How to Help the Right People Find Your Social Media Content

Creating good social media content is important, but people still have to find it.
For years, one of the standard recommendations for increasing social media visibility was simple: use hashtags.
Hashtags still exist, but social media discovery has changed.
People now search social platforms for information, recommendations, products, services, ideas, and answers to questions. Platforms have also become better at understanding what a post, video, or image is about.
That means your content needs to clearly communicate its subject.
Instead of concentrating primarily on hashtags, think about how someone who needs your information might actually look for it.
Here are five ways to make your social media content easier for the right people to discover.
1. Know What Your Audience Is Looking For
​Before worrying about keywords, captions, hashtags, or algorithms, start with your audience.
What are they trying to learn?
What problems are they trying to solve?
What questions are they asking?
What would they type into a search box?
Suppose you are a bookkeeper who works with small businesses.
Your potential customers probably are not searching for "excellent bookkeeping professional."
They may be searching for:
"How to organize business receipts"
"Bookkeeping for a new business"
"How to prepare business records for taxes"
Those searches tell you something important about the content you could create.
Start with the questions and problems your audience already has.
2. Use the Language Your Audience Uses
Once you understand what your audience is looking for, use clear language to describe your content.
If your post teaches people how to price a freelance service, say that.
If your video explains how to create a simple marketing plan, say that.
If your Pin leads to a checklist for starting an email list, make that clear.
Do not make people guess what your content is about.
Clear language also gives social platforms more information about the subject of your content.
Think about the words your audience would naturally use to describe the topic, then incorporate those words naturally into titles, captions, descriptions, and other appropriate places.
The goal is not to stuff keywords everywhere.
Write for people first.
3. Make Your Profile Search Friendly
Your individual posts are not the only content people can discover.
Your profile matters too.
Use your profile description to clearly explain what you do and the subjects you regularly discuss.
Compare:
"Helping you live your best life."
with:
"Helping new entrepreneurs turn business ideas into practical plans."
The second description gives both people and the platform much more information.
Review your profile from the perspective of someone who has never heard of you.
Would that person understand what you do within a few seconds?
4. Create Content Around Specific Topics
Trying to talk about everything makes it difficult for people to understand why they should follow you.
Choose several topics that are closely connected to your business and your audience's needs.
For example, a business coach serving new entrepreneurs might regularly create content about:

• Starting a business
• Finding customers
• Pricing
• Marketing
• Business planning

Over time, those repeated themes help establish what your content is about.
They also make content creation easier because you are not staring at a blank screen every morning wondering what in the world you are supposed to post.
Your topics give you a starting point.
5. Use Hashtags as a Supporting Tool, Not the Strategy
Hashtags have not disappeared completely, but they should no longer carry the weight of your social media discovery strategy.
If a platform allows hashtags and a few relevant ones help categorize your content, use them appropriately.
But do not assume adding a long string of hashtags will suddenly expose your content to thousands of people.
Focus first on relevance.
Is the content useful?
Is the topic clear?
Does the caption describe what the content is about?
Does it address something your audience actually cares about?
Would someone want to watch it, save it, share it, or respond to it?
Those questions are much more important than finding the perfect collection of hashtags.
What About Pinterest?
Pinterest deserves special attention because search is central to how people use the platform.
People often arrive on Pinterest looking for a particular idea, resource, product, solution, or inspiration.
If you use Pinterest, think about the phrases someone might search for and use clear, relevant keywords in your Pin titles and descriptions.
For example, "Business Tips" is extremely broad.
"How to Find Your First Freelance Clients" tells someone exactly what they will find when they click.
The same principle applies across social media.
Specific beats vague.
Make It Easy to Understand What You Are About
You do not have to outsmart an algorithm.
Your first responsibility is much simpler.
Create content for a clearly defined audience, talk about subjects that matter to them, and make it obvious what each piece of content is about.
The easier your content is to understand, the easier it becomes for the right people to recognize that it is meant for them.
Reflection QuestionIf someone who needed what you offer searched social media today, what words or phrases might they use, and would those words appear naturally anywhere in your content or profile?

Do You Know Where Your Ideal Clients Are?

Before you can create content that reaches the right people, you need to know where those people are likely to look for information.

Download the Ideal Client Location Checklist to identify where your ideal clients spend time, what they are looking for, and where your business has the best opportunity to connect with them
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Get the free Ideal Client Location Checklist.