Content strategy is just as important as having a presence on social media. But what makes a post stop a reader from scrolling by and engaging with the social media post? Keep reading to learn more about our tips to create the best content for your business.
Know your audience on your social media channels.
All social media platforms provide insights/analytics on who is looking at your channel. Take advantage of this free information to better cater your content. Once you establish your audience, think about what they would be most likely to interact with on their socials. Consider their demographics: how old are they, where do they live, what are their interests? What motivates your audience to act? Always keeping your audience in mind will not only serve your business but your social media presence too.
Post your content with a purpose.
The rule of thumb is quality over quantity. People want to engage with things they like, which is why they’re keeping up with your business! How would you feel seeing a salesy post every day – you’d probably want to unfollow that business? As a general rule, 2-3 posts per week is plenty. For a service based business like a restaurant, 4-5 times a week allows you to update your customers. A good mix of promotional, educational and social (or “fun”) posts about your company will keep your followers engaged and also convey all the facets of your company.
Share your story.
What is the heartbeat of your company? What is your mission? What are your values? Answering these important questions will allow your audience to understand what makes your company unique which will set you apart from competitors. Share that story through a series of posts and connect with people on your social media channels.
Have a strong visual on your posts.
Whether that be a photo (or preferably) video, make sure the graphic in your post is a good summation of what you’re conveying in your post. Another tip is to limit the amount of text that you put in a photo. In short, less is more, but make an impact! Make sure you're using the best social media image sizes, as well!
Strategically use hashtags to engage the right people.
So what’s the deal with hashtags? It depends on a variety of factors: the platform, your audience and your brand. Let’s start with the platform. According to Hootsuite, on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the best practice is to use 1-2 per post/tweet, any more than that and it could look cluttered, annoy your audience, or attract ineffective followers. For Instagram, there is a 30 hashtag limit, but 9-15 is a good range to stay within. It’s not always about being seen by a lot of people, it’s about being seen by the right people (a.k.a. your customers). Using specific, relevant hashtags to attract
Take advantage of paid ads.
Sure, advertising in your local newspaper is an important piece of your marketing plan but why not use your advertising dollars somewhere where you’ll get real information about your audience; specifically their demographics. Now that’s a return on your investment! Facebook advertising is a cost effective way to target people based on their demographics which is collected through the information they provide on their personal Facebook account. Another option is utilizing boosted posts. These inexpensive ads will, quite literally, boost your post so it appears to more people who may have not known about your business before, using the same targeting as Facebook ads.
Timing is everything.
Remember the insights/analytics we touched on earlier? You can use these to know when your audience is most likely to engage with your content. Just think about your own day and when you’re scrolling on social media…probably when you first wake up, on your lunch break, at 3:30 when you need a pick me up or after dinner sometime in the evening. Be intentional in when you’re posting to get the best engagement.
Phew! We know we covered a lot. Kristina Halvorson, CEO and founder of Brain Traffic said, “High-quality web content that's useful, usable, and enjoyable is one of the greatest competitive advantages you can create for yourself online.” Let us develop a social media content strategy plan curated for your business. Start by learning more about our Social Media Services. Then, feel free to contact us or give us a call at (585) 262-3430. We’d love to make your ideas a reality.
Want more information on how to dominate your social media channels? Learn why your content strategy may not be working.