500SocialMediaMarketingTips:
EssentialAdvice,HintsandStrategy
forBusiness:Facebook,Twitter,
Pinterest,Google+,YouTube,
Instagram,LinkedIn,andMore!


December2015Edition
Copyright©2012-2015byAndrewMacarthy
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TableofContents
500SocialMediaMarketingTips:EssentialAdvice,HintsandStrategyfor

Business:Facebook,Twitter,Pinterest,Google+,YouTube,Instagram,
LinkedIn,andMore!
TableofContents
WhyYourBusinessNeedsSocialMediaMarketing!
BeforeYouBegin:KeyConsiderationsForAllSocialMediaMarketing
Explained:TheBestTypesofContenttoPostonSocialMedia
FacebookTips:MarketingStrategyYou'llLikeandShare
TwitterTips:TweetYourWaytotheTop
Google+Tips:PlusOneYourMarketingStrategy
PinterestTips:PinYourWaytoMarketingPerfection
LinkedInTips:NetworkLikeClockwork
YouTubeTips:VideoMadetheMarketingStar
InstagramTips:Snap-happyMarketingStrategy
VineTips:MarvelousMarketingWithMicro-Video
SnapchatTips:Self-DestructingSocialMediaMarketing
BloggingTips:CaptivateWiththeWrittenWord
GeneralStrategyforSuperSocialMediaMarketing
FreeandPremiumSocialMediaVideoTutorials:250+Videosand8+Hoursof
Content
FREEE-bookUpdatesFOREVER
DownloadMyEssentialSocialMediaMarketingPremiumContentBundle
INeedYou:HelpMakeThisBookEvenBetter!
HireMe:SocialMediaDesign,AnalysisandManagement
AbouttheAuthor
OneLastThing...



WhyYourBusinessNeedsSocial
MediaMarketing!



Overthelastdecade,socialmediamarketinghasbecomeanindispensabletool
inthearsenalofbrandsandbusinessesofallkinds,withopportunitiestobuild
relationships,engagewithcustomers,andincreasesaleslikeneverbefore-and
thestatsbackitup.AJanuary2014surveybyPewInternetrevealedthat74%of
adultsinNorthAmericausedsocialnetworkingsites,including82%of30-49
year-oldsand89%of18-29year-olds.Inaddition,researchfromsocialmedia
analystsDigitaspredictsthatthegrowthofsocialcommercecouldmakeita
businessworth$30billionbeforetheendof2017.AndinaSocialMedia
Examinerpollconductedin2015,91%ofrespondentssaidthatsocialmedia
marketing–workedonforatleast6hoursperweek-increasedexposurefor
theirbusiness.Ifyou'renotusingsocialmediaatall,oryourcurrentstrategy
isn'tworkingforyouaswellasyouhoped,nowisthetimetomakeachange.
Youareabouttolearnover500experthintsandtipstoeffectivelymarketyour
businessacrossallofthemostpopularsocialmediaplatformsincluding
Facebook,Twitter,YouTube,Google+,andPinterest.Eachchapterisgrouped
broadlyintoseveralsectionsincludingprofileoptimization,contentstrategy,and
adviceonpaidadvertising.

Successinsocialmediamarketingresultsfrombuildingstrongandlong-lasting
relationshipswithcustomersandprofessionalcontacts,andsharingthetypeof
contentandexpertisethattheywillwanttoshareonwardstotheirfriends,
family,andcolleagues.Thisapproachwillhelptoattractandkeeployal
customersandconnections,andencouragebrandambassadorstosellyour
businessforyou–acompletereversefromthetraditionalmarketingmodel!
Whilethisapproachisaworldawayfromthewaytraditionalmarketingworks,
thisopen,two-waycommunicationisnowwhatbillionsofconsumersaround
theworldexpectfromthebusinessesandbrandstowhomtheyinvesttimeand
money.Directsellingdoeshaveaplace,butasyou’lllearn,itisn’tthe“front

andcenter”wheresocialmediamarketingisconcerned.



Ihopeyoufindthefollowingadvicehelpful,whetheryou'reacompletesocial
medianoviceorasavvyindividuallookingforsomeextraexperttipstodrive
yourbusinessontobiggerandbetterthings.

Doletmeknowhowyougetonbygettingintouchviamysocialchannels!

Andrew.


BeforeYouBegin:Key
ConsiderationsForAllSocialMedia
Marketing

Peerpressure,successstoriesinthemediaandgeneralhypetelltoday’sbusiness
ownersthathavingapresenceonsocialmediaisessential.That’snottosaya
businesscouldn’tdowellwithoututilizingsocialnetworking,butthey’d
certainlybemissingoutonamyriadofopportunitiestobuildandgrow.
However,oneofthebiggestmistakesthatabrandcanmakeistoleapintosocial
mediamarketingwithnorealclueofwhattheyaregoingtodowithit;onlythe
vaguehopeitwillsomehowmaketheirfortune.Whilethereisapossibilitythat
yougetreallylucky,inmostcasesthiskindofunplannedapproachwillleadto
unrealisticgoal-setting,poorresults,ahugewasteoftime,andultimatelya
defeatistattitudethatputsyouofftheideaofsocialmediamarketingcompletely.
Toensurethatthisdoesn’thappentoyou–andtogiveyouthebestchanceof
success-Iurgeyoutodigestthekeyconsiderationsforsocialmediamarketing
detailedbelow.Bytheendofthischapter,youwillhaveafirmunderstandingof

whatkindofapproachworksforbusinessonsocialmedia,andhowtotakeyour
effortsinawell-planned,logicaldirection.

Decidewhichsocialnetworkswillworkbestforyou
Unlessyou'reabigcompanywiththeresourcestoplowfullspeedaheadinto
everypotentiallyviablesocialplatform,chancesareyou'rebettertofocusonone
ortwo“core”socialnetworksfirst.It'sbettertoexcelonacoupleofsocial
networksthanbemediocreonfiveorsix,andwhilesocialmediais(mostly)
free,yourtimeisvaluable.Indeed,dependingonthetypeofbusinessyourun,
noteverysocialmediasiteisgoingtosuityourmarketing,youraudience,or
whatyouaretryingtoachieve.Tohelpyoudecidewheretobegin,identify
whichsocialnetworksyourtargetaudiencealready"hangsout"orusecustomer
personasandresearchofsocialnetworkdemographicstojudgewhereyouwill
bestbereceived.JoiningFacebookandTwitterisoftenagivenforbrands
simplyduetotheirsheersizeandinfluence,butmore"niche"communitieswith
theirownuniqueattributes-stillwithhundredsofmillionsofusers,mindyoulikePinterest,Instagram,orLinkedIn,mightbewhereyoufindcanmakean


impactmoresuccessfully.You'lllearnallaboutwhateachparticularsocial
networkbringstothetableastheyareintroducedinthechapterstocome,butto
startoff,experimentwithacoupleofsocialnetworkswhereyoucaninvestsome
significanttime,trackyourprogress,andtheneitherbuildonyourachievements
withthem,orsteadilybegintoexperimentwithotherplatformsonwhichyou
mighthaveadditional(orbetter)success.

Defineandassessyourgoals
Beforeyoustartpostingcontenttosocialmedia,itisusefultodefinetheguiding
themesandoverallgoalsofyourstrategy,asthesewillhelpyoushapetheway
youapproachwhatmaywellbecomethelinchpininyourmarketingmachine.
I'mafanoftheSMARTtechniqueforcreatingactionablesocialmediagoals.

Here'sabreakdown,hopefullythey'llhelpyoutoo:

Specific:Bespecificinwhatyouwanttoachieve.Doyouwanttoraise
awarenessofyourbrand?Increasesales?Improvecustomerservice?Strengthen
loyalty?
Measurable:Howwillyouknowthatyourgoalhasbeenachieved?What
analyticstoolswillyouusetotrackyourprogress?
Achievable:Isyourgoalrealistic?Whenyouarejuststartingoff,don’taimtoo
highattheriskofbeingdeflatedifyoudon’thityourprojectedgoal;getting
reallyadeptatallthisstuff(particularlyifyouareapproachingsocialmedia
marketingseriouslyforthefirsttime)takesawhile.
Relevant:Isyourgoalalignedwithyourcompany'smission,visionandvalues?
TimeSpecific:Whendoyouwanttohaveachievedthegoalby?Toaddafocus
toyourmarketing,sticktooneoverarchinggoalatatime,e.g."Iwantto
increasetraffictoourwebsiteby15%inthenext3months".

Forexample,ifyou’reashoestoreownerandyounormallysell20pairsof
shoesaday,whynotaimtousesocialmediatohelpyousell25perday?Aftera
goodamountoftime(atleastafewmonths),evaluatewhereyouarebyusing
analyticstools,socialinsights(likes,followers,comments),andothermetricsto
helpyoutrackandmeasureyouractivity-you'llfindlotsmoreinformationon
theseshortly.

Performanaudittohelpshapeyourcontentstrategy
Carryingoutanauditisoneofthebestwaystogetanideaofthekindofsocial


mediacontentstrategythatwillresonatewithyouraudience,andagreatwayto
decideuponwhatyouwanttoposttoyouraudience.Taketimetoidentifyyour
audience'sneeds,desires,andinterestsonsocialmedia-askyourselfwhat

problemsyoucanhelpthemovercome,whatquestionsyoucananswer,what
typeofcontenttheyprefer(e.g.text,photo,graphics,video),andwhentheyare
mostlikelytobearoundtoseeit.ToolslikeSEMRushandTrueSocialMetrics
aretwopopularpaidoptionsifyouwanttodigrightdownintothedetails,but
youneedn'tspendapennytogetagood,generalidea...especiallyifyouuse
yourcompetitiontohelpyouout!First,identifyyourcompetitors(you'll
probablyknowthemalready,butasimplewebsearchwilltellyou),thenvisit
theirwebsitesandsocialmediaprofilesforanosearound.Makenotesonhow
oftenyourrivalspublishblogsandstatusupdatesonsocialmedia,andwhich
contentseemstoperformbestforthembasedonthenumberoflikes,comments,
andshares.Youcangainfurtherinsightbyidentifyinghowmuchofthiscontent
appearstobeoriginalversussharedfromothersources,andwhatthetopicsand
toneofvoiceusedarelike.Usetheinformationyougathertomirrorsuccessful
typesofcontentinyourownsocialmediastrategy,butalsotoidentifygapsand
opportunitieswhereyoucandobetter.
Note:SeethePremiumContentBundlechapterofthisbooktodownloada
ready-made24-questiontemplatetohelpyourbusinessplanandexecuteyour
socialmediastrategy,andperformasimplecompetitoranalysis.

Planaheadwithasocialmediacontentcalendar
Oneofthestiffesttestsfacingbrandsonsocialmediaistoconsistentlypublish
highqualitycontentfortheirfans.Acompany'ssocialmediapresencethat
appearsabandonedisthedigitalequivalentofturningyourlightsoff.Because
you'renotupdatingonline,peoplewillassumethatyou'regoingoutofbusiness,
eveniftheoppositeistrue.Sinceit'sthisconsistencythatcanreallyhelpto
boostlevelsofengagement(byenablingfanstoanticipateyournextpost)and
fosterastrongerrelationshipwithyouraudience(whowillkeepcomingbackfor
more),oneofthebestwaystohelpgetitrightisbycompilingasocialmedia
contentcalendar.Aneditorialcalendarwillallowyoutoplanyouractivityfor
weeks-orevenmonths-inadvance.Thisforesightwillallowyoutobuild

seasonalthemesintoyourupdates,andpreventyoufrompostingsub-parstuff
justbecauseyouneedtopublishsomething.Aswellasplanningforthebig
holidayslikeThanksgivingandChristmas,youwillalsobeabletomapouta
strategyfor“miniholidays”likeJuly4thorValentine’sDay,occasionswhere


fansareactivelysearchingonsocialmediafordeals,discounts,advice,etc.The
abilitytoscanasocialcontentcalendarregularlywillalsoprovideyouwitha
waytostepbackfromday-to-daypostingandreaffirmyourwiderstrategy.Of
course,spontaneouspostingtosocialmediastillhasaplace,butforthe
foundationsofyourstrategy,acontentcalendarishighlyrecommended.One
simplewaytoplanacontentstrategy(thatcanbeusedtopopulateyourcalendar
andpreventyourselffrombecomingoverwhelmed)istocreateadailytheme
acrossyoursocialnetworks.Forexample:sharinganewblogpostonMonday,
askingaquestiononTuesday,aninfographiconWednesday,aquoteon
Thursday,etc.

Note:Downloadmyready-to-usesocialmediacontentcalendartemplatesvia
thePremiumContentBundlechapterofthisbook.

Re-purposecontentacrosssocialmedia
Itisworthemphasizingthatsomethingthatmightbedistributedasonepieceof
contentintherealworld(apressrelease,say),canbemarketedasfourorfive
contentpiecesforsocialmedia:blogaboutit,tweet,makeavideo,shareon
Facebook,turnitintoaninfographicforPinterest,etc.Thisisafantasticstrategy
formakingthemostofyourcontentcreation,particularlyifyouarestrappedfor
timeorlowonresources.

