crafting the perfect post
TRANSCRIPT
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
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
• 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)
• 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?
