5 Social Media Post Strategies

Everybody wants to know what to post on Facebook, what to Tweet about, or what to leak out to your network on LinkedIn.  “What are the best social media post strategies?” is a common question I am asked. There are 5 main posting strategies that I go by and teach as part of my Social Media Strategy & Review.  Each type has a best practice involved, delivers a unique end result, and is used for different reasons.

Here we go:

1. Picture Posts—Probably the most often talked about (and in my opinion over rated) because of the large amount of space they take up in the newsfeed of Facebook.  This makes your post more noticeable.  Plus, people love to comment, share, and like pictures so engagement should be high on pictures.  Though this should be the case, I can say that it does not ring true with my audience on Facebook.  I have the lowest engagement on pictures.  Test your audience.
2. Text only—Just that, a post with no pictures, videos, or anything fancy.  Keeping it simple.  These are actually where I get the most engagement on my page contrary to popular “guru” discussion.  A few months back Facebook actually changed up the algorithm.  Imagine that.
3. Quotes—Most people love quotes, but some hate them so try not to overdo it with proverbs and the sort.  There are two ways to do quotes; either as text within a photo or as just a plain text only post.  You don’t have to leave it as just the quote either, say something about it.  Why is it relevant?  What does it mean to you?  What might it mean to your audience?
4. Links—Are a great way to provide content on the fly.  If you come across an informational article or helpful tool your fans, followers, circles, or connections can find value out of simply copy and paste the link.  Now here is the biggest mistake when using links; it is when someone posts just the link with no teaser line or reason why someone should want to click on it.  This is a major fail too if you are providing a link to your blog or other content which you should definitely be doing to generate leads from your social media efforts.
5. Videos—Videos can be entertaining, informative, and promotional with high viral opportunity.  Videos can easily go viral with platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and now Vine.  Most of the time your videos will be relatively short, especially if you want the whole thing watched.  In Facebook the videos can also take up more space in the newsfeed, again just like pictures, catching the eye of more of your audience.

Play around with each type and see which best resonates with your audience.  Every  audience is truly original and you must cater your delivery to your audience and not just blindly post based on the words of some “guru.”  Trial and error is the best way with social media.  Do more of what is working.

Which type of posting do you most typically use?  Is there any particular reason why?  Do you think you might now try something different?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.  I’d love to hear your feedback.

© Katie Swinehart, The Social Media Project