Whose #MondayMotivations always cheer you up on Twitter? What #WednesdayWisdoms do you routinely like and share on Instagram? Who has the best Facebook #ThrowbackThursdays? What is it about these posts that makes them so helpful, fun and motivational?
Pay attention to social media posts that you notice, enjoy, like and share. Note what kind of content attracts your attention as well as how much engagement those posts earn from other users. Pay attention to whether videos, blog posts or memes earn the most engagement. How do these posts employ devices like tags and hashtags? Do your own analysis as you think through how to make your posts more impactful.
Getting noticed and earning engagement on social media tends to be somewhat formulaic, but it’s also about knowing your audience and your subject matter, and circulating great content. Keep these tips in mind as you aim to build more impactful posts.
An audience that gets you
Be purposeful about the audience you’re cultivating. While it’s great to have a large following, this is not just a numbers game. You want an audience that shares your passions and is inclined to be interested in the subject matter you’re promoting via your social media presence. You want your fans and followers to get your references, to be receptive to your content and to engage with your posts.
One way you can achieve this is by strategically using hashtags when you post. Doing so positions your content among other posts dealing with that subject matter. Users who are interested in that subject, then, are inclined to see, like and share the content that you’re peddling.
Look at what the major players in your industry, the larger businesses and professional societies, do in their posts. Copy their hashtags and tag those organizations in your posts. This way you’re looping in others, plus (potentially) their followers.
Social media is a thought exchange. Use it to share ideas, answer questions and develop your social media presence so that users come to know your business as a strong voice in the industry. If you want people to engage with you, engage with them first and distinguish yourself and your business as an industrial resource.
Post solutions and data
Think of it like your handing out coupons in the mall of ideas. Give users insights, data and usable bits of information that they can share. If you’re a realtor, and you’ve got an exciting update about the real estate market, for example, and you can boil it down into a graph or picture, circulate and share that. Users love getting those insider tips from their own curated news source.
This is especially helpful when it comes to something like the local real estate market because it can be kind of challenging to get a clear understanding as a non-practitioner. Clarifying confusing subject matter, providing insider tips and suppling helpful data is a good strategy for earning audience engagement.
Tis the season
Share seasonal tips. Everyone loves to embrace whatever holiday season is upon us. If you’ve got a recipe for a great autumn meal that is healthy and low sodium and the seniors you work with are loving it - post that. If your staff is wearing Halloween costumes to the office, we all want to see those pics. If you are writing a blog post about how to stage a home at Halloween, circulate it far and wide.
We love the holidays, because they are awesome, fun and they give us tons of opportunities to make food, decorate and take pictures. Social media loves all of that!
Post those videos
Everyone loves the pics, but video reigns supreme on social media. In 2017, videos earned greater reach than any other Facebook post, surpassing photos by 135 percent, according to Social Media marketing site Revive.Social. Likewise, Revive.Social finds that tweets including a video are six times more likely to be retweeted than those with static pictures and three times more likely to be circulated than those with memes.
If you have some great footage of the dance contest at your office Halloween party, a how-to video about making homemade popsicles to help keep seniors hydrated or a virtual open house tour, consider posting it for your audience.
Remember: When it comes to your social media posts, make it fun, helpful and shareable.