Today everyone Tweets, every brand has a Facebook page, and even my middle schooler is on Instagram. Social media is a given when it comes to branding. But how do you find your social media voice? How do you make it stand out amidst the daily barrage of digital noise?

As part of my Social Media Monday series I’ve been focusing quite a bit on the practical implementation side, but today I want to hone in on the thought process behind creating content. There is no shortage today of social media dashboards, tools, and helpful apps, but the real heart and soul of social media lies in the people behind it and the content they create. Scheduling posts and status updates is often a necessity for the sake of time management, especially if you are managing multiple channels, but authentic social media, whether it be for your blog or your business, can’t be solely plug and play and walk away.

Whether you’ve been blogging for 5 months or 5 years, it’s important to find your social media voice. How can your content be heard as your share information and inspiration with your community of followers? Remember, you want your brand to make an indelible mark in the very crowded social media world. Bloggers work hard on optimizing SEO, but what’s drawing new visitors to your site back for more? What’s your “so what” antidote that will prevent visitors to your site from clicking away?

As you create content for your brand and develop a strategy and editorial calendar, how can your VOICE be heard? Here are some ideas for creating the type of content that is audible above the din of digital chatter, or finding your VOICE –

• Add value
• Be original
• Inspire others to action
• Provide comic relief
• Engage with your audience

ADD VALUE

Are you sharing information that adds value to your community of followers? Regularly follow industry publications and social media channels to update your followers on trends and data impacting their niche. Sharing helpful content across your social media channels establishes you as a go to source for your niche, whether its baking or small business.

BE ORIGINAL

What is it that makes your company or your brand YOU? What’s original or one-of-a-kind about your product or you as a blogger? What do you bring to the table that irresistable or intriguing?? Don’t have a copy and paste content strategy. Let your personality shine through your content. Your content, just like your brand, should be memorable…make it something worth stopping for on the busy highway of social media.

INSPIRE OTHERS TO ACTION

Share content that will uplift your community and encourage them. Photographs are particularly impactful, especially for nonprofits, and paint a visual picture that words can’t always describe. Do you have a personal twist to a current event or topic? How can your insight provide value.

PROVIDE COMIC RELIEF

Humor is a universal language and I believe that laughter really can be the best medicine. Don’t be afraid to make your followers laugh or, more importantly, to laugh at yourself as a brand. The new Old Spice campaign is a perfect example of this.

ENGAGE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

Monitor your community of followers and engage with them on a regular basis. Social media is a 24/7 conversation. Respond in real time to community and customer inquiries, comments, and other remarks. Ask questions. Publish an annual readership poll. Monitor your analytics to see what type of content truly resonates with your followers. Don’t forget that social media should be inherently social. Don’t be stingy with your content or great ideas. So much of social media is about sharing.

Bloggers, how did you find your social media voice, or have you yet? What unique talents and traits do you have that make your brand memorable?