By As a digital content creator with Vendasta, I’m essentially a social media ghost writer. In an average day, I write for anywhere from five to 30 small or medium businesses. In a week, I write over 300 social posts. In a month, our team of writers pumps out over 7000 posts for almost 600 businesses.
That’s a lot of hats to wear. At this point, you could say I’m sort of a local social media marketing expert.
Businesses don’t always know what they’re getting into with social posting. In my experience, most turn to outsourcing because they don’t have the time to get to know the process and learn to navigate social media. They may as well be holding up a big SOS beacon. Agencies need to be experts in the field so they can provide the best value to these clients.
If you’re thinking “hey, that’s not so bad, I could do that!” by all means, carry on your merry way. But before you go, know that you’re in the minority. Most companies agree that “creating compelling content for social media is both the most effective (82%), and most difficult (69%) part of social media marketing tactics” (check out Vendasta’s blog for more savory stats).It’s also one of the most difficult social strategies that brands carry out.
The point is, there’s more to local social media marketing than you might think. There’s a big difference between posting to your personal profile and posting on behalf of a business (or 30).
Behind every great business...
...is a group of great people!
A business starts with the people who run it and ends with the people who use it. tweet Before thinking about what the business should post or what customers want to see, ask yourself if—as a person—you’d be engaged by that content. If there’s no voice or personality in a business’s online presence, people get disinterested pretty quickly.
Be personal! Connect with the audience. Brands can be promotional and engaging at the same time. Just make sure that the engaging posts outweigh the promotional ones.
The good, the bad and the spammy
Everybody has that one person on Facebook who chokes up their feed with multiple opinion pieces or “buy-my-product” posts. Don’t be that person. Nobody wants to see that from their friends, and guess what? Nobody wants to see it from a business, either.
If I could give one piece of advice to the businesses I write for every day, it would be to focus less on themselves and more on their customers. If someone follows a business, they already know what it’s selling. There’s no need to oversaturate a feed with links to the website: if it’s listed on the page, followers already know how to get there.
So what’s the secret? I’ll tell you: providing customers with value is what makes them want to stick around. And I’ll let you in on another secret: businesses don’t have to post something every day to keep that engagement. If a business can provide value while posting every day, then by all means, post daily. If that’s not the case, stick to this rule: quality over quantity, folks. Quality wins every time.
Diamond in the rough: the perfect social post
Now for the good part: what makes for good social posting, anyway? This is what you’re here for, right? In order to craft the perfect social post, we need to take a look at why people follow businesses in the first place.
- Interest in services and promotions: People love sales! Don’t get TOO excited though. Over posting this information is also one of the leading reasons people unfollow a business.
- Updates and information: People are interested in what your business is up to! Have new products? Moving locations? Getting an office dog? Post it!
- Communication: Social media is for connecting. People want to talk to you, and they want to review your products and services. Make sure you’re responding to them: it shows you care about your customers.
- Entertainment: Are you not entertained? People use social media to get a break from their humdrum day. Post content that will put a smile on their faces or give them something to think about. Hint: it doesn’t always have to be related to your business.
So now that we’ve got a good idea of what people want to see, how do we make the magic happen? When I write social posts, I use three main guidelines to direct me.
The 3 golden rules of local social media marketing
- Does it provide value? I mentioned value above, and now I’m going to talk a bit more about what that means. People engage with content that is relevant to them. Consider whether the post is solving a problem, starting a conversation or educating. People love to share information that is new and exciting. In order to provide the best value to your followers and customers, the vast majority (up to 80%) of your content should be useful or engaging information. In fact, posts promoting the business should only account for 10%-20% of the content.
- Is it emotionally engaging? People love stories, and they share content they connect with. Don’t be afraid to show the more personal side of a business. Really, who hasn’t teared up during a Coke ad or giggled at the Budweiser Clydesdales? Brands that go the extra mile to create an emotional connection with their customers stick in their memories longer. Why not post a cat video? Everyone loves a cat video.
- Is it visually stimulating? 1200 pixels are worth 1000 words. We’re talking high quality photos, videos and infographics here! Posts that include visuals get almost 650% more engagement than those without (Inc.). Keep in mind that not all visuals are created equally. The best ones are the ones the business provides because they’re local, personal and relevant. If there are none available from the business, reposting from other websites and profiles is a great way to keep your page relevant. Quality stock photos are also great resources, just make sure to pay attention to copyright!
Now, this is just a teaser on social posting. Even though I write 140 character posts every day, it’s just not possible to fit everything about it into one write-up! If I’ve piqued your interest, though, make sure to subscribe to our blog for more great information. We’ve got fabulous content on social posting statistics, fair use images and social media marketing. If you want more information on local social media marketing, and how we can help you conquer it, feel free to leave a comment below and get in touch!