Dropold-stylecommunicationmethodsandgetsocial–findanddefine
yoursocialvoice

Successfulsocialmediastrategyrequiresjustthat-asocialstrategy.Traditional
marketingtechniqueslikeTVandnewspaperadvertisingworkedbecausethe
directionofcommunicationcouldonlygoinoneway(frombrandtoconsumer)
withlittlechanceforreply,butsocialmediameansthatthisisnolongerthe
case.Nowthatatwo-waydialogueisfirmlyestablishedandyourbrandisunder
thespotlight24/7,youmustresisttheurgetotalkatpeople,andadaptyourtone
ofvoiceandcommunicationmethodstoconnectwiththemonahumanlevelspeakingtotheminapersonablemannerandlisteningwithintent,ratherthan
justhearinganddoingnothingaboutit.Thislessonappliesthesamewhether
youareasmallbusinessemployingahandfulofpeople,amulti-national
companywiththousandsofstaff,theownerofa"fun"businesslikeakaraoke
bar,orsomethingmore"serious"likeafinancecompany.Brandsthatdefine
theirsocialvoice(andstrivetomaintainitinalloftheirsocialinteractions)can


cutthroughthenoiseanddeliveraclearmessagethat,ultimately,willdeliver
moreimprovedresults.Thereareoccasionswheresomethingliketheold-school
methodofdirectpromotionisbeneficial,butexpecttospendthemajorityof
yourtimebeingmuchmoreselfless,evengoingoutofyourwaytomake
individualcustomersfeelspecialasawaytogenerateagoodfeelingaboutyour
productorservicethattravelswaybeyondthatoneperson.

Humanizeyourbrandandbeemotive
Peopleusesocialmediatoconnectwithotherpeople,soloweryourbarriersand
showfanstherealyou,andthepeoplebehindyourbusiness'logo;be
transparent,open,andauthenticinallofyourcommunication–authenticity
oftenmeansbeingalittlebitmoreopenaboutwhatyourbusinessmight
traditionallysharewithcustomers,butthere’safineline–ifyou’reconsistently
sharingpostsaboutinternalconflictsoryourlovelife,thatlinehasprobably
beencrossed!establishyouruniquevoice,showasenseofhumor,useeveryday
language,etc.Andifbeinggenuineendearscustomerstoyou,thentheywillbe

morelikelytowanttoengagewithyourcontent,shareitontoothers,and
supportyoufinanciallywhenthetimecomestobuy,bychoosingyouover
anotherbrandwhotheyhavenoconnectionwith.Ratherthantryingto
manipulatefansintobuyingproductsorservice,showcasingyouandyour
brand'struevaluesandpersonalitywillgoalongwaytosettingyouapartfrom
yourcompetitors.

Whileallofthisadviceappliestoyourtextinteractionsandtoneofvoice,
human,emotionalconnectionsaresimilarlyimportantinvisualcontent.Studies
showthatimagesofhumans(ascomparedtoinanimateobjects)-especially
thosesmilingandmakingeyecontactwiththeviewer-canhelptodrive
conversionrates.Eveniftheproductyouaresellingisn'ttangible,e.g.dataor
financialservices,youshouldstilltrytoincorporatepeopleandhumanfaces
intoatleastsomeofyourimages,whethertheybeofyou,yourcustomers,or
simplypeopleinstockimages.Onarelatednote–andapowerfulpairingtotext
alone–areemoticons.AstudybyAmexOpenfoundthatusingemoticonsin
statusupdatesincreasedcommentsbyanaverageof33%,whileaseparate
investigationbyBuddyMediadiscoveredthatpostswithemoticonsreceivedon
average57%morelikes,33%morecommentsand33%moreshares.Perhaps
moresignificantisthatmanysocialsites–Twitter,Instagram,andFacebook
included-allsupporttheuseofEmoji–fully-drawn,expressiveemoticonsand


ideogramsthathavefastbecomeauniversallanguagealloftheirown,canadda
wholenewlayeroffunandexpressiontoyourstatusupdates.Ina2015report,
Instagramfoundthatnearly50percentofallcaptionsandcommentsincludeat
leastoneEmoji.

Don'tover-promote:buildrelationshipsandprovidevalue
ThevastmajorityofsocialmediausersdonotvisitFacebook,Twitter,Pinterest,

etal.tobegiventhehardsellbycompanies;theyusethemtointeractwith
familyandfriends,andtobeentertained.Iftheydo"like"or"follow"brandson
socialmedia,theyoftendosoonawhim(thinkaboutthenumberyou"like"or
"follow"),andallbutthemostpassionatefanswon'tcaretoseeeverysinglepost
youpublish(infact,itisunreasonabletothinkthatyoucanevenmakeithappen
withoutspendingalotofmoney).Therefore,itisyourjobtoconvincepeopleto
enjoyhavingyourbusinessassomethingthatisabigpartoftheireveryday
lives,andcontinuetoearnyourplace-don'tseeitasaright,seeitasaprivilege.
Youdothisbybuildingtrustingandloyalrelationships,bybeingfriendly,
sharinggreatcontent,helpingpeoplewithcustomerserviceissues(withtheodd
promotionalpostinbetween,ofcourse...whichiftherestofyourstrategyisup
toscratch,youraudiencereallyshouldn'tmind).

Ultimately,withsocialmediacontentinmind,changeyourmindsetfrom"what
canwesellyou?"to"whatcanwedotohelpyou?",becauseintermsof
choosingtofollowabrandonsocialmedia,yourfanswillsurebeaskingthe
question"what'sinitforme?"Withcompetitionupandorganic(non-paid)reach
(thenumberofpeoplewhoseeyourcontent)atanall-timelow,itiscrucialthat
thecontentyouposttouchespeopleonapersonalandemotionallevel.Someof
themostpowerfulemotionaltriggersarehumor,awe,anger,andeven
narcissism(stuffthat,bysharing,makestheindividuallookgoodinfronton
theirpeersonsocialmedia).

Onceyougetintoyourstride,oneusefulexercisetohelpyoukeepontrackisas
follows:fromtimetotime,stopandtakealookatyourlast10socialmedia
postsandaskyourselfthisquestion:“WhatvalueamIprovidingandwhat
purposeamIserving?”Ifyoucannotclearlydefinetheanswertothisquestion,
youshouldthinkcarefullyaboutamendingyourstrategytobetterreach
audienceswhoarenowsmarterandsavvierthaneverbefore;peoplewhoeasily
lookpastweakcontentoranover-sale-symessage.Justlikeintherealworld,



socialmediafollowerswillresonatemorewithabrandthattheycanloveand
trust,muchmorethanonewhosesolepurposeseemstobetoencouragethemto
opentheirwalletsateveryopportunity.ToreiteratethepointImadeabove,you
shouldstrivetobecomeaseamlesspartoftheirexpectedsocialmedia
experience,notajarringelementthattheywanttoskippast.Allofthisgood
workwillbuildapositiveimagearoundyourbrandandslowlyconvertinto
sales.

