As I travel the country speaking to retailers about social media marketing, it seems there is one common challenge for everyone in the room: creating content for each social media site that gets engagement and action. Is this hard for you?
I think one reason it’s hard is because we don’t give ourselves enough time to plan and really strategize content our audience would like. Another reason is we post content we think is good but we don’t focus on our audience. Remember, your content needs to speak to your ideal customer. And the obvious reason when it comes to Facebook is they only organically show your posts to about 3-5% of your total Likes. You really need to pay to see an increase in engagement on Facebook.
(Note: If you’re looking for hands-on training when it comes to the Facebook Ads platform and Power Editor, consider joining Social Edge as a yearly member where you can access the Facebook Ads training course as well as other social media training videos and worksheets just for retailers. Learn more here. )
Since this is such a hot topic, I’ve created a content checklist below for a few of the top social media sites. Use this to know what each platform is best for and ask these questions each time you’re creating content (or give to the person who creates your content).
Facebook: Good platform for: Building a community, driving traffic to website and foot traffic into store (with limited time offers, special deals), posting about events, daily exposure to audience. Strong visual content platform.
Content Checklist:
- Is the post/photo interesting/funny/inspiring?
- Does it directly relate to my perfect customer?
- Is the text on the post too long?
- Is the photo clear and of good quality?
- Is my logo/store name and/or website needed on this graphic/post?
- Are we asking too much of the viewer from this post?
- For promotional posts, is the CTA (call to action) clear?
- If advertising the post, is the text less than 20% of the image?
Pinterest: Good platform for: Fulfilling your perfect customers dreams and desires through photos and videos, creating lookbook’s for your brand, connecting viewers with your town/city. One of the strongest platforms for driving web traffic.
Content Checklist:
- Does the image/video feed the consumers emotional wishlist?
- Are the board titles unique and creative while remaining clear as to what users will find on each board?
- Does the Pin have a source that drives back to me/my website? (If you’re not sure, click on the pin and see where it takes you – it should take you to your website, Facebook page, etc.)
- Do I need to list a price?
- Is it a high quality image? (Remember, these will get the post Repins and Likes and work best on Pinterest)
Twitter:
Good platform for: Direct conversation, breaking news, local conversations, listening, using hashtags, and generating web traffic.
Content Checklist:
- Is the tweet to the point?
- Is the tweet less than 140 characters, giving other users a chance to Retweet?
- Does the tweet sound like a human versus a robot? Does it have an authentic voice?
- Is there a good use of hashtag(s)?
- If there’s an image, is it high quality?
Instagram:
Good platform for: Showing behind the scenes, using hashtags, being artistic, telling a story.
Content Checklist:
- Is the picture indie/artsy enough?
- Does the picture tell a story? Does the story appeal to a younger generation?
- Have I used hashtags (general and branded)? Note: You can and should use hashtags in descriptions and comments
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