Social Gone Small Part 2: Social Media Content Hacks Posted on September 22, 2015August 26, 2016 by Jessica Lunk In Part 1 of Social Gone Small, we explored the different social media platforms and the popular demographics found on each. Now, we’re going to dive into they type of content that will get your audience engaged with your brand. In Part 3, we’ll look at how you can grow a following of avid fans. Social media is different than other types of marketing in that you are promoting to a social channel. The keyword there is social, and you need to keep in mind that people are on each site to interact with their friends and acquaintances. The best way to get your audience to engage is to be genuinely social with them. Here are 8 social media content hacks to show your personality and get to know your followers: 1. The Rule of Thumb This rule of thumb hack is true of most social media sites. People will follow you if they are interested, and stop following if you are not sending them what entertains or educates them in some way. Therefore, you have to mix up your content. For every marketing-focused piece, you should post a few personal pieces. They can be about your employees. They can be about the current news. They can be funny videos that you find online. You can’t bombard followers with advertising. If you do, you will lose them. 2. Visual Content Is King Images are extremely important on all social media sites with added importance on sites such as Pinterest, Snapchat, and Instagram. Creating original images is an easy way to stand out from your competitors. Make sure you are posting the recommended sized image for each site. There are many great online photo editing tools out there such as Canva and PicMonkey that are affordable and easy to use. 3. Call-to-Action For most social media sites, you have the ability to add a call-to-action in the text area for each post. You can ask your followers to bookmark a post, save it for later or read the rest on your blog. 4. Post With Goals In Mind Make sure you have a strategy for each post. Most social media posts have one of three goals: Click to go to your site Share this item with your friends Respond with a like or comment You can survey followers, have them take a quiz or show them a video. Make it short and simple and know why you are posting. 5. Stand Out With Videos Videos are extremely popular and they don’t have to be long or professionally produced. A minute or less will get you the most views. You can post videos almost everywhere including Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. The best videos are recorded with a smartphone and posted online. Instead of worrying about production, get your video out there fast. The more you do it, the easier it will get as you develop your voice. 6. Share with Friends Ask your followers to share. Social media channels are all about sharing with other people. That is how they grow. If you are engaging the right audience for your products or services, you can ask your followers to share with their friends. If they like what you are posting, then their friends will too. 7. Shorten Those Links If you are not already using a link shortener, you should be. When you shorten links, you annoy people less AND you can track them. While you shouldn’t want to annoy your followers, tracking their behavior is something that can help you learn what is successful so you can repeat it. While some social media sites do provide analytics, most do not give you comprehensive information. 8. Be Picky Do not try to jump on every social media site that comes out. Do your research and work with two or three to start that have the right audience for your company. You need to be consistent or there is no point to being on a site at all. Want more insight into how to grow your social media strategy? Check back to learn how to grow an engaged following.
Do You Have Fun With Your Social Media Strategy? Posted on February 19, 2015August 5, 2022 by Jessica Lunk Does your social media strategy feel like a chore? Do you create posts that your audience doesn’t engage with? It’s easy to get discouraged when your social media strategy just isn’t working despite your best efforts. When social media marketing isn’t fun, it’s time to change something. “I live by the rule, if it’s not fun, I’m not doing it.” – Kim Doyal Social media can provide you answers, inspiration, and motivation. So how can you centralize your social media strategy around having fun? Use your heart. You’re emotionally and personally invested in your business, so replicate that in your marketing. Your biggest fans will be the ones that know without a doubt that you love what you do. Talking about your passions and having others respond is so rewarding. Get in front of your customers online. If you provide great customer service, they will provide the engagement you seek. Explore your creativity. Through my years exploring social media channels and the web, I’ve found that I have the most fun when I find my niche. Social media allows you to find like-minded people with similar interests, voice, and style. Get out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there! Explore and you will find your treasure chest. Break from what you know and dip your toe in other social networks; stick with the channels you enjoy participating in. Being creative and real will help you break from the noise. Show some personality. Don’t be afraid to be yourself on social media. If social media teaches us anything is that you can be yourself and still find acceptance. On top of that, it’s easier than ever! Your online tone and voice will take some work to develop. If it feels wrong, then it’s wrong. If it feels forced, it’s forced. Use your company values as the background to your online brand. Be wary of automated social media response tools because your audience will be quick to sniff it out. Context is everything on social media. You can be silly online but looking like a fool won’t get you far. “Take your time, find out what it is you want to do, and develop it by having fun with it.” – Steve Ewing Don’t be scared. Be human. Social media is a two way street. Once you get yourself out there, engage with others without self-promoting. Respond to every tweet or comment – not because a social media expert told you to but because it makes people feel good to be heard. Provide valuable feedback and conversation to build a relationship because you don’t just walk into a networking event shouting about your business. At the end of the day, life is all about relationship building. Don’t lose your human and don’t be afraid of being emotionally vulnerable. If it’s fun, you’ll have the time. Be emotionally invested in your social media marketing. “People don’t buy what you do but why you do it.” If you aren’t excited about it, how can anyone else be? If you are creating noise, you will not see the engagement you want. Get the social conversation going with great customer service and keep it going by having fun with it. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou Shout out to Nickelodeon for creating Spongebob Squarepants and years of fun inspiration!