Consistentlyposthighqualitycontent
Firstandforemost,don'tlaunchapresenceonasocialmediachannel,postfora
fewweeks,andthenletitsactivitydryup!Formostsocialnetworks,one,twoor
threeupdatesperdayisagoodtarget,butataminimum,youshouldpostatleast
acoupleoftimesaweeksothatyourcontentcontinuestoappearinthenews
feedsofyourmostengagedfans.TosingleoutFacebookasanexampleofa
socialnetworkthatalargemajorityofbrandsuse,here'ssomewiderperspective
toexplainwhyconsistencyissoimportant:WhensomeonevisitstheirFacebook
NewsFeed,thereareanaverageof1,500possibleposts–generatedaccording
tothesite’scomplicatedalgorithm-thattheycanbeshownatanygiventime,
fromfriends,Pages,groups,events,etc.Addthefactthataroundhalfofusers
don'tcheckFacebookeveryday(and,ofthosethatdo,theyonlybrowsefor
around30-60minutesintotal),thechancesofallofyourpostsbeingseenand
engagedwithinamongstallofthatcompetition,fallsconsiderably.Infact,
withoutpaidpromotion(whichwewilllookatlater),Facebookmakesitalmost
impossibleforallofyourfanstoseeallofyourposts,andbrandsmustnow
workharderthanevertoeekasmuchfree,organicreachoutoftheirFacebook
activityaspossible.Facebookstilloffersbusinessesatonofpotential,butitis
nolongerassimpleasitoncewas.


Inadditiontotheabove,inordertomakesurethatasmanypeopleaspossible
encounterthecontentyoupost(whetheronthesocialnetworkitwasoriginally
postedorifsharedelsewhere),itmustbetopquality,i.e.thekindof
entertaining,helpful,inspirational,valuablestuffthatpeoplewilllike,comment,
click(ifalinkisincluded)andshare.Infact,inAugust2013-inanattemptto
filterNewsFeedstodisplayonly"highquality"contentfrombrands-Facebook
surveyedthousandsofusersonwhattheydeemedas"highquality"content,
foldedtheresponsesintoitsmachinelearningsystemandintegrateditallwitha
masteralgorithm.Thisalgorithmconsiders"overathousanddifferentfactors,"


includingthequalityofabusinessPage'sothercontentandthelevelof
completionofitsprofilewhendeterminingwhetherapostis"highquality"
enoughtobebroadcastintheNewsFeedtoitsfullestpotential.Mostpeopleand
businesseshaveahandfulof"go-to"sources,eitherintheirfavoritesor
subconscious–websitesandsocialprofilesthattheyroutinelysharefrom(you
probablyhaveyourown,infact).Thisselectionpromisesthemconsistently
valuablecontenttheycansharewiththeirfriendsandfans,andyouraimshould
betobecomeoneofthesetrustedsources.

Thebottomlineisthatthemoreconsistentlyengagedacustomeriswithyour
postsonsocialmediacontent-liking,commenting,sharing-themorelikely
theyaretocontinuetodosoinfuture.AndinthecaseofFacebook,positive
interactionlikethiswillensurethatyourpostsaretocontinuetoappearintheir
NewsFeedforfutureengagementopportunities.TorefertoFacebookonemore
time,itsNewsFeedAlgorithmfilterscontentintoindividuals'feedsaccordingto
whatitthinksismostrelevanttothem,soifafanneverseespostsfromyou
(becauseyouareinactive),ignoresyourpostsforaprolongedperiodoftime
becausetheyarenotengagingenough(or,worse,hasusedtheoptiontohide
them),theywilldisappearfromthatperson'sNewsFeedandyoumayfindit

difficulttogetthembackintherewithoutpayingfortheprivilege.

Note:WithorganicreachonFacebookandothersocialnetworksatanall-time
low,itmightseemthatthebestsolutiontogainexposureforyourcontentisto
postincrediblyfrequently.However,insomewaysthisapproachisactually
counter-intuitive.Notevenyourmostpassionatefanswillenjoybeing
constantlyfloodedbypostsfromyou,andbydecreasingthepressureofneeding
toproducearapidstreamoftopqualitycontentdayin,dayout,youleavemore
timetomakesurethatwhatyoudopublishisasgoodasitcanbe-stuffthatwill
garnerthemostengagementfromfans.Inaddition,ifyousubstitutethetime
spenton"excess"contentforsupporting"core"contentwithafewadvertising
dollars,youincreasethenumberofuniquefanswhoseethesepostsand-ifthey
engagewithalike,comment,orshare-they'remorelikely(inthecaseof
Facebookatleast)tofeedthenextoneorganicallyintheNewsFeed.

Whichtypesofpostsgetthemostengagement?
Oneofthegreatdebatesamongstsocialmediamarketersiswhethertext,image,
video,links,orotherposttypesarethemosteffectiveinreachingfansand


encouragingthemtointeract.Thetruthisthatnobodycantellyouforcertainsocialnetworksareforevertweakingtheiralgorithms,forcingbrandstoplay
catch-up-andattheendoftheday,itverymuchdependsonwhatyour
individualdatarevealstoyouisworkingbest.Forexample,backin2012
Facebookwastellingbusinessesthatpoststhatincludeaphotoalbum,pictureor
videogenerateabout180%,120%and100%moreengagementrespectivelythan
textpostsalone,butwhatuseisthatpotentialforengagementifyounoticethat
yourtextpostsatanygivenpointintimehappentoreach5xtheamountof
peoplethanwhenyouuseimages?AndinJanuary2014,Facebooksaidthat
link-shareposts(thosethatgenerateanautomaticimagethumbnailwhenanews
articleorwebsiteaddressissharedwithinastatusupdate)shouldbefavored

because"whenpeopleseemoretextstatusupdatesonFacebooktheywritemore
statusupdatesthemselves."Myadviceistoresistthetemptationtoblindly
followtrends,fads,or"noguarantee"tricksthatpromisetodeliverhighlevelsof
engagement!Instead,usethemasaguidebutalwaysfocusonproviding
awesome,valuablecontentfirst.Continuetotestandtweakwithacloseeyeon
yourownstats,andkeepadaptingtopushonwithwhatisworkingbestforyou
(noteverybodyelse)atanygiventime.

