Give Your Followers What They Want: Value

Social Media can be a noisy place; it’s easy for us as business owners to get sucked into what everyone else is doing and compare it to our own efforts. We want to promote our new products or services and keep our grids looking busy. But your main concern should be attracting and growing your target market online; your social media platforms shouldn’t just be a promotional megaphone for your brand, it’s a service for your audience.
So the main question is, when your audience views your content, how do they feel? Informed, inspired, entertained? Does it keep them coming back for more? Your strategy mantra needs to be, “Give your followers what they want: Value!”

When Reactive Posting Doesn’t Work
Reactive posting is filler content - say it again for the people in the back - “Reactive posting is filler content”. This isn’t to say that a reactive comment or post to a trend is filler content - this is still a strategy if you have actively evaluated whether this trend can be applied correctly to your industry and if it is suited to your target audience. But if you ever find yourself posting something for the sake of posting, this is not value-driven. Instead, use the time you were spending to shoot that content to plan a post that your followers actually want to engage with.
Think more quality over quantity, saves and shares hold more weight than views and likes - the algorithm is prioritising valuable content,t so why shouldn’t you?

The 7 Pillars of Value
So what do I actually mean by valuable content,nt and how does this work for your specific business? Well, you need to test what works with your audience. Here are a few value propositions I’ve mapped out. Take a look and have a think about whether these are suitable for your industry, and if you can narrow it down to 4-,5, even better. This gives your content more focus.





Data is everything, use your previous insights to understand what value means to your target customer and how you can thread this through your content going forward. When you can align your content with what your audience is interested in or searching for - that’s when you’ll provide value. 
Pro Tip: Also think about what social channels you are using, are you spreading yourself thin trying to post on 5+ channels? Use tools like Glimpse or your platform insights to see what your audience is searching for and what channels they are using to do this, then prioritise from there.

What Are Your Competitors Posting
Don’t just audit your own channels; take a look at your competitors. The 5 post test, look at their last 5 posts and ask yourself these questions:
Are they providing value, or are they just "maintaining a presence"?
What content pillars are they using?
What post has the most engagement, and what is the strategic thinking behind this content?
You might find that a lot of industry peers are promoting heavily; this leavesvalue gapgap and an opportunity for your business to be the leader in educating or creating a community for customers. By being the only person in your niche who consistently gives more than they take, you become the go-to authority in your field.

Make Value Your Competitive Advantage
Remember, your followers' attention is a gift. Treat it with respect by ensuring every post you share is worth their time. Stop falling into the trap of worrying about the quantity of your output and start obsessing over the quality of your impact. Your community will respond.
At Sloan Social, I’m passionate about helping female founders find that sweet spot between strategic growth and authentic connection.
I’m so excited to hear what you thought of my views on an audience-centric social media strategy. If you’ve found a spark of inspiration here, don’t be a stranger. I’d love to find out more about you and your business.