crafting the perfect post

Crafting the Perfect Post

Tiffani StephensonSocial Media Manager, UF IFAS Communications

Platforms to Review

• Facebook• Twitter• Instagram• Pinterest• LinkedIn

• We’ll discuss appropriate text, images, content, and applicable tips by platform

Why is this important?• Users interact and consume content on social

media channels differently• The more interesting and inspiring, the more exposure

you get!

• Social media is constantly changing

• Nothing beats testing each strategy for your own audience

• This is just framework – YOU create compelling content

FacebookText:• Work hard to write plainly and simply, with nouns and

active verbs• As complexity of the language increases, the number of times

it’s shared on Facebook decreases

• Avoid overly geeky topics or jargon• Experiment with relating your topics to more approachable ideas and stories

• Self-referential language such as I, me, us, and we• Keep link titles under 100 characters• Posts need to be less than 100 or more than 350 characters • Photos with short captions• If a post doesn’t have an image and is primarily text-based, include a meaty

amount of information, rather than a brief snippet

OR

Words, words, words…on FB

• Most Shareable Words: Facebook, Why, Most, World, How, Health, Bill, Big, Says, Best, Video, You, Apple, Media, Top, First

• Least Shareable Words: “vs,” Apps, Review, Down, Poll, Game, York, Twitter, Social, Time, iPhone, Google, TV, Live

• Audiences want to read the story behind the stories they ’re hearing on the nightly news, not just the same things everyone else is saying

Content:• Company culture, who our employees are, and hosted

events • Ask for audience’s opinion on how they use products,

services, etc. • Great customer service• Intriguing assets – news, etc. Images: • Highest response is with content that is visual; mixed

media stands out• Give them more to look at and like

Twitter

Text:• Keep the Tweet simple, concise, and compelling• Conversational tone – think of Twitter as the “water

cooler”Images: • Evoke emotion with striking images• Make sure the image is not pixelated and is of high

quality

Strategic URLs:• Place the URL in the middle or end of the Tweet• Say something intriguing before the link• Explain why you have found it interesting or valuable enough share• Shorten the link

Create Impact! For Example:

• No Impact - We are selling our stock for half price!

How could this be improved?

• Impact - We’re selling our warehouses, so we’re slashing prices - everything must go!

• Poor wording - Try our new waterslide for lots of fun.

How could this be improved?

• Good wording - Our new waterslide has just opened!

What would be even better?

• Great wording - Our new waterslide is more fun than a blaze at a fireworks factory!

The Hashtag (#)Hashtags:• build a stronger social presence

• rally consumers around sponsored causes or events

• drive more customers to specific brands

• can be used to create meaningful conversations with customers

So…• Keep the hashtag short but if you can’t, make sure it’s catchy

• Pick industry or brand keywords

• Try to use the hashtag as a natural part of the sentence

• Use it to group your post into a particular topic

Using Hashtags on Twitter

• Go to search.twitter.com and check if someone else is already using the desired hashtag--it’s better to use something unique to your campaign

• Don’t hijack sensitive topics--this will only cause negative backlash and offend your audience

• Don’t over-populate your Tweets with too many hashtags • Use 1-2 hashtags – 1 is optimum• Tweets with hashtags containing 11 or more characters get 48% more

retweets than those within 1 and 5

• Tweets with hashtags containing 11 or more characters get 117% more retweets than those within 6 and 10

Instagram• #Don’t #Go #Hashtag #Crazy

• Commemorate Big (or Small) Moments• Find beauty everywhere, inspire action, share experiences

• Tap into timely events by sharing relevant images

• “When in Rome…”• Create consistent mini-campaigns, gain exposure on heavily

trafficked hashtags

BAD GOOD

• Show compelling video that are 30 seconds or less

• Return the Love – engage with #UGC

• Share images/videos from location-based events

Pinterest

• High-quality, aesthetic, visually compelling images

• Remove faces - get re-pinned 23% more often

• Label images and add details (name, logo, website, etc.)

• Add a link to the pin description that leads to the webpage to drive more traffic

• Pins with descriptions about 200 characters long get the most re-pins

• Use the right board, hashtags and keywords to make pins more searchable

• Time it correctly (between 2pm and 4pm, 8pm and 1am)

LinkedIn

• Post about breaking news, industry trends and sneak peeks

• Ask questions to increase engagement

• Limit text length to 50 characters

• Include a URL, drive people to blog post, landing page, or YouTube video

• Reduce redundant info

• Posting is just the start – stay engaged by adding a question or comment to the conversation

In Conclusion…• Provide value

• Great content is produced while aligning with brand goals AND constituent interests

• Target updates to audience’s personal location

• Position yourself to be a leader in your industry

• Use mixed media (videos, photos) instead of long text blurbs

• Surprise with interesting content they didn’t think to seek out

• Be human and personable!

Questions?

Thank You!

Tiffani Stephenson – tsteph220@ufl.edu