Columbus social marketing that survives the News Feed
How many times have you found yourself scrolling through your News Feed, only to be bombarded by the redundant clutter filling the stream? For brands looking into Columbus social marketing, crafting copy that is both interesting and valuable is the holy grail. Why? Because if the humans love your content, then Facebook’s algorithm will, too.
Combining what your fans want with what Facebook itself favors (i.e. what it thinks fans want to see in their News Feeds) is like walking a tightrope. Take a look at some of our best social media marketing strategies to add some staying power to your copy.
1. Short and sweet.
There’s a reason posts with 80 characters or less get 66 percent more engagement than longer posts.
Trust us, your audience knows when you throw up a post in five seconds. Taking the steps to carefully craft your post requires real time and effort—and makes all the difference in the world.
We find it most effective to write down each element we think should be included in the post (dates, times, links, names, locations, contact info, call to action), then take a step back and ask ourselves: What can I delete? Here’s an example.
Start: Want to travel to France for FREE?
If you have never been to Paris and want to feel like you are there, journey to the Discovery District in downtown Columbus. At the Topiary Garden/Deaf School Park you will discover a living recreation of Georges Seurat’s famous post-Impressionist painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. As you stroll around the gardens and pond, imagine yourself sitting by the River Seine on a calm, serene Sunday as you sip your café and eat your croissant. Where do you like to go for some quiet time?
Finish: Want to enjoy the beauty of Paris in Downtown Columbus?
At the Discovery District’s Topiary Garden, you’ll find a living recreation of Georges Seurat’s famous work, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – http://columbus.gov/Templates/Detail.aspx?id=25376
2. Ask a question.
Questions get 100 percent more comments than non-question posts. Be sure to post a question that’s easy to answer. You can easily combine this with the overwhelming engagement seen with photos (104 percent more comments than the average post) by trying a fill-in-the-blank post or our personal favorite, a “caption-this” post.
3. Include a call to action.
A call to action (CTA) can be as simple as asking fans to like, comment or share. While you don’t want to bombard fans with demands to like your photos, studies show that simply telling your audience what to do will lead them to take the next step. Like this puppy. Including a CTA is critical to boost get in the good graces of Facebook’s News Feed algorithm. The more fans interact with each post (because you told them to), the higher your score will go.
Beware, the algorithm is meant to weed out boring posts. The less engagement you receive, the harder it will be to get back in your fans’ News Feeds.
4. Be yourself.
Social media, and by extension social marketing, is about fostering community. Your fans shouldn’t feel as if you’re talking at them; they want to be part of the conversation. By crafting posts that are aimed at getting input (refer to step 3) rather than focusing on you you you, you’ll begin to build brand loyalty. Your fans will stop engaging if you’re constantly tooting your own horn or pushing a product.
5. Edit, edit, edit.
Editing goes hand in hand with keeping posts succinct. Once you have all of your ducks in a row, go back through a final time to check for typos and to delete any lingering, unnecessary words. If you’re just getting started, ask a co-worker or friend to check your work before you post. Facebook updates shouldn’t be a last minute task, but rather carefully developed content.
After you select an engaging photo to accompany the copy, you can schedule the post to go live at the most advantageous time. Our stats show that Facebook fans are most engaged between 8 and 9 p.m.
Engaging an audience on Facebook is one of the greatest challenges facing brands today. If you’re struggling with your Columbus social media marketing, get in touch with Cement today at 614-564-9216 or by emailing Alaina@cementmarketing.com.