Don'tgethunguponreach;focusoncreatingloyal,passionatefansand
meaningfulrelationships
Asyounowunderstand,fiercecompetitionbetweenindividuals,brandsandthe
waysocialnetworks'algorithmswork,meansthatnotallofyourfanswillsee
yourpostsintheirnewsfeedswhenyoupublishthem,andbytheirown
admission,siteslikeFacebookadmitthatthissituationisonlygoingtoget
tougherasmoreandmorebrandsenterthefray.Therefore,youneedtothink
lessaboutchasing"likes",followernumbers,andpostreach-asthesemetrics
(althoughhavingsomeinfluenceandmerit,especiallyiftheyarefromand
reachingatarget,highqualityaudience)canoftenbearbitrary.Instead,
concentratemoreonproducinggreatcontentthatwillgrowyoualoyal
followingofpeoplewholovewhatyoudo(showingitviapostlikes,comments,
sharingyourcontent,andeventuallythroughsales),thereinencouragingmore
peopletoinvestinyourcause.ThisgoesnotjustforFacebook,butallsocial
media.I'dsayifyou'regettinganywherenear10%reachtoallofyourfans
withoutpaidpromotion,you'redoingextremelywell.

Providegreatcustomerservice,handlecomplaintsright


Unlikeintimesgoneby,socialmediagivesyourcompanyinstantandeffective
exposuretoyourcustomers24hoursaday,7daysaweek.Customersalsohave

similaraccesstoyou,andthisisnomoreapparentthaninwhatcanonlybe
describedasarevolutionincustomerservice.What’smore,aswellasmaking
yourcustomersfeelgood,answeringcomplaintsprovidesausefulinsightinto
yourtargetaudience’spersonality,whatyourbusinessisdoingwell,andwhatit
couldimproveon.WiththeinstantaneousnessofaFacebookpostoratweet,
people'sexpectationsforaswiftandeffectiveresponsetotheirqueriesor
problemsishigherthanever.Manysocialmediaexpertswilladviseyouto
alwaysreplywithinanarbitrarytimelimitofsomethinglike30minutes.Ifyou
employadedicatedsocialmediacommunitymanager,thismaybepossible,but
forthevastmajorityofbusinesses,itjustisn'tarealistictarget.I'dstill
recommendthatyoudealwithcustomerserviceissuesassoonaspossibleafter
theyarise,butsuggestthataresponsetimeofanythingupto24hours(on
weekends,too,ifyoucanmanageit)isacceptabletomostpeople;andinsteadof
constantlymonitoringforproblems,simplyassignafewdedicatedbatchesof
timeinadaytorespondtocustomersandhandleissues.Usingthe“About”
sectionsofyoursocialprofilestotellpeoplewhenyouwillbeavailabletohelp
andhowlongtheycanexpecttowaitforareply,isasoundstrategytoset
expectationsandpreventcustomerfrustration.

Ofcourse,thebestwaytoavoidcustomerserviceissuesbeingplayedout
publiclyonsocialmediaistopreventthemfromhappening.Tofacilitatethis,
givepeopleseveraloptionstosolveproblemsthemselves,andformaking
contact-onlineFAQs,email,telephone,privatemessage,andplacethemwhere
peoplewillseethemeasily,likeinyourmainbiooraboutsection.Thesimplerit
istocontactyou,themorelikelyacustomeristotrythatfirsttohelpresolvea
problem,ratherthanspoutingoffangrilyatyouonline.Inaddition,demonstrate
yourwillingnesstoacceptthatproblemsdosometimesoccurbyusingyour
socialmediaprofilesasawaytoannounceless-than-positivenewsabout
productorservicesissues.Therewillalwaysbesomefanswhoareupsetwhen
theyreadit,butthey’dbealotmoreaggrievediftheyhaddiscoveredtheissue

ontheirown.Ifsomeonedoesposttheirangrygrievancesinpublicaboutyouon
socialmedia,twoofthemostimportantpointerstorememberwhenapproaching
suchasituationareasfollows:

Don'tignoreit:Thelongeryouleaveacustomercomplainttositandfester,the


angriersaidcustomerwillbe,andbyrefusingtoreplytonegativefeedback,it
lookstoeveryonelikeyouareunwillingtodealwithproblems,andsimply
hopingthatignoringthemwillmakethemgoaway.Looktorespondasquickly
aspossible,asmostcustomersexpectaswiftresponse.

Don'tdeleteit:Justasbad(ifnotworse)thanignoringnegativefeedbackisto
deleteapostsubmittedonyourprofile.Whenthecustomerwhocomplained
noticesthattheircommenthasbeendeleted,theywillonlybeevenmoreupset,
andotherfanswhoseewhatyouhavedone(especiallyiftheoriginalcriticism
wasscreen-grabbedforevidence)willthinkillofyou,too.

Inshort,alwaysrespondtocomplaintsonsocialmediainaprofessionaland
courteousmanner,andinatimeframethatmatchestheresourcesofyour
business.Bereadytoacknowledgethecustomer'sfeedback(evenifyoudon't
thinkyouwereinthewrong,asgoingoffonthedefensiveisaverybadtactic,
too),andwillingtoadmityourmistakes.We'reallhuman-customersrealize
thisandwillrespectyouawholelotmoreforbeingopenandhonestaboutany
errors,thansimplytryingtosweepissuesunderthecarpet.Tosweeteninstances
likethis,explainhowyouwillworktofixorimprovethingsifnecessary,askfor
inputfromyourfansifthesituationcallsforit,andsendafollow-upnotea
coupleofdaysaftertheissuehasbeenresolvedasawaytomakesure
everythingisstillokayandtoreaffirmasocialconnectionbetweenthecustomer
andyourcompany.Occasionally,considergoingaboveandbeyondthecallof

dutytoremedyacustomer'sproblem-inpublic-inordertoharnessawaveof
respectandgoodkarma.WhenaCitibikecustomerinNewYorkCityfelloff
oneofitsbicyclesandrippedhisjeans,insteadofjustapologizing,Citibike
deliveredthegentlemanavouchertobuyanewpairofpants.Surprisedand
overjoyed,thecustomersharedthenews(andaphototoproveit)onTwitter,to
allofhisfollowers.

Note:Foramuchmorecomprehensiveguidetobuildingandmaintaininga
robustsocialmediacustomerservicestrategy(tonsmoreinformation–waytoo
muchtofithere!),checkoutmybookSuccessfulSocialMediaCustomer
Service,availableonAmazon.

