Crafting the Perfect Social Media Posts - Universal

Missed the ‘Crafting the Perfect Social Media Post’ presentation at Universal’s 2015 Business Development Conference? Don’t worry – I was there furiously taking notes!
Growth marketer, author, and social media innovator Anum Hussain presented 29 tips for publishing perfect social media posts, encouraging attendees to use the tips to see a lot more bang for their social media buck.

Anum provided a ton of valuable information that both beginner and advanced social media marketers could use. There was a lesson to be learned from each of her tips, but when you are just getting started with social media, I’d recommend focusing on the following basic strategies, as noted in her presentation (combined with my advice).

1. Play to the strengths of each network.

While there are a lot of similarities between select social media channels, each channel is unique. For example, Linkedin is more professional, while Facebook is more casual. Facebook users might not care about product trends while Linkedin users would eat it up.

2. Upload quality visuals.

Social media posts that have images attached to them tend to get higher engagement. You don’t need to hire a professional to take photos but they should be clear. Utilize a smartphone or stock image website (such as iStockphoto or FreeImages). Make sure that you size your images accordingly for each channel. See: Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet (follow the ‘shared image’ sizes for posts in the News Feeds).

3. Post videos.

As noted in Anum’s presentation: Linking to YouTube videos in social media posts results in a 75 percent higher share rate. Where to get videos:

Take them yourself using a smartphone.
Seek them out from your manufacturers.
Purchase them from stock video sites such as Shutterstock or iStockphoto.

4. Convert fans with offers.

You’re using social media for business to increase sales, right? Tempt your audience and get them through the sales cycle with enticing offers. Examples:

Free e-book – require prospects to provide their email in order to download the e-book; use their email to re-market to them.
Percent or dollar off promotions – 20% your order for x amount of time.
Contests and giveaways – participants must provide you with their email address to enter.

5. Optimizing your publishing calendar.

Anum noted that the following times are best to post:

Twitter: Noon and 1pm local time and early mornings
Facebook: Publish after hours (5pm to 1am EST)
Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram: Publish on weekends.

Note: Try what she suggests and pay attention to what works and what does not; adjust accordingly.

For Anum’s complete list of tips, watch the full presentation in the video library on the Universal Unilink Member Site. If you need help breaking the tips down and applying them to the way you use social media for business, contact me.

Marisa Sanfilippo, Content and Social Media Marketing Director, Fortune Web Marketing
(732) 898-6197, marisa(at)fortunewebmarketing.com.