Increase conversions to your site and generate leads with the best social media practices for your social media strategy.
Social media consumption in the last year faced major upheaval amid company shake-ups and algorithm changes, causing 2018 best social media practices to shift dramatically. A recent study conducted by social media metrics company, Buzzsumo, revealed average social shares have declined by 50 percent in 2017, compared to 2015. In July 2018, Twitter announced that it would no longer allow users and third-party apps to bulk-post (post the same tweet to multiple accounts) as well as banned creating auto-engagements at scale, such as mass-liking or retweeting. Another study found that 12 to 34 year-olds are abandoning Facebook in favor of other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and more.
In the aftermath of 2018’s social changes, it is more important than ever to make sure your social media can perform at its best. 2018 best social media practices ensure our clients’ posts receive the maximum attention and engagements possible, on time and on budget.
Optimizing Posts
In order for your social posts to perform at their best, you must first properly optimize them. No two social platforms are the same, meaning that each post you draft and each profile you create should be uniquely crafted to satisfy the demands of that platform. Images, videos, and even optimal copy lengths vary, leaving plenty of room for error. Our 2018 best social media practices guide highlights these three areas to help our clients achieve their social goals every month.
The highest performing un-paid social posts all have one thing in common: