters approachability.
Tip: Some groups avoid posting about things they deem not related to their product or services. Just remember, people buy from people. And people like to know who they’re doing business with. And typically, posts about people get the most engagement.
4) Employee Relations
What it is: Showcasing and celebrating your people.
Examples:
- Celebrating birthdays, milestones, or team wins
- Employee spotlights with bios or fun facts
- Showcasing staff achievements, awards, milestones, or learning journeys
- Promote causes that are important to your employees
Why it matters: Builds morale internally while also signaling to potential hires that your workplace values its people.
Tip: The more comfortable and favorable you can make your employees with being a part of your public profile, the more likely they’ll engage socially along with their networks. Avoid requiring participation. Only they own their personal professional profiles. Instead, build a social presence they’ll want to support.
5) News & Influencer Alignment
What it is: Sharing timely, relevant content from your industry or network.
Examples:
- Commenting on new legislation, certifications, trade reports, or innovations
- Reposting content from respected voices, with your take added
- Joining conversations about major industry shifts Participation in industry events
Why it matters: Keeps you visible, current, and part of the bigger conversation in your industry.
Tip: There are numerous ways to stay connected to social conversations, from simply following reputable voices in your industry, monitoring news, or using social listening tools for topics and sentiment related to both trends and brands.
6) Client & Project Highlights
What it is: Demonstrating the impact you’ve had through customer or project stories.
Examples:
- Testimonials (quotes and beyond) or case studies
- Showcasing client outcomes (with permission)
- Sharing visuals of the work you’ve produced
Why it matters: Nothing is more powerful than proof. Highlighting results gives prospective clients confidence in your ability to deliver.
Tip: Follow and engage with your customers and prospects on social media. It’s a great way to stay connected to their culture, news, demonstrate your commitment to them, and introduce your brand to their followers.
7) Product & Service Promotion
What it is: Directly showcasing what you sell and why it matters.
Examples:
- Announcing new products, services, or updates to existing products & services
- Sharing company awards, certifications, or recognitions
- Demonstrating product differentiators or innovations
Why it matters: While not every post should be sales-driven, people still need to know how you can help them. Social media is a great place to demonstrate value.
Tip: There are infinite ways to showcase your product or service. So, think “out of the brochure” about how to make your product and company shine.
When it comes to social media content, follow the way the water flows
Building a social media strategy doesn’t mean starting from scratch every week. Instead, think of these seven categories as content brainstorming lanes you can rotate through. This ensures your content is well-rounded by balancing identity, expertise, culture, community, results, and promotion.
And as the headline says, do simple things. Keep in mind:
- Each social post doesn’t have to tell everything. Break your content up. Create multiple posts about important items and schedule them out so you reiterate the most important information.
- Identify great content you already have and plan many posts around it. Maybe it’s a white paper or brochure. Share out bits throughout the weeks, months, or year.
- Start small and expand. You don’t need to go from zero to daily posts. Set modest goals about what social platform to begin with (based on where your prospective customers may be) and post at a cadence that works for you. You can always do more.
The next time you’re planning, try sketching out one post idea in each lane. Before you know it, you’ll have a full calendar that feels authentic, consistent, and (most importantly) doable. And if you’re looking for inspiration, follow us on your favorite platforms, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.