If a content strategy is already part of your marketing plan, you’ll also want to push your content out onto social media. With so many services available, it can be challenging to decide what platforms you want to use and how to create unique content for each channel.
The good news is, there is no reason to be on EVERY social channel or to post to each of them daily. You, or your marketing team, will want to select the channels where you are most likely to reach your ideal customer. If you’re selling tie-dye sweatshirts, you’ll probably want to be on Instagram and maybe try Tiktok, but your audience isn’t on LInkedIn. If you are an HR Consultant, you can probably skip Tik Tok and focus on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
We’ve been around long enough to remember when creating engaging social content mainly meant producing copy for Twitter and Facebook – but now nearly every post requires an image (or even better a .GIF or Video) if you want to grab someone’s attention and “stop the scroll”. A study by OkDork and BuzzSumo looking at over 100 MILLION posts showed that posts with images on Facebook got 3x the engagement as text alone.
With that in mind, here are a few easy tips for producing optimal social media posts with images for your top channels.
1. Stay on Brand
Customers are more likely to visit your social feeds than your website, so you want them to associate your posts with your brand. Take the time to edit posts (Canva is a great way to do this) to include your logo and perhaps a bit of text on the image.
2. Stop the Scroll
Head to Instagram and Facebook and start scrolling through your newsfeed. What grabs your attention and makes you stop to read or see what’s happening? Is it a bold colour with a small bit of text? A black and white image? A cute puppy? A video? Keep track of what grabs your attention and use those ideas to build your own social posts.
3. Variety
It can be tempting to just post pictures of your products on social media – after all, that’s what you are trying to sell, right? But keep in mind that people can buy items just about anywhere, thanks to the internet. They want to buy from YOU, so make sure to schedule at least one post a week that gives some insight into you – why you started your business, why you choose the products you do, or what your customers say about you (customer testimonials make GREAT sales material!). Your customers will remember these personal touches and they’ll connect with the right buyers for you.
This one always stops me scrolling:
4. Video
You can’t get away from it.. We all walk around with a video camera in our pockets now, so take it out and share a bit of your day with your followers. Instagram stories or reels and Facebook stories really do connect with people. If you struggle with hearing your own recorded voice or seeing yourself on camera use stock video or turn the camera on your employees (with permission, of course) or your production process.
Don’t know where to start with Stories? Hootsuite has some great advice: How to Use Instagram Stories to Build Your Audience
5. Make sure it fits
Have you scrolled through a feed and come across images where the text is cut off, or worse, a person’s head?! This is because the user hasn’t taken the time to resize images appropriately for that social channel. Yes, it can be tedious and take a few more minutes away from your other business duties, but taking the time to make sure your images are displayed properly shows that you care and keeps your feed looking cared for. If you are on a lot of channels and need to resize for each one then it may be time to hire a third party to take care of images and posts for you – social media managers exist for a reason!
Finally – don’t forget your call to action! Now that you’ve gotten your customer to a) stop and b) read your post they need you to tell them exactly what to do! Leave a comment, visit your webpage or join your mailing list are all simple and effective calls to action that will lead to further engagement and success in your social marketing.
We hope these tips make it a little easier for you to plan and manage your social content this year. And if all of this sounds a bit too overwhelming, remember that we can assist with strategy, planning, content writing and scheduling.
