Your business or organization is most likely on social media in some capacity. It may be a basic profile on Facebook or elaborate and across numerous platforms. In some way, shape or form you’ve probably recognized that having a presence on social media is a must.
(Not quite there yet? Check out our Building a Social Media Plan Guide to get started.)
Now, it’s time to make sure that the hours you or your team are investing into it, are getting the results you want out of it. We’re talking ROI ("Return On Investment") folks!
So, let’s get you and your team on the right track to creating stunning social media posts that your target audience will actually like. That’s like in the literal, IRL way, and “like” in the way that you do every time you see a puppy on Instagram.
1. Ask yourself, would your target audience want to see your post?
Simple fact, many social posts are falling on deaf ears, which means they are not providing any sort of monetary return for businesses and organizations. Worse yet, algorithm-based social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram understand what its users want to see, and if you aren’t posting that type of content, most people won’t see your posts at all.
So, how can you avoid the most common social media traps? Answer: Know your audience and ask yourself, would they stop to:
read/glance/like/share/😆/😡/♥️/tweet/comment/or...actually read the linked content?
Don’t waste your time creating posts for the sake of posting if the information is not relevant, the graphics are lack-luster and there is no clear call-to-action. Make sure you have clearly defined who your audience is and write posts for them!
Using a buyer persona worksheet is a great way to make sure your audience is clearly defined and can be easily shared with your team, or anyone who posts on your platforms. This will keep everyone on the same page when it comes to the correct tone, content and end goal of your posts.
2. Visuals are everything
As you scroll through your social media feeds, what is the first thing that catches your eye? Chances are it’s a beautiful photo, a fun video or a clean graphic.
That’s because as we spend more and more time on social media, the time spent per post decreases. If your post contains eye catching visuals, your audience will have a greater likelihood of seeing it.
After all, making sure your audience is seeing your posts is the backbone of a social media strategy. Not to mention, studies also show that people have the ability to recall 65% of the visual content they see almost three days later! Make sure your content is that content they recall!
So, when building your posts, be sure you are using high quality, relevant imagery or video.
Your smartphone likely has a camera that is more than passable for any social media content you are looking to create. Whether your organization is trying to create a photo album for an event you are hosting, display merchandise you are trying to sell or putting a face to a testimonial of the good work you are doing, a smartphone camera will get the job done. Canva, a free graphic design software, has an app that can be downloaded to your smartphone, as well as used on a desktop or laptop computer that offers easy-to-use templates, graphics and sizing for all of the main social platforms.
3. Straight, to the point, copy
There are times when writing a long, in-depth social media post is the right idea. Maybe your organization wants to take a strong stance on a particular issue. Maybe there has been a controversy within your organization that you must address publicly. But for the most part, brevity is key when posting on social media.
You now know that images carry most of the weight of your social posts (someone once said that a picture says a thousand words, right?). All your copy needs to do is give the necessary context and a clear call to action.
Always ask yourself, what is the purpose or goal of this post? Does it reflect the interests of my core target audience? And, is there a call to action for my audience to take?
4. Have a plan
You’re using your smartphone to take great photos and videos. You’ve downloaded Canva to take care of graphics. You know how to write clean copy that effectively tells your story. Now it’s time to put a proper plan in place to make sure you are posting on a consistent basis around your main goals.
Time is something we all know there is never enough of. With a plan in place, you will be able to manage your social media pages while completing all of the other responsibilities that we know you have going on.
A previous WaterStreet Creative blog post, titled Three Simple Tips for Increasing Your Social Media Engagement That You Can Start Today, outlined the ways that you can get your social media plan together. You can also download our Social Media Content Calendar Template to get started.
Still feel like you’re in over your head? We can help with that. Set up a meeting or phone call with someone on our accounts team to find out how we can help you achieve your social media goals.