Automationdoesn'thavetobeadirtyword
Withsomuchworkinvolvedgrowingandmaintainingastrongsocialmedia


marketingstrategyoveravarietyofchannels,automationwillallowyoutosave
time,stayflexible,andplanyoursocialmediastrategydowntotheminute.
ToolslikeBuffer()orPostPlanner()
allowyoutomanagemultiplesocialmediaaccountsfromasingledashboard
(allowingyoutouploadinbulkfortheweek’supcomingpost,publishing
contentwhenyouareasleepbutyouraudienceisnot,orwhenyouareon
vacation,etc.).Infact,automationtoolscanhelptosuccessfullybuildalong-tail
socialmediastrategybyschedulingnewand"evergreen"blogpostsforrepeat
exposure,i.e.sharingthesamegreatcontentmultipletimesacrossseveralsocial
networks,overasetperiodoftime.Thiswillallowyoumoreofyourexisting
audiencethechancetocatchyourgreatcontentandallownewfollowerstofind
itiftheymisseditfirsttimearound.Paycloseattentiontothefrequencythatyou
automatesuchposts.ItmaybefinetopostablogpostlinktoTwitteracoupleof
timesinoneday(wheretheflowofinformationisincrediblyquickanddense),

butforsiteslikeFacebookandLinkedIn,abiggerdelaybetweeneachshare
wouldbemoreapt.Onthatnote,whenyoudopreparetosharethesamelink
multipletimes,you’rebestoffre-stylingittomakeeachshareasuniqueand
engagingasyoucan.CheckouttheBloggingTipssectionformoreinformation
aboutusingthistechnique.

Note:Onthetopicofschedulingandautomation,here'saniftystrategyfor
schedulingpoststhatyoumightnothavethoughtof:schedulepoststopublish
justbeforeorafterthehour(ratherthanrightonthedot)asawaytocatch
peoplewhoarecheckingsocialmediaatthestartoftheirday,lunchbreak,after
work,betweenmeetings,etc.

Inspiteofallofthehelpthatautomationtoolsprovide,rememberthatbuilding
strongpersonalrelationshipswithgenuineone-to-oneinteractionshouldremain
atthecoreofyourwork,andyoucertainlycan'tautomatethat(i.e.automating
repliestocommentsonyourprofilesisabadidea!).

Socialmediasucksuptime
SocialmediaisnowanessentialmarketingandPRtool,andshouldbetaken
seriously.Ifyouaskanexistingemployeetotakeoverresponsibilityforyour
socialmediaoutput,donotexpectthemtobeabletodoitaswellastheircurrent
job.Ifyou'regoingthewholehog,expectittotakeupatleast12-15hoursa
weektoplan,create,andschedulecontent,measureresults,aswellasengaging


withcustomers.ConsideremployingsomebodyintotheroleofSocialMedia
Managerfulltime.Alternatively,outsourceyouractivitytoalocalspecialist
marketingfirm,expertswhocanhelpyouhitthegroundrunning.Ifyoudo,
ensurethattheyunderstandyourbrand,marketinggoals,andspeakyour
customer'slanguage.


Drawupasocialmediapolicy,makeemployeesambassadors
Aclear,company-widesocialmediapolicywillclarifytheconcernsofstaff
mentionsofyourbrandonsocialmediaandempowerthemtopositivelysupport
yourbrand,helpingtomakeyouamoresociallyactivebusiness.Topreparethe
informationyouneed,consultwiththekeyinfluencersinyourbusiness,adhere
tostateandfederallaws,gatherfeedbackfromyouremployees,andoutline
guidelinesaboutuseofsocialmedia(whethermentioningyourbrandornot),
bothinsideandoutsidebusinesshours.Trytosummarizethemostimportant
pointsinadocumentnolongerthanoneortwopages(otherwiseitmightnotbe
readandleaveyouopentoissuesinthefuture),andhighlightthebenefitsthat
responsibleuseofsocialmediacanbringtothecompanyasawhole.Employees
needtofeelconfidentaboutsocialsharingguidelinestobegoodbrand
ambassadors,somakewritingcompany-relatedstatuseseasyby-forexampleinventingahashtagrelatedtolifeatyourbusiness,andencouragethemtotake
picturesandshareupdatesusingit.Thepersoninchargeofsocialmediacontent,
ofcourse,shouldknowthepolicyinsideout.

Socialmediamarketingisn'tfree;experimentwithpaidads
Severalyearsago,socialmediamarketingwasseenasagoldenopportunityto
reachandpromotetocustomersforfree.Incertainaspects,thiswastrue.Now,
however,withgreatercompetitionandamoreastuteaudience,paidpromotion
acrossisall-butessential.That'snottosayyoucan'tstillachievebrilliantresults
withoutspendingapenny,butevenanominalfigure,spentwell(suchas$5per
dayonhighlytargetedFacebookads),cannoticeablycompoundabrand's
success.Thekeytoalotofsuccessfulsocialmediaadvertisingarepromotions
thatblendintoauser'sexperienceofthesiteorapponwhichtheyappear,
mirroringthetoneandpublishingstyleoftheaudience-aswithnon-paid
content,thinkseamlessinsteadofdisruptive.

Reconsiderreturnoninvestment(ROI)metrics

Socialmediareturnoninvestmentisnotliketraditionalmarketing-inmany


ways,youmaynotalwayswanttofocussolelyonmonetaryreturnwithina
fixedperiod.Considermetricssuchasbrandawareness,word-of-mouth
promotion,trafficdriventoyourwebsiteviasocialmedia,andstrengthening
loyaltyandengagementwithexistingcustomers.Thesecanallbejustas
valuableinthelongrun-leadingtoplentyofsalesoveralongerperiodoftime,
ratherthanashort-termgainthatdiesoffquickly.

MeasuringperformancewithGoogleAnalyticsandothertools
Understandingtheperformanceofyoursocialmediamarketingiskeytobeing
abletosucceedinthelongrun.Oneofthemostcost-effectiveways(read:free)
tomonitorsocialmediaconversionsisthroughGoogleAnalytics.Twoofthe
mostvaluablereportsforsocialmediamarketersfeatureunderthe“Social”
sectionofthesite:NetworkReferralsshowsthedataonsocialmediatraffic
referralstoyourwebsitefromsocialnetworks,andLandingPageswillshowyou
whichofyourwebsitepagesaresharedmostoftenonsocialmedia.Youcan
alsouseGoogleAnalyticstosetupandmonitorgoals,likecompletedsales,
enquiries,andengagement.OneofthesimplestgoalstosetupisURL
Destination-GoogleAnalyticswillmarkagoalasmetwhenavisitorlandsona
particularpageonyourwebsite,e.g.a"Thankyouforyourpurchase"page.

