How To Make a Boring Industry Interesting on Social Media
There's one account on social media that when their content comes up, I'm always laughing but I always learn something too. And I think this account is a perfect example of taking a topic that might not be super interesting or fun and turning it into content that I look forward to seeing over and over again. And this account is TSA. Yes you heard me right, TSA has its own Instagram account and they have really developed a social media strategy that sets it apart from all other government a agencies. So today I'm going to walk you through what makes their strategy so successful and how you can use these tips for a business that might not have the most interesting of content or topics to discuss so you can make your content something that people want to see every day. So you might be wondering why does TSA even have social media what are they getting out of their account? Well their goal as listed on their website is that they want to educate travelers about security procedures and packing guidelines, enhance traveler preparedness, and also improve public perception of a government agency such as TSA. They do this by providing engaging, humorous and informative content which ultimately leads to smoother airport experiences and improved operational efficiency.
So before we dive in, hi my name is Megan and I teach business owners to go from confused to confident on social media. I help you build a loyal community, get quality clients, and build a more profitable business.
So the first way TSA has grown their account to 1.4 million followers is by having authentic and funny content. TSA's social media accounts, particularly Instagram, are known for their really fun content. Their unique tone helps engage Travelers in a fun and informative way. They're actually using their content to inform Travelers on better practices for getting through security faster however they're doing it in a really funny way that makes it more memorable for people watching. They use something that's actually a very serious matter and something that people are generally negatively associated with, like going through security, as something that's actually really funny and makes people laugh when they see their content. And the way they're actually able to do this is by following trends. And that leads me into the second point which is their social listening and engagement. So social listening is basically paying attention to what's going on on social media and being really in tune with what people or your audience is saying about your account. TSA uses these social listening tools to monitor conversation and Trends throughout all the social media platforms. This approach helps them quickly address misinformation, respond to traveler inquiries, and understand what the public is really wanting to hear so you'll see a lot of their content is actually responding to questions that people send in to ask TSA and they're able to answer this in a funny way but also a way that shows what the rules are so when people are arriving at the airport they know exactly what to do. I think they do this in a really great way because you don't feel like you're scrolling through a boring rule book you're actually being entertained and educated at the same time. This leads me into the third point which is user generated content. So when people do actually submit questions to TSA and they're able to create content from that, that's a perfect way for them to capitalize on user generated content. In addition to that people will actually create videos at the airport or on a plane and TSA will actually use their content and post it on their page if it's funny enough or relatable enough to where people will actually start creating these videos with hopes of being actually featured on the TSA account. This also makes the TSA account seem more authentic and genuine which is actually fostering a community within Travelers where you feel like you can share your own travel tips and experiences. Point number four is the accounts creativity with their content. A big portion of their content is showing what they found in people's bags that didn't make it through security. By highlighting these bizarre items from people's bags and how they tried to hide it, it's really entertaining to see what people try to get through and also will teach you that a lot of methods that people think will work on getting things through security don't work at all. So while finding something like a knife randomly in someone's bag is not necessarily funny, the way they actually go about posting this is one, warning people not to bring these items to the airport but two calling them out in a way that is funny that people would even try to get this through security in the first place. They also get really creative about sharing reminders for really busy travel seasons and what to do before showing up to the airport. They also take advantage of highlighting their TSA dogs that are working at the airports and while they warn people not to pet them they show off when they actually get to retire the dogs and how they celebrate the dogs and I just find these posts really cute and it really shows a different side of TSA rather than just someone looking through your bag. Their creative content has been so recognizable that they actually have gotten awards for it TSA's social media efforts have been awarded with three Webby Awards in 2018 and I just think this shows how Innovative and creative they've been and that their hard work is paying off. The last point I'm going to go over is team collaboration. Their social media team meets regularly and is constantly going through new ideas and Trends and content to make the best type of content for their social media. They are the ones making sure all the content is aligned with their Brand's Mission and making sure it is entertaining enough for their audience. This definitely helps create a consistent and effective social media presence and it's definitely something you can learn from in your business if you have a team or you're wanting to hire someone that communication is a huge factor. You want to make sure that you both are on the same page and making sure that your voice is really coming through your content because that's how you're going to show off how unique your business is and who you are as a business owner. And if you're looking to hire help with your social media, as always I have a free link to book a call with me where we can go over your business and your goals and I can go over how I can further support you from there.
Overall, TSA's social media is a blend of creativity, responsiveness, community engagement and making an effort to effectively educate their audience. This Instagram account really stood out to me and I think of it as a really good example for you to reference if you're looking for content ideas or ways to make your business content more interesting or funny.
Thank you so much guys, I will see you in the next video!
