Nigel Wilkinson
Managing Director of Daneswood. Nigel has been in sales and marketing since the 1980's and run digital marketing agencies since 2000.
In our previous two blogs, we covered why you should consider using social media as part of your marketing strategy and which platforms you should think of using. This time, we look at WHAT you should be posting!
This is, without doubt, the most important part. You can be successful on any platform, with the right strategy. Yes, some will suit your market better than others, but all could work, in theory. The key is what content you create, and how often you create it.
Pretty much all of the platforms favour people who post regularly, and when I say regularly, I mean very regularly; for example, on LinkedIn, they like daily posting!
Now, I get why they encourage activity, but the obsessive drive to post daily to play the algorithm can lead to a decline in the quality of the post. So, you need to be aware of that and make sure you carefully plan your content. Commenting on other people’s posts does help the algorithm, but original content is preferred.
When creating content, you need to consider both your platform and your resources. Video is very powerful across all platforms, especially TikTok, but Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter) all love video content.
Now, video content can be quite demanding to create, especially if you are looking to present a high-quality professional image. That said, mobile phones have incredible cameras that, a decade ago, would have cost £250k and getting a wireless microphone is pretty cheap.
If you have a face for radio and don’t fancy producing video, then a great image can be a massive influence on views, especially on Facebook and Instagram, although X and LinkedIn posts can get a boost from an engaging picture.
Text is still the king on X and LinkedIn, so the ability to write pithy prose is an advantage. That said, a simple message with valuable content will always perform best. And if you really want engagement, simply misspell a word or get your grammar wrong, and people will be all over it, and not necessarily in the way you wanted!
That brings us to what you should post! Well, that depends on your products or services, and who your target audience is. Think about what content they will find interesting and useful, then tailor your messages around that.
- Hints and tips
- User guidance
- Buyer advice
- Product comparisons
- Industry news and updates
- Customer testimonials and reviews
- Promotions and discounts
- Competitions and giveaways
- Polls and surveys
- Customer generated content – e.g. users’ photos etc.
It’s important to remember the old sales saying, “People Buy People!” Which means people buy from people they know, like and trust. So, giving an insight into your organisation, character, or team can be a good way to break the ice.
- Personal news
- Pets
- Team building insights
- Team milestones
- Acquisitions
- New team members
- Community involvement
The ideal probably looks like a mix of all these and will depend on you, your organisation, and your customer profile.
If we get asked one thing about social media more than any other, it’s about how to find the time! Trying to do it on an ad hoc basis will almost certainly mean it fails. Maybe not in week one, or even month one, but as soon as there is a deadline or an emergency, or a customer wants something urgently.
Content must be planned, and the further ahead you plan, the easier it becomes. Planning in advance, scheduling the time, and having a structure will mean it happens consistently. And if you hate the idea of social media, delegate to a team member who is interested in social media. They will be engaged and take on the challenge with gusto. And if that doesn’t work, you can always contact us, and we can help.
Happy posting, and I look forward to reading your posts with interest.