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February 3, 2016

How to use the 10:4:1 Rule to Create Social Media Content

By Kate Ellis
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(This is a follow up blog to our weekly #MagnetMarketers session with Jessika Phillips and Mike Gingerich)

Although social media for personal use may come easily for most people, managing a business or public page can take some getting used to. Often times people find it hard to find the perfect balance between too much content or posting too little, and it can be hard to write or find content to share. Today we’re going to talk about some sources you can use to find content and how to get into the rhythm of posting using the 10:4:1 Rule.

Get ready to be shocked: ideally, you would want to post a minimum of four times a day! Even if you posted every hour on Twitter and it wouldn’t be too much. This is because of the way Facebook and Twitter operate and the sheer amount of competition you have. Not everyone is online when you post! So, posting does vary by network and when your audience is online. In other words, when will they be online and seeing your posts? That’s the best time to post!

The first order of business is to make sure you're creating valuable content that can be shared on your social media pages. And these posts aren't one time only!

Something people forget or don’t realize is that great content can be used and shared more than once. So the first day, say you post a piece of your own amazing blog at 9 a.m. You can share that same piece of content three days later, but this time send it out in the afternoon, just to make sure your audience sees the post. Then you can use it again a week later, and you could potentially use it once every two months as evergreen content to cycle through. It’s all about using your content multiple times and in multiple ways.

One time you could share your content as a link, the next time as an image, and another time by making a short video, etc. It’s all the same content, just shared in a different way.

We mentioned earlier how you could post every hour on Twitter and it wouldn’t be too much, but the thing is you can never have enough of your own content. You would need an entire team of writers to keep up with that demand! So while you need to share your own content, in multiple, valuable ways, you also need to look to other sites to look for valuable content to drive you has a thought leader in your industry. You’re aggregating content to your social pages, and people will begin to look at your pages because they know they can find what they’re looking for.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what your content mission is, and who you are writing to.

Here is a list of tools to help you source content and share it:

The 10:4:1 rule

The 10:4:1 rule is a way to balance your social posts between your own content and sourced content when you are planning and scheduling posts. For every 15 posts that are planned out, have 10 pieces that are curated from others, four that are sourced from your blog or another piece of content you have created, and one call to action or an offer that leads to a landing page. This last piece is a soft sell. It can be a download or resource guide, that gives out more information and really brings trust. By embracing this rule you'll build your audience and your engagement, because you are providing consistent content and by being the expert.

If you're posting 14 pieces of value-based content, people won't care about your pitch. Quite the opposite, they may love it!

The 10:4:1 rule is a great way to continually engage your followers, with relevant and educational content, that also builds you up as a thought leader in your industry. And by sharing your own content, you can draw people into your blog and begin to help them through the buyer's journey. Soon you’ll have dedicated followers who share your posts so more people can find you!

If you missed out on our #MagnetMarketers session and want to hear more of the conversation and the apps we love to use, replay it here. Join us next week on Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST on #MagnetMarketers for our next session.

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Tags: content, Social Media Marketing, Social Media

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