7 Tips to Improve Your Content Performance on Social Media
As a content marketer, you wear many “hats.” One of those is crafting social media content that serves many purposes — developing relationships, engaging new followers through discussions and shares, and, ultimately, getting those followers to your website and other content, so that you can get those conversions.
But, if you are measuring your efforts and you are not happy with the performance of your social media presence and responses, then you know you have to take action.
Check out your social media content against these 7 tips to increase your performance 👇
1. Put Yourself in the Reader’s Shoes 🚶♀
Too often, we focus on ourselves. We have developed a new product, and we want to present it to the reader, almost as an accomplishment of ours. And we are proud of that accomplishment.
But what about the reader? How is the reader going to get excited about that product unless you focus on the value of the product or a problem it may solve for him? Why should he care about your new product?
2. Trigger Curiosity 😍
You want a headline that will pique a reader’s interest. And one of the best ways to do this is to make the reader curious about what you are going to say next. A headline such as “Three Things that All Millionaires Do” is a good example.
Asking a question will also serve this purpose. James Daily, content manager and blogger at Flash Essay puts it this way: “I write a lot of copy for social media pages that relate to tips for job searchers. In analyzing responses — likes, shares, and comments — I know that when our headline asks a question, we just get more.” He goes on to give an example of two typical headlines — “Three don’ts during a job Interview” vs. “Do you know what three things will kill your interview?”
3. Tell A Story
Whenever you can, turn your post into a story 🙌
It can be about your company, your team, a customer, or how a new product idea came to be.
People like stories and are far more likely to read a post that tells a tale, even if it’s quite short.
ModCloth, a clothing retailer does a great job of this. Its posts feature customers’ stories of where they wore an item they purchased, along with photos. These always stimulate discussions.
This can be done with any business niche! Janet Harting, head of social media marketing for Canada-Writers, uses customer stories too. “When our clients meet with some success as a result of using our writing service, and they take the time to tell us about it, we always tell their stories on our social media channels. It’s like an unsolicited reference that spreads our brand.”
4. Develop a Theme or Consistent Voice 🎤
Many companies use themes for their posts. Consider, for example, the performance that Nathan Chan, creator of Foundr, a digital magazine for entrepreneurs, achieved. He began with Instagram with a theme of inspirational quotes, placed on a background of some amazing photos. Within three months, he had a following of 10,000.
Some businesses offer a quote or joke of the day. Followers come back every day as a result and often share those posts with their tribes. The quote or joke can be followed by a link to a piece of news about the company or a blog post.
The consistency of voice and posting can be compelling.
5. Give Your Audience Something to Do 🧩
There is a reason why those quizzes on Facebook are so popular. People like to “do” things when they access social media. If you can post surveys, quizzes, or hold contests, you will always get a better response. And if they are particularly engaging, your fans will share them too. And you can even give an incentive to share — some freebie or discount.
Veronica Wright, CEO for Resumescentre.com speaks to the success of this tactic from her experience: “We love giving our fans quizzes. We don’t even have to offer a physical prize. Our followers are in it for the “score” they get at the end. And then we ask them to share the quiz with their friends to see who can get the highest score. We also ask them to report back to us. This type of interaction always increases our following.”
6. Use Your Website to Drive Visitors to Your Social Media Channels 💻
Usually, businesses use social media to drive people to their websites, but the opposite can be pretty profitable too. You can provide site visitors with a “social wall” on your site, even giving live feeds of what is going on your social media channels at any given time.
Using a social wall tool will allow a website visitor to access content related to a specific topic from all of your social platforms. The benefits are obvious. The visitor can get a much more detailed “picture” of who you are, what value you bring, and often be entertained or inspired in the process. This is also a great way for a potential customer to view user-generated content that speaks to satisfaction with the product or service you offer — social proof is a key factor in making purchasing decisions. The linking back and forth can also have the important side benefit of SEO improvement.
7. Don’t Forget the Creativity Factor ✨
How you compose your posts is as important as what you are saying to your audience. Witty and catchy phrases and sentences capture interest and will keep fans coming back for more.
If you are not the “creative type,” get some outside help. Here are some resources:
- Portent Idea Generator: Whether you need topic ideas related to your niche or just amazing headlines, this tool can be invaluable.
- Online Writers Rating: Writing service with a history of success in crafting creative copy for posts.
- Canva: Here is a tool to create graphics of any type — visuals are no longer an option for social media posts — your followers expect them.
- BestWritersCanada: A writing service with a full department of creative copywriters
- Movavi: Videos are probably the most popular type of content that audience access. This software allows you to create amazing videos, complete with sound and other effects.
- Fiverr: An online marketplace for freelance services of all types.
Conclusion
You will not become an overnight sensation on social media. It happens only rarely, usually when someone creates and posts a video that goes viral. But you can, by following these seven tips, greatly improve the performance of your social media presence and following. Be patient and let your following grow naturally.
Note: This is a guest post.
