Do you know how to use social media properly?
The near ubiquity of social media means that marketers cannot afford to ignore these channels.
When you consider that 72 per cent of internet users are active on social media – a figure that rises to 89 per cent for 18 to 29-year-olds – brands can significantly boost visibility and engagement if they get their strategy right.
A big part of this is post curation, as marketers have to hone their skills on the various channels if they want to attract and retain customers. Read on to find out some handy tips for creating the perfect social media post.
- Facebook posts should always be positive in nature to encourage comments, likes and responses
- The best time to upload a post is between 1pm and 4pm
- Images should always be included where possible – the perfect image size is 800×600
- As up to 85 per cent of posts will be read on mobile devices, imagery needs to be kept simple
- Any links that are included should be in the bit.ly format, as this allows you to track how many people click on it
- Put a call to action in to guide readers in their subsequent actions
- The best time to upload a post is 1pm to 3pm
- Always punctuate properly, it’s better to find a different way to say something instead of sacrificing grammar to make the 140-character limit
- Keep posts focused through the use of questions, facts and figures
- Always include an image where possible, as it increases the chances of people engaging with the post
- Mention relevant people in an effort to create a discussion around your post’s subject
- Choose the right subject matter, breaking news, industry trends or exclusive content is best
- The best time to upload a post is between 7am and 9am, and 5pm and 6pm
- Limit the status update headline to 50 characters to boost engagement level by over 25 per cent
- Include a URL in the copy to drive readers to relevant web pages. These can be other blog posts, videos or landing pages with useful or insightful information.
- Narrow down the focus of your blog post by choosing the age, location and company size you are seeking to engage with
- Return to the blog post at a later date and add a comment or question to continue the conversation. You can also comment on the content from your personal account to keep people interested.
Google+
- Create content based on the ‚hot topics‘ on Google to show you are aware on real-time events
- The best time to upload a post is 9am to 11am
- Use a full-sized picture to add colour and character to any post – the perfect image size is 800×600
- Add relevant hashtags to your content to increase its reach and make sure people know what it is about
- Make sure you are a member of relevant communities and actively contribute to them, while any comments made by other users should be responded to promptly