Otherusefultoolsformeasuringtheperformanceofyoursocialstrategyinclude
socialnetworks’nativetools(FacebookInsights,TwitterandPinterest
Analytics,etc.)Bit.ly(tomeasureclick-throughratesonspecifiedlinks),andSocial
Mention(totrackmentionsofyourbusinessname,competitornames,etc.In
essence,useanalyticstoolstosetgoals,seewhereyoursocialmediastrategyis
workingbest,andworkouthowyourcustomersarefindingyousothatyoucan
finetuneandoptimizeyoureffortsgoingforward.Itisunlikelythatyouwillnail

yoursocialmediastrategyonthefirstattempt,soevaluateyourprogressoften
anddon'tbeafraidtotestthewaterwithnewideas,tweakoldonesandrepeat
whatworksforyou.

Note:Foranelegantlysimplewaytomonitorthegrowthofyoursocialmedia
profiles,downloadmySocialMediaProgressTrackerspreadsheet.Formore
details,checkoutthePremiumContentBundlechapterofthisbook.

Slowandsteadywinstherace;bepatientandignorescams
Socialmediasuccessdoesnothappenovernight.Justlikeinreallife,friendships


andbondsbetweenyouandyouraudiencecantakealongtimetobuild,and
somepeoplejusttakelongertowarmtoyouandconvertintopayingcustomers
thanothers.Sometimesthemetricsthatdon'tpayoffinstantly(increasingbrand
awarenessandcustomerretention,orimprovingcustomerservice)aretheones
thatwillhavethegreatestimpactonconversionslaterondowntheline.Ihave
seensomanyinstancesofbusinessesdivingintosocialmediamarketingwith
gusto,onlytogiveupshortlyafterwardsbecausetheydidnothave1.3billion
Facebookfansandatonofsalesaftertheirfirstweekofpostingtentimesaday
(okay,that’sanexaggerationbutyouunderstandwhatImean!).Ifyou'renot
seriousaboutworkingatsocialmediafornotjustweeksormonths,butyears,
youarealreadysettingyourselfupforfailure.

Onarelatednoted,ignore'getfollowersfast'scams.Itmightbetemptingtouse
servicesofferedalloverthewebtorackupfansandfollowersquickly,butyou'll
onlyendupwithhundredsofrandomstrangers-orbotaccounts-whodon't
careaboutyouoryourbusiness.50interested,engaged,andloyalfollowersare
insurmountablybetterthan5,000whoarenot.Theonlyreal“secret”togrowing
anaudienceonsocialmediaistobeconsistentandpatientinyourefforts.


Aboveall,enjoytheride;buildstrong,meaningfulrelationships
Thestrongersomeoneacquaintswithyourbrandonsocialmedia,themore
likelythey’llrememberyouandpassthepositivewordontotheirfriendsand
family.Beconsistent,present,realandgenuineinallofyourcommunicationif
youwanttofostergenuineinteractionwithcustomersonaslowandsteadypath
tocreatingloyalty,salesandbrandadvocatesforlife.



Explained:TheBestTypesofContent
toPostonSocialMedia

Withthefoundationsofsocialmediamarketingcovered,let'sgetdowntothe
nitty-gritty:socialmediacontent.Inthischapter,we'lllookatavarietyof
provenpostingstrategiestohelpyoursocialmediastrategythrive.The
followingcontentstrategiesaregeneralizedinawaythatappliestothemajority
ofsocialnetworkscoveredinthisbook.You'llfindmorespecificadviceabout
howtomaximizeitsimpactforeachplatformwithineachnetwork'sindividual
chapter.

Note:Whatfollowsaresomeofthemostpopularcontentstrategiesforsocial
media.Ifyou'dliketonsmoreideasdemonstratedalongsidereallifeexamples,
checkoutmylistof101SocialMediaContentIdeasforBusinessat
.

AskquestionsandstartdiscussionsGettoknowyourfansandgivethema
chancetogettoknowyoubyposingquestionsandstartingdiscussions.These
questionscanbeaboutaproductoreventrelatedtoyourbusiness,aquicktrivia
quiz,orjustaboutthewiderworld.Thetypesofquestionsthatworkbestinclude

thoseaboutpreference("DoyoupreferproductAorproductB?"),YesorNo
(AreyouafanofX?"),thosethataskforopinions("What'syourfavoriteflavor
ofice-creaminourrange?"),oronesthatpolitelychallenge,("Openingour
secondCanadianstorethismonth-guesswhere?").Evenjustendingastatus
updatewith“doyouagree?”or“whatdoyouthink?”isenoughtoencourage
peopletogetinvolved.Thesimplestquestioncanbeusefulinachieving
impressivelevelsofengagement(andconsumerinsight!)providedthatthe
subjectcapturestheattentionofyouraudience,particularlyifittakeslittleorno
efforttorespond.Aswellasasimpletextpost,thisstrategycanbecombined
with(orimplementedwithin)apowerfulimage-keepreadingformore
information.Interestingly,whereyouaskthequestioninastatusupdatealso
affectsengagementrates.Posingaquestionattheendofapost-comparedto
somewhereinthemiddlewhereitcaneasilygetignored-canincrease
engagementbyupto15%,accordingtoastudybyBuddyMedia.



Note:Similartotheabove–andalsocommonlyused–are'fillintheblank'
postsasawaytoencourageengagement.They'resuccessfulbecausefanswill
onlyhavetotypeoneortwowordsatthemosttoresponde.g."Ifyoucouldlive
anywhereintheworld,itwouldbe_______."

TellyourstoryandfeaturethestoriesofyourcustomersEverybrandand
individualhasastorytotell,whetherthroughtextor(oftenbetter)through
visuals;we’rehard-wiredtoreactandrespondtoacompellingtale.Usesocial
mediaasadestinationwherefanscangettoknowyouandyourbrandmuch
betterthantheycansimplythroughviewingtheproductsorservicesthatyou
sell;makeitaplacewhereyourvoice,personality,andauthenticitycanshine
through.Interestingandengagingtopicsofconversationtocoverincludewhy
youlaunchedyourcompany,yourachievements(andfailures,andwhatyou

learntfromthem),whatmotivatesyou,andthepeopleandeventsthatinspire
you.Inessence,showcustomersthatyousharetheirthoughtsandideals,and
becomeabrandthattheywanttoemotionallyinvestin,whichwilleventually
leadtoloyaltyandsales.Inadditiontoyourownstories,yourcustomersor
clientswillalwayshavefunandinterestingstoriesabouthowyouandyour
productorservicefitintotheirlives(andoftenit'sgoingtobemoreinteresting
thancontentyoucouldcomeupwithyourself),soencouragethemtosharetheir
taleswithyou(throughtext,photos,andvideos),sothatyoucanfeaturethemas
partofyourcontentstrategy.Doingsowillexciteandpleasethecustomersin
question,encouragethemtospreadtheloveaboutyourbrand,helptobuilda
strongercommunityaroundyourproductorservice,andalsoactasstrongsocial
prooftoothersabouthowyourbrandpositivelyimpactspeople'slives.

