4. Content creation and personal branding

Creating content

Like any other form of communication, creating content for social media requires planning. You need to identify your purpose for creating content, and the audience for whom it is intended.

Social media is often used as a news source by Australians, with 25% of us using it to read news stories. It can be a powerful tool for communicating your data, insights or any information you want to share. Sometimes the media inaccurately oversimplifies information for the general public. Be careful to adequately explain yourself so that if your post does go “viral”, the correct message is delivered. It is good practice to:

• be clear and concise.
• check your spelling and grammar.
• provide evidence to support your statements.
• use the Evaluating websites, news and media guide to assess the quality of the online content you are using.
• use graphs, tables or figures to present your data in an easy-to-digest format, when appropriate.
• adhere to copyright if you include images, music, video, etc that are not your own. Always attribute the source. Find and use media has further information plus our Library Guide on Using images at University.

Content purpose

You should also consider the purpose of your social media posts. You need to identify your purpose for creating content, and the audience for whom it is intended. The platform will guide you through the creating processes.

Your audience

Think about who you are creating your social media posts for. Consider:

• Who is your intended audience?
• Is the post professional or of general interest?
• Which are the best social media platforms to reach your targeting audience?
• What is the algorithm of those social media or any associated requirements or limitations?

Read more about the use of social media of different generations:

• How different generations use social media—and what this means for your business
• A look at Gen Z’s preferred social platforms

Improve the chances of your post being seen

As posts attract further interaction, they also become more visible to others and improve the chance of your content being prioritised by social media algorithms.

There are some general strategies you could use to improve reaching potential audiences.

Collaboration

Tagging and being tagged by other creators are some of the most efficient ways to expand your circle. Sharing content of similar interest not only shows your network to your audience but also increases your chances of getting shared.

Geotagging

You can tag your photos on social media by geographic location using sites such as Geolmgr or Geotag. Geotagging photos allows you to “pin” your photos to the locations where they were taken. Google Photos and Flickr are two photo sharing sites that allow you to geotag your photos.

There are ethical considerations when you are adding photographs to social media sites. You should not:

• post or tag a photo that belongs to someone else without their permission.
• post a photo or video that may invade someone’s privacy e.g. their address, car licence plate, workplace/school or their children.

The eProfessionalism module has information about the legal, ethical and organisational constraints to sharing images. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner has further information and tips about social media and privacy.

Hashtags

A hashtag is a phrase or keyword that is preceded by a # symbol and is used on some social media platforms (e.g. Instagram, Weibo) to create a thread of conversations around a specific theme or topic.

Mindful hashtag construction

When adding hashtags based on your professional interests, make sure you choose the hashtag carefully. An example of an ambiguous hashtag that was used on the platform X (formerly Twitter) is #nowthatchersdead. X users interpreted this in a number of ways, and it resulted in a viral rumor spreading about Cher’s death. It can be interpreted as either:

• Now Thatcher’s Dead
• Now That Cher’s Dead

For accessibility, it is now recommended to capitalise the first letter of each word in the hashtag to make it easier to read. This type of formatting is referred to as camelCase e.g. #BlackLivesMatter. It is also noteworthy that joining an existing hashtag may be more beneficial than creating a new one, unless you are aiming to create a completely new trend.

To learn more about hashtag strategies, visit:

• How to use hashtags in 2023: A guide for every network
• How to use hashtags effectively on social media

Advertising

Several social media platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram, offer paid advertisements if you want to further promote your content. For example, Instagram allows you to pay to promote a specific post or your account in general over a period of time.

How is your content prioritised by social media?

All social media posts are prioritised for individual viewing according to algorithms used to optimise content being delivered. Behind the algorithms of social media explains what different social media algorithms are prioritising. In general, they promote posts that:

• encourage engagement – commenting, liking, sharing.
• are likely to be relevant based on your previous behaviour.
• are from users who post consistently.
• are paid content and ads. They are businesses and want to make a profit.

Read 10 tactics to boost your organic social media reach to learn more about promoting your content.

Self-branding