Every business owner uses content to get to customers. As informal as social media is, it is the best platform to promote your business. You want to spread awareness, personality or brand your product? Write quick hits of information and post them on social media.
Social media is however crowded with information, and our account timelines are full of content from other companies, friends, families and other sites that we follow. The business content we are posting should thus be an attention grabber. Exclusive content that will cause the target audience to stop scrolling and consider reading your post. The uniqueness of the content will depend on your business type and personality; however, there are some universal tips that you ought to consider before posting content.
In this article, we share seven tips that have proved to be useful on all social media platforms and that all your posts should include- regardless of your business type:
1. Embrace Images and Videos
As much as all social media platforms were created for communication purposes, people love looking at pictures. A photo attracts a 80% greater interaction rate than plain text. The love for images and videos led to the creation of Instagram and Pinterest and Snap Chat. A study conducted by Google indicates users are more likely to share a Google+ post if it includes images.
Why use images and videos?
Remember you are battling friends and other competitive brands for attention. Images and videos are far much more attention grabbers that plain text. Moreover, the post will be significantly more prominent on the user’s feed.
When photos are not effective, video is another kind of engagement. Some users consider pictures to be old since most brands bombard them with images. Add an auto-playing video to your timeline, and it is more likely to catch the eye and trigger a conversation between users in your platform.
Make a deliberate effort to include a picture in every update you post. It does not matter if you are on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook – add a video or an image without exception.
2. Offer Shareable Information
Use of videos and pictures might catch the attention of users, but lack of useful information accompanying the visual will lose the user. Post content that entices the user to take action. The goal of a post is to get potential customers to your website. To accomplish that mission, give readers a reason to click on a link.
What is the benefit of your product or service to the user?
In your post, do not beat around the bush. The user is more likely to lose interest if you are wasting their time. People have limited attention spans – be direct and clear in your intent. Are you trying to increase social engagement, drive traffic to your website or increase sales? Evoke positive emotions that will make users want to share your post.
3. Personalize the Content
All social media platforms aim to provide a social platform where users can interact with others freely in an informal setting. Do not include business jargon in your content. Write text in the first person (“I” and “You”) to make the post more personal. Focus on the audience by using a friendly and casual tone. What is unique about you? Incorporate your personality into your posts. Share your opinions and style but be careful not to go overboard. Do not include posts of you partying or skinny dipping. Develop a company persona that will make you more trustworthy.
4. Be Concise
Do not confuse your readers. Keep the post brief so that users do not have to click “see more” to read the rest of the post. A short post will produce more clicks than a lengthy post. Luckily, platforms like Twitter automatically limit the number of words a user can use to describe what they feel. When you are writing an article that includes external links, long-form content can prove to be a success. The business platform LinkedIn encourages users to write long posts.
5. When to Post
With so many posts in one’s timeline, reach is on the decline. Once you post content, roughly 10% of your followers will get to see the post. Therefore, you are allowed to display the content several times to widen the number of fans that get to look at it. If the material is not time sensitive, tweak the content when reposting. A posting schedule can be:
• Twice a day
• Post the next day
• Post repurposed content one week after the original post.
6. Understand the Audience
You have a target audience, so make a deliberate effort to research their likes and dislikes. What is their favorite social media platform? Do they spend most of their time on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? Maybe you need to tweet more often than you post on Facebook.
Experiment with emoji’s and hashtags. Have fun posting your content. Establish a relationship with users. Use social media as a place you can bond and have a conversation with users about your brand. Incorporate cool facts or infographics in your points rather than focusing on making sales.
As an entrepreneur, read widely on business news and available resources and share any significant material with your fans. Upload content that reflects on current affairs. Be adventurous and creative by integrating events in your brand. Don’t just post curated stories, post things that connect to your brand. Think outside the box, get creative.
7. Create a Conversation
Politely invite the users to join the conversation by using the “Talk to us” phrase. It is an effective way of asking potential clients to open up your timeline for two-way communication. Create posts that directly question the audience for ideas, opinions, and criticism. Use topics that lots of people have an opinion about. Create an exciting discussion, and it will attract more likes, comments, and shares.
Post and repost some of your best blog content. Share positive content that is funny and inspirational. It is human nature to share funny content and want to be associated with a positive person. Users might not agree with your negative comments no matter how honest and accurate. No one wants to be perceived as negative so they may not comment or share the content. Such a post will smear your image.
Include a call to action, such as liking, sharing or retweeting the post. A little push in the right direction will lead to positive results.
In a nutshell, social media platforms are different; therefore, no technique works well on all platforms. A trick that is working on your friend’s page may not work on yours. Test the above tips and single out the one that gets the most engagement from your audience. Trial and error is a useful tool for figuring out what will work best for your business. Even if sales are poor, don’t worry as long as there are fans who have chosen to be part of your community. Try something new, lean into it and you will win them eventually.
