Feeling overwhelmed by too much information lately?

Blame social media. There are over 800 million people on Facebook, and over 100 million on Twitter. With so much information being shared daily, hourly and up-to-the-minute, organizations need to find ways to cut through the clutter and create memorable content.

In order to do that, social media must be placed in the context of a larger communications and marketing strategy. Data from TolunaQuick indicates that more than 50% of respondents felt overwhelmed by brand messages on social media and only 45% indicated that they choose to interact with brands on social media.

Other findings include –

• 40% of respondents felt that brand promotions are too complex to even enter;
• 75% said that one or two Facebook messages per day is too much to receive from a brand;
• Only 20% said they proactively post messages to brand pages; and
• 80% “like” brands on Facebook and almost 50% look to social media for news and updates about brands.

Clearly, social media content needs to be valuable and relevant for consumers to get engaged. With that in mind, here are a few tips to make your content really come alive:

Tell a story. Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to get consumers to connect with your brand. But don’t limit it to just your story (that’s boring and sales-ey). Get stories from members, clients, and partners and share them. Let your champions share their stories and speak for you.

Be human. Avoid posts and tweets that sound robotic or automated. Let your brand’s personality shine through. Isn’t that the point of social media?

Minimize your self-promotion. If you look at Whole Foods’ Twitter feed, you’ll notice that 85% of their tweets are customer service responses, 10% original content, and only 5% promotions.

Understand social mood. What’s trending right this instant? What topics are the media covering? What are people talking about, concerned with, or excited about? Not factoring these considerations into your digital content is a missed opportunity to connect with consumers.

Don’t bombard your audience with content. Limit it to 3 posts or Tweets a day. Be a listener, not just a talker.

With these tips in mind, consider how a digital content strategy can connect your stakeholders with your cause, your services, philosophy, etc.

So what are you waiting for? Start the conversation.