Digintoproblemsyousolve,shareyourexpertise,andbevaluableOneof
themosteffectivewaystoinfluencesocialmediausersintoconnectingwithyou
onasocialandemotionallevelistopositionyourbrandasanauthority-a
sourcethattheycantrustandrespect,andwithwhomtheycanrelyonforthe
informationorexperiencetheydesire.Oneofthebestwaystodothisistodig
intotheproblemsyousolveanddemonstrateyourexpertise.Bythis,Idon't
meanyoushouldstartboastingabouthowgoodyourproductisatsolving
"ProblemX"ateveryopportunity;instead,beavaluablebeaconofinformation
withinyourfieldorindustry.Forinstance,ifyourcompanysellsantique
furniturepolish,youmightpublishpoststoexplainwhyitissoimportantto
keepageditemsingoodcondition,sharerecentexampleandstatisticsabout


antiquesthathavesoldforhighpricesduetotheirpristinepreservation,and
providehintsandtipsaboutbesthowtotreatdifferentkindsofwood.Great
content–whethersinglepostsorlinkstoablogarticle–willalsobeshared,
furtherincreasingbrandawareness.


Usebreakingnews,holidays,andspecialeventstoinspirecontentideasIf
youareabletoweavehot,newsworthytopicsintoyoursocialmediaposts,itcan
addarelevanceandcredibilitytoyouroutputthatwillendearyoutofansby
showingyouasabrandthatisattheforefrontofnewtrendswithinyourindustry
(andinthecaseofFacebook,itsalgorithmworkstoshowtimely,trending
storiesneartothetopoftheNewsFeed,possiblyleadingtohigherengagement).
UsetoolslikeGoogleAlerts(andFeedly( />tobenotifiedofbreakingstorieswhentheyhappen,orsiteslikeBuzzSumo
()tohuntdowntrendingtweetsandtopicsrelatedto
almostanysubject.ThecookiecompanyOreoisanexpertatusingthistactic.
Forexample,attheendof2013,itpostedashortvideoclipaccompaniedbythe
text"We’reofficiallycountingdowntothelastdunkoftheyear,"andto
celebratetheUSA'sMarsRoverrobotsuccessfullylandingontheRedPlanet,it
postedaphotoofanOreocookiewithared-creamcenterimprintedwithrobot
tracks,andpaireditwiththecaption"Now,toperfectlylandanOreocookiein
milk."Inaddition,someofthemostviralpostsonsocialmediaarelinkedto
one-offdatesorcelebrationsthroughouttheyear.HolidayslikeChristmas,
Thanksgiving,Easter,Mother'sDay,Father'sDay,Halloween,orspecialdays
likeSt.Patrick'sDay,thenightoftheOscars,etc.arefeel-goodoccasionsand
easytocreatecontentfor,e.g.wishingyourfansahappytime,sharingafun
fact,askingaholiday-relatedquestion,e.g."HowmanyEasterbunniescanyou
seeinthisphoto?",orsuggestinghowyourproductorservicecanbestbe
utilizedattheparticulartimeofyear.Beyondthat,thereareevenmore"niche"
occasionsthatmightresonatewithyourfansandwilldisplayyourbrand's
relevance:thingslikethereleasedayofabigmovie,InternationalTalkLikeA
PirateDay,Movember,orInternationalCoffeeDay.Markallofthemost
relevantdatesinyourcalendar,andpreparecontentaheadoftimeinorderto
"celebrate"themwithyouraudience.

Note:Whenyoudousetheabovestrategies,itisimportanttodosointheright

manner,andwithappropriatetact.Avoidhijackingpopularculturaleventsfor
thesakeofit(especiallyifyoucannotmaketheassociatedcontentrelevantto


yourbusiness),andtrytodoitinawaythatdoesn'tcomeacrossasblatantly
opportunistic.Spagettio'slearntthislessonthehardway(viaatiradeofnegative
feedback)afteritoncecommemoratedtheanniversaryPearlHarborwithan
imageofaspaghettihoopholdingtheflagoftheUnitedStates.

Promoteproductsandservices(adoptthe80/20rule)Althoughthemajority
ofyoursocialmediamarketingcontentshouldnotbeovertlypromotional,
sellingyourproductorserviceisultimatelywhatyou'retherefor,andcustomers
dorealizethat.Assumingthatyourbrand-to-customerrelationshipisgoodand
therestofthesocialmediacontentyoupostisvaluable,theywilltoleratethe
oddposttotellthemaboutanewproductorservice,orasaleorofferthatyou
arestarting-heck,theymightevenappreciateyoulettingthemknow!Aneasy
waytobalanceoutyoursocialmediaoutputinawaythatwillkeepyouonthe
goodsideofyourcustomers,andonealotofbrandsalreadyuse,isthe80/20
rule.Itstatesthatyoushouldpostnon-promotionalcontent80%ofthetime
(yourownvaluable,helpful,orpersonablestuff,orrelatedcontentlinkingto
anothersource,withthesoleaimofdrivingengagement),andreservetheother
20%forbeingmorepromotional.Evenwithinthis20%,thereisabroad
spectrumofapproaches,fromsubtletomoreovertselling,dependingonhow
youbelieveyouraudiencewillreact.

Note:Wheresalesandoffersareconcerned,oneapproachtokeepcustomerson
sideistomakecertainpromotionsexclusivetopeopleloyalenoughtofollow
youonsocialmedia;e.g.extra5%offforquotingacodepostedonyour
FacebookPage,orasurpriseflashsaleforpeoplewhospotatweetfromyou.
Anotherinvolvesgivingfansearlyaccesstonewproductsorservices,preceded

byacampaignofpoststhatbuildawarenessandmakepeoplefeelasensethat
theyaregettingsomethingspecialandexclusive.Thesemessagescaneitherbe
hostedexclusivelyonasocialmediachannel,orcanbeusedtopushpeopleto
yourwebsitewhereyouhavemorefreedomtopresentyourbrandandofferings,
collecte-mailaddressesandvisitordata,giveawaycoupons,etc.inanywaythat
youlike.

Makeeffectiveuseofvisuals–bothimagesandvideos-todrive
engagementImagesarethemostpopulartypeofcontentsharedbysocialmedia
users,soitstandstoreasonthatyoushouldgivethemalotofattentioninyour
owncontentstrategy-andwherebrandsareconcerned,therearerealbenefitsin