Each business today faces the same daunting question, unique to this generation: how do I manage my social media? Yesterday’s Yellow Page ad is today’s Facebook page.
As brands, it’s important to ask ourselves questions about our strategies and goals. What are we posting to each network? Why are we posting it there? How satisfied are we with our reach? What improvements could we be making? The difference between having a logo and having a brand is a strong and smart social presence.
In terms of content, it’s not just encouraged to post completely different things on different platforms—it could very well be in your best interest. What performs well on Instagram might not resonate with the users of LinkedIn. According to SocialMediaToday, 2.8 billion people around the world were active on social media networks at the start of 2017.
So how do you know what to post where? Luckily, we have some great suggestions
Instagram: High-quality images of many kinds
Facebook: Videos, blog posts, handpicked shares
Twitter: News, blog posts, GIFs
LinkedIn: Company news, career content
Pinterest: Make use of massive image sizes
Google+: Harness the power of SEO
Aesthetics First On Instagram
Instagram hit app stores as a photo-first network, and it’s stuck close to its roots since then.
Quality First
Users tend to double tap only the most appealing photos and videos, so make sure you’re sharing quality content. Professional aesthetics are your best bet. HubSpot recently profiled the best business accounts on Instagram, and every profile is filled with carefully crafted and well-shot images.
Other safe bets are quotes, motivational thoughts, and anything wishful or inspiring. Like Pinterest, Instagram is a dream world of sorts.
Hashtag Everything
Determine what hashtags perform well for your space by looking up metrics with tools like Websta and DisplayPurposes. If you’re a brand behemoth like Starbucks, one hashtag will do. If you’re still building a brand, a dozen or more will help widen your reach.
Build Your Brand On Facebook
Buffer recommends you utilize Facebook to build a brand and engage the community surrounding it.
Share Videos And Blogs
Videos and live shares have been performing very well for many different people and brands on this platform, often reaching more users than any other kind of content. According to Buzzsumo, if you’re looking for the best chance at engaging your audience, video is the way to go. Facebook users are also ready to read, so handpick the best blogs, stories, and commentary to share with your audience.
Don’t Forget To Use Your Audience Insights
Facebook’s audience insights make it quick and easy to investigate the things that work well for your page.
Tweet News, Brand Content, And GIFs
Engaging your audience on Twitter is different from engaging your audience on Facebook. The most common reason why people use Twitter is to keep up with news. According to a survey by the American Press Institute, 40% of people use Twitter to find out about breaking news; 39% to keep up with news in general.
Prioritize News
Since most of Twitter’s users turn to this social media channel for coverage of daily and breaking news, it’s a good spot for targeting your fans and followers with the latest from inside your organization and industry.
Say It In Animations
Twitter was among the first platforms to integrate GIFs into its posts. If you’ve got animations, share them, whether they’re serious bits of information or just relevant reaction GIFs.
Keep It Professional On LinkedIn
When it comes to LinkedIn, professionalism should be your priority.
Business Friendly
Many LinkedIn users turn to this platform for research, so you should tailor your posts with that in mind. Showcase news and insight into the culture at your workplace. Don’t just post press releases—spend time actually creating a story that’s more likely to engage.
Stay Career Minded
Advice and career stories tend to perform very well here. If you’ve got a unique take on industry advice or an industry veteran with insightful stories to share, you’ll most likely find your audience here.
Pretty And Interesting On Pinterest
Pins have a very long lifespan in comparison to other social networks. Make use of your evergreen content here and take advantage of ultra-tall image sizes.
Infographics Wanted
Thanks to its image standards, Pinterest is a great place to share the infographics you might otherwise have trouble finding a home for. If you don’t have anything of the sort, this is a great reason to try it out.
Long, Longer, Longest
If you produce tutorials or projects that leave you with many photos, showcase them in a post that reaches the network’s maximum image heights of 1,200 pixels and up. Much like Instagram, your average Pinner wants to see something visually pleasing. Put a bit of elbow grease into your images.
Google+ With SEO Benefits
Search engine optimization should be among your priorities, and Google+ is a great tool for boosting your site’s rankings.
Immediately Indexed
When you share something on this network, it’ll often be indexed by the search giant immediately, giving you an opportunity to boost your site’s ranking in search results. You might not see as much community engagement here, but the SEO benefits alone could prove to be worth your time.
Covered In Keywords
If your posts stand a chance of making it to the front of the search result pack, then you’ll want to make sure that you’re following SEO best practices, including a considered use of keywords and links.
Recalculate And Experiment Your Social Media Strategies
Different brands appeal to different audiences, and there’s certainly no “one size fits all” approach guaranteed to work one hundred percent of the time.
With best practices for individual networks always evolving, you’ll be best served by following publishers and industry insiders that share the latest in our space. (In fact, let’s insert a shameless plug: Register for our weekly email roundup of news and advice in brand and social media marketing.)
Don’t shy away from experimenting. You won’t know a winning strategy until you’ve tried it, and you surely won’t be the first (or last) to take a chance.
