How did you learn the value of social media?
Maybe you’re like me. You’re a millennial. You grew up with this stuff. You prefer to check your Twitter or Facebook feeds, as opposed to reading the paper. You may even recognize this guy:
Boy, 2009 was fun.
Photo courtesy of thesocialclinic.com
Or maybe, you didn’t grow up with social media in your face. You didn’t need to know it until now. With everyone living in a digital-savvy world, it’s critical your business isn’t just online, but dominating your social media presence.
You already know why this matters: your customers and potential leads are out there just waiting to engage with your brand and see what you’re all about. So, how do you stay ahead of the game?
The number of times you post per week depends on how many followers you have.
Let’s look at Facebook. The number of times you post per week is backed behind some data. You’re posting content because you want your consumers to engage with your brand!
But here’s the catch, organic posts get lost in the mix between all of the content your followers are scrolling through.
So what does that mean for you? The more followers you have, the more competition you’re going up against when you post. The result? You need to post more! Our friends at Hubspot broke down the numbers into a few groups to help identify just how much you should post in a week’s time to get the most engagement:
On average, posting three times per week is a safe bet. This gives you the flexibility to update your followers on what’s going on without producing content for the sake of content.
Capture people’s attention with visuals.
Who doesn’t love a beautiful picture to accompany a post? Even in my leisurely Facebook scrolling, 9 times out of 10 I’m more likely to “react” to a post that has an image, as opposed to only text.
There are a lot of unique ways to incorporate pictures into your business’ social media calendar:
- Show your followers what you’re up to with behind-the-scenes pictures or some office fun.
- Add images to your Facebook events to hint at the theme of what you’re inviting people to.
- Use images for powerful quotes. You can create graphics using sites like Canva to make little projects like this super simple.
- Use other features like posting “live” or a recorded video to highlight a key point.
Reader Tip: video content is the number one content on social right now, so use your resources and click the record button more often
Whether it comes down to time or patience, people on social media opt to look at a picture versus reading a long post. Get creative with your posting content and see your engagements skyrocket!
Be current with your posts with seasonal content.
It’s great to recycle older posts that have a universal message. But adding a few seasonal posts to let your followers know you’re up-to-date with what’s going on in the world, but most importantly in their world, goes a long way.
Tying back your post to a current event or holiday is perfect when creating brand authenticity. If you’re looking for a way to do this on Twitter, try using a hashtag that’s associated with what’s going on in the world. [Not sure how hashtags work? Get the scoop here.]
You can also tie images into your seasonal content. Use pictures to promote that Mother’s Day Sale you’re having or a sunny day image to tie back to your summer-related content. A reminder I tell myself all the time is to think of what I would look for when I check my social accounts, (as a customer, not a business). Think like your consumer and you’ll be unstoppable.
Learning the ins-and-outs of social media management doesn’t happen overnight. It takes patience, practice, and making mistakes from time to time. By posting content in a timely manner, you won’t annoy your followers or lose your voice amongst your competitors. Optimize your posts for engagement by using images and videos to keep your page alive.
If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure about this stuff, you’re not alone. Spire works with businesses every day to create a message the hits home with their customers that you can use in your social media planner. Take control of your marketing on every platform and increase your engagement today.