Getting on board the social media train is a big step in your social media marketing plan. However, creating a free business account with Facebook or promoting yourself on Twitter is just the first step. Beyond the informational process of hanging your digital shingle, you need to attract new followers and get more “fans” through your weekly postings.
What makes a great posting on Facebook or Twitter? Unlike a personal account, you are not posting what you ate for breakfast this morning or where you ran into your crush at the mall. Instead, you must write direct, succinct, and catchy posts that will inform your current fans and followers, as well as intrigue new ones.
Here are some tips on creating great posts for your business social media accounts.
Use a Social Media Dashboard
A social media dashboard like Hootsuite is a great tool for you to manage posts from multiple social sites, as well as discover who is mentioning you in their posts. Hootsuite allows you to write as many pre-dated posts as you want and post them automatically on the date and time you set. As well, you can run searches on your profile name to find out how often your business is mentioned and shared on the sites.
Write Succinct Posts
Particularly on Twitter, you only get 140 characters (including spaces) to make an impactful post. Use the space wisely. Write a one to two sentence post packed with information and intrigue. Think of your Tweet as a teaser that would prompt readers to click through to your shortened URL.
Use Photos and Videos
According to a study performed by Virtue, an Atlanta-based social media management company, social media posts with photos or videos get read more. Photos will get more attention 54% of the time over plain text posts, and video attracts 27% more over words. Use this nugget of information to apply great-looking photos and well-produced video shorts to your posts that will engage your audience more.
Always Post on Fridays
Also according to the Virtue study, people tend to be more active on Fridays on social networks. Make sure you post on Fridays as well and engage comments, sharing, and more “likes” to your account.
