3 tips for successful social posting
You have your communication calendar set, you’ve populated and mapped it out. You’re ready to hit the internet with great content. But how can you ensure that your content reaches your target audience? Here are 3 tips:
- Use references and hashtags. #Hashtags are like a silverware drawer – if someone is looking for a spoon and you’ve used the #spoon hashtag, they will find your post sitting comfortably in the “spoon” slot. A hashtag allows spoon seekers to easily find your content among other spoon content. In addition to hashtags, use as many references (links to places/people/etc.) as possible. For example, are you quoting a study conducted by a professor at your local University? Include a link to the school’s website, or to their social page, or even better, to the social profile of the professor. If you do so, anyone that is connected with those you reference have a much greater possibility of seeing your post. Both hashtags and references greatly increase the potential reach of your posts.
- Video is king. Video packs a punch. But did you know that on Facebook posts that include video receive about 135% more traffic than those with static images? (source) We know that videos can be time-consuming if you shoot them yourselves, and expensive if you purchase from a stock site. But you can be creative with your videos. If you only have static images, combine them and put them into a movie that rotates between images. Movement will attract the eye, hold the visitors attention and obtains more engagement than static posts.
- Re-post great content: It can be difficult to come up with creative and innovative content. The good news is you don’t have to. Find applicable, high-quality content and re-post it. Your audience still gets great value, and if you are careful to give credit, you get the added benefit of referencing someone else (see tip #1 above), thereby increasing your reach, your audience, and building professional relationships.
Always keep your goals with your communication calendar top-of-mind. It can be easy to fall into the habit of mechanically completing your social posts, while forgetting what it is you are trying to achieve. These 3 tips will help you stay viable and current with your audience, and to establish yourself as a leader in your field.
