Do you remember when you used to play on the climbing frame in the park as a kid (You will soon find out what this has to do with the levels of social media content for your business)? The semi-circular one with the ladder?
What you certainly do not remember is how scared you were to master the first step, then the second step, etc. on that climbing frame for the simple reason that the emotion of fear was soon replaced by fun and playing. But how does that relate to digital marketing?
For now, remember this climbing frame. We will need it for later.
Table of Contents
Levels of Social Media Content: 3 Main Levels
There are three main levels of social media content. There may be a bunch more between each one. You will see it a bit later.
The levels digital marketers see most often in practice with their clients are these:
- Level 1: Free content
- Level 2: Paid content/your service/program
- Level 3: High-level offer/high-level content
We have to make one digression: it is not the same for everyone.
Someone has been around for a long time and has tons of offers in between and that business is working for her/him. Someone has been there for a long time but only has these three levels of social media content because they chose the business model that works for them. Someone is just starting out, creating free content, and has their own offer (paid content). And some have only the first and third levels.
How come? What does it depend on? It depends on your target group. So, it depends on the people you choose to “serve” and solve their specific problems. We will explain to you the examples of clients below.
Examples
There is an architect whose target group is young married couples who have bought their own real estate. The architect’s content is at levels 1 and 3. He/she has a free one that he/she creates and in which he/she is getting better and better. The architect has his/her own high-level offer for re-modeling and decorating spaces for that target group.
Then there is the yogini. She has all three levels. Free content that she creates regularly (level 1), yoga classes (paid content, level 2), and individual classes; even retreats from time to time (high-level offer, level 3).
As you can see, it depends on your target group and your industry. So the main thing to pay attention to when creating a content plan as a digital marketer is just that: your target group, how to build your brand, and you. That is how you create a plan that you will actually complete much easier than a generic one you found online.
Why Do Levels of Social Media Content Matter?
Let us go back to our climbing frame. Just imagine now that it is your climbing frame, and your potential clients are coming to play on it for the first time. And they are scared, they do not know how to take the first step and climb the first barrier.
That first letter is your free content. It is your responsibility to help them through it. How? In a way your free content – and this is how to develop a content strategy – will be valuable and help them create a result before they give you money. This is exactly what will “relax” them and help them to climb the next barrier by themselves, i.e. next level (your paid content).
The Function of Each Level
Each level should contain what will help your client move to the next level. Think of it as building letters for them. Or when you already have our climbing frame, you can use it.
Let us delve into each level.
Level 1: Your Free Content
What needs to be found in your free content is information, tips, steps, etc. which your potential clients should know, apply, and have prepared – in order to work with you.
Here is an example:
- Your ideal client must have a clearly defined target group, in black and white, on paper. So that they know who they address, who they serve, and how.
- Your ideal client has been creating content for a while and has their own tool for it, whether they create it in Canva or somewhere else.
- Your ideal client is an expert in his/her field, whether they have been working offline for years and are just getting online, or have been around for a while. They are aware of their expertise and how much they help their clients.
These are all steps you need to communicate through your free content (in addition to the value you share). That is your responsibility. That is how you help your potential clients to step onto the first letter of your climbing frame.
Level 2: Paid Content/Your Service
When your prospect becomes a paying customer, they have just moved to another level. That is why regular posting and the creation of free content by employing different ways of creating a content strategy are important! It is the bridge that connects you and your clients. Experts in their fields understand this very well and that is why they decide to give you money and work with you on their free content.
Just like level 1, level 2 can contain all the steps your customer needs to go through to get to level 3 (if you have one). This can also be a prerequisite.
An example of this is life coaches who, as a condition for enrolling in their programs, introduce that their clients must attend one of their smaller workshops. And no, this is not to shamelessly take more money from you all.
This is a decision made in the interest of their ideal clients because they understand what kind of commitment and what (prior) knowledge is needed in order to devote yourself fully to their high-level offer of several months.
It is similar to website design courses. Before learning to code, you must master establishing a website via online services for this purpose. A membership website builders’ site of any shape has a procedure of website creation that you need to learn first before moving on to learning programming skills, which can take months, even years.
Level 3: Your High-Level Offer
Some experts only have this as the only way to work with them.
An example of this can be a guy who plays golf. Specifically: let us say that he helps students who want to go to America through a specific golf scholarship. Such scholarships cost several tens of thousands of dollars each. His target group is of a high level, therefore, the offer is also high level. So, he has free content (level 1) and a high-level offer (level 3).
Conclusion
Our climbing frame still has a bunch of parts. It can be dug in for many days.
What digital marketers know is that they should not act crazy and jump from level to level, from offer to offer if they did not learn to sell this one first, to work with clients, and that their capacities are full. Only then can they change/adjust the offer, create a new one, etc.
That is why your free content is a very important part of the whole puzzle. It creates stairs in the minds of your prospects, helps them move to the next level more easily, and gives you money to help them.
Knowing that content is the key to the success of your online business is not the same as taking action. Remember this.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions that can help you better understand this subject.
Q1. How Many Main Levels of Social Media Content Are There?
Digital marketers most frequently encounter three main levels of social media content: free, paid, and high-level.
Q2. What Does It Depend on in Regard to Which of the Three Main Levels of Social Media Content a Business Includes in Its Strategy?
It depends on your target audience and industry and, as a digital marketer, you should focus on precisely that while developing a content strategy.
Q3. What Is the Function of Each of the Three Main Levels of Social Media Content?
Similar to how you would build letters for your customers, each level should have information that will help them advance to the next level.