Before I start giving you tips for posting on social media, let me tell you how the idea came up. Yesterday, I had a marketing meeting at work. At the meeting, we talked about how we could improve our social media marketing strategy for the next quarter, which will start on January 1st. I recommended the founders of Cobraid to start being more active on their personal social media accounts, mostly on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Of course, I recommended them to share and re-tweet some of the content we publish on the company page. Yet, I told them that this isn’t enough. They should also post things on their own, like thoughts and tips that could be helpful to our target group. Moreover, they should also try to comment on other posts that are relevant, to create more awareness for Cobraid.
Funny enough, what I thought would be a simple tip from me to them started a huge conversation. To my big surprise, they had no clue how to do that. They were not sure where to start, and moreover, they wanted to know how they could structure and plan this task in their daily work.
That’s when I realized that it’s easy for me, because I love social media marketing. For them on the other hand, three software engineers, it is quite the opposite. And they most certainly can’t be the only ones who don’t know where to start. So, here it is, 8 tips for posting on social media.
Tip #1: Before posting, be sure you have a documented social media strategy
Having a social media strategy on paper is super important. So before even considering posting on SoMe, create your social media strategy. You can do it in 6 easy steps, and it shouldn’t take you more than a couple of hours. Yet, once done, you’ll feel way more structured, and everything you post will be aligned with your strategy.
Tip #2: Always consider the social media platform you are writing on
Depending on which platforms you are posting on, you might not have the same tone of voice, nor the same goal. Understanding how each platform’s algorithm works is a huge advantage. It will help you design content that will rank better. Take a look at the infographic below that I designed to compare the different platforms.
Tip #3: Always know the goal of each post
Before writing a post, ask yourself what the goal of the post is. There are many different goals you can choose from. It could be to get traffic to your website or simply to entertain your followers. Yet, by having a clear goal in mind, you’ll be more structured when writing the post. Keep the algorithms of each platform in mind when choosing a goal.
Tip #4: Always start a post with the core subject
You need to hook people right away. So, no matter if you create a video, an infographic, or a simple post, you need to tell users what it is about right at the beginning. The subject should be in the first 4 words. This is one of the most important tip for posting on social media. It makes a huge difference!
Tip #5: Always end with a call-to-action (CTA)
All of your posts should end with a call-to-action. Your call-to-action is directly related to the goal of your post. So, depending on your goal, you’ll want to encourage readers/viewers to perform a specific action.
Tip #6: Always keep the optimal length in mind
It’s a good idea when posting on social media to know the optimal length of each platform. In general, keep it short and sweet on Facebook and Twitter. On LinkedIn and Instagram, you have to write more. Still, be concise and interesting. You can find the optimal length of each platform in the infographic that I shared in Tip #2.
Tip #7: Be interesting
Try not to post the same single thing, in the same single way, every single day. Choose different media types, reshare content you liked, use storytelling, etc. Moreover, if you feel overwhelmed, remember that you don’t need to create all the content that you are sharing. There are tons of great YouTube videos, GIFs, and photos that you can share. Of course, always be careful that you are allowed to share it, and that you attribute the source correctly.
Tip #8: Be aware of trends in your domain
Following trends is a great way to gain more engagement. So, depending on your content topics, follow other blogs, be aware of related news. That way, you will always be posting interesting and up-to-date content. A great way of doing this is by creating a Medium account, and by following the right tags. Take a few minutes every day to scroll down Medium to find out what is happening in your field. Of course, follow tip #5 and reshare the articles you find the most interesting.
So, here it was, 8 tips for posting on social media.
I hope you liked my tips for posting on social media. Of course, knowing these won’t magically make you be the best social media content creator. Like with other things in life, you always need practice to become good. Yet, by following these tips for posting on social media, I can assure you that you’ll see some results.
Again, if you liked this article, don’t forget to follow my blog. Also, I love when I get comments, so if you have any feedback or tips you’d like to share, then feel free to do it.
Erika Naud 