Social Media 101: How To Consistently Put Out Great Content on the Big Three
By: Caroline Ponessa
Tags: Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Social Media, Digital Marketing

Let’s Get Down to Business: Defeating the Huns and Posting Quality Content Consistently

Usernames

Now that you’ve determined which platforms are the right fit for your business, get on ’em. Unless you’re like my father who thought the Facebook elves created a page with his information just by virtue of his existence, you know creating an account is accomplished by your own effort and consent.

Your username should be as close as possible to the name of your business. If your name is already being used in some variation, add your city or state to the end for easier identification. Finally, upload a profile photo (ideally your logo or another clear brand identifier) and you’re ready for the world of social media management.

Content is king (or queen #genderequality)

There are a lot of so-called experts out there who will try to sell you a super-secret formula for engaging content — one that will bring you 10,000 new followers for a modest one-time payment of $300. Scam. Scam. Scam.

There’s no one-size-fits-all, fill-in-the-blank template. Content depends largely on your industry and goals, and there are micro-segments even within those fields. Restaurants are different than packaged goods, car manufacturers are different than auto repair shops. Like with traditional advertising, you need to know your audience.

Give the people what they want. Fast food companies are really good at this — they know their target consumers better than anyone. Brands like Wendy’s and Denny’s have earned their place in millennial and Gen Z feeds by playing into meme culture and meta Twitter without trying too hard. The following is an example of what happens when this goes wrong — or right, I guess, if you operate by the motto that all publicity is good publicity.

While the uber cringiness of pancake fetuses did result in loads of media mentions for the usually irrelevant IHOP, it’s still wiser to aim for consistent follower and engagement growth over trying to chase virality. There’s not always a rhyme or reason to why certain posts go viral. It’s a perfect storm of really random factors — timeliness, content, who reshares it and their reach. Focus on content and give people a lasting why over being a flash in the pan.

Even if you’ve got solid content, you still need to do a little outreach. Search keywords and hashtags to find people who might be interested in what you’re offering and then join the conversation. Don’t be overly promotional or creepy, just give them a nudge via like or response to let them know you’re there. Some people find content using hashtag searches, so figure out what hashtags are relevant to your industry and include them as needed in your posts. Don’t go crazy with this — if you’ve got more than 10, you’re doing it wrong.

While giveaways can give you a temporary engagement boost, you want followers who actually like your content — not just free stuff. If you’re going to run an occasional giveaway, vet eligible candidates before awarding a random winner. A lot of people have made a pathetic sport out of winning anything and everything online — these are the bottom feeders of the internet. You can spot them by all the retweet and reshare to win posts clogging their feed. They’ve never heard of your brand and they don’t care about what you’re giving away. They spend their days searching for “retweet to win” posts and yelling at their mom from the basement to do their laundry.

Choose someone who will be excited to win because they have a genuine interest in what you have to offer. It might take away the “randomness” of selection, but you’ll likely make a lifelong customer (and maybe even an online brand ambassador).

Consistency is…also king

When it comes to a posting schedule, figure out what you have time for and stick to it. Once an hour, once a day, once a week, once a month — whatever works for you. Consistent posting builds a mutual understanding between you and your audience, almost a sense of trust. Those who engage with your content will come to know generally when to expect updates.

Bit off more than you can chew? Gradually wean off. Don’t go cold turkey — ghosting is for douche bros in polos named Brad. If you need a break or want to abandon a platform altogether, let your followers know. Something as easy as, “Hey everyone. We’re not using Twitter anymore. Find us on Facebook/visit our website/send a carrier pigeon to…” People will appreciate that and they’ll stop trying to contact you via that platform. It’s just good customer service, really.

Thinking about using one of those snazzy plugins that share your content across all platforms at the click of a button? Don’t. They absolutely, unequivocally suck. They never format your content the right way and they hurt your search rankings because Google hates duplicate content. I don’t care what anyone else has told you, they’re wrong. No, ifs, ands, or buts — just don’t.

Developing a brand voice and engaging with the masses

Everyone knows there’s a person behind the account, so be a person. Develop a brand personality. Engage. Respond. Use gifs. You’re not a sociopath, so express a range of emotions. That said, go easy on the exclamation points. One per post, if that. Stop yelling at people, you’re not that excited. Same goes for caps lock.

If taking things personally is your MO, you’re going to have a bad time. People online suck and they will remind you of that often. Keyboard warriors are either trolling you or a genuinely shitty person. Laugh at them, roll your eyes and move on. If you’re going to engage, do it lightheartedly. They’re not fun at parties. You are.

Similarly, don’t be a serious stiff all the time (even if you’re in a serious stiff industry). For example, take local police departments — one of the most unexpected fields to absolutely kick butt at social media. In 2018, departments across the United States challenged each other to lip sync video battles, resulting in a 100+ chain of entertaining, impressive and highly shareable pieces of content. Talk about fantastic PR for a field most citizens don’t associate with being approachable and fun.

Is that Justin Timberlake at 2:13?

Obviously, don’t be tone-deaf — exercise common sense, but keep it light when appropriate. People use social media primarily for entertainment. If they’re having fun with it, so should you. Be relatable, be funny and raise some eyebrows every now and then.

As we learn more and more every day, a lot of people on the internet are stupid — don’t cater your content to the lowest common denominator. If they don’t get the joke, they don’t get the joke. It’ll be worth it to those who understand it and that’s who you want to reach anyway. Of course, don’t overdo it. Take risks with as much tact as possible. Don’t ever be racist or sexist. Don’t ever comment on politics and religion. Save the free speech for your personal accounts — but even then, don’t be a dick.

And, finally, because this isn’t middle school — grammar matters. Rules should only be broken with intention. Proofread everything before you post and immediately after. If you make a mistake, don’t panic — even the most diligent will occasionally allow errors to slip through the cracks. Facebook and Instagram posts can always be edited. If you catch it soon enough on Twitter, delete and post again — anyone who notices and makes a fuss should find something better to do. If your tweet already has some engagement, reply with the correction and a self-deprecating quip.

Capturing captivating visuals (a.k.a. snappin’ cool pics)

If you’re going to post photos (you should), make sure they don’t blow. With high megapixel cameras built into smartphones these days, taking halfway decent photos is not nearly as hard as the crooked shot yahoos of the internet would have you believe. Most people don’t expect National Geographic-level photography out of small businesses, so do your best with what you’ve got. There are plenty of websites out there with all sorts of great tips for cell phone photography.

If you have room in your budget, hire a photographer to take a handful of generic but high-quality photos you can use for years to come — think of it as an investment in stock photography for your business. If that’s out of your pay grade, don’t sweat it. All you need is a smartphone, focus and good lighting. Finally, when it’s time to post, make sure your photo is sized correctly for the platform. I shouldn’t have to squint to tell if your photo is of a dog or a tasty baked good.

“Should I use influencers?”

As a general rule, no — at least not without carefully vetting what they can provide you in return. A high follower count means virtually nothing in an era where you can buy bot accounts to make yourself look popular enough to swindle small businesses out of free ice cream. If their email signature says “influencer,” recommend they get a real job and slam dunk to the junk.

Those with real-life marketable skills (professional photographers and writers) and follower bases that align with your target audience are worth considering, but only if you’re confident in their ability to convert browsers into buyers without blowing your entire budget. No influencer is worth all your money (or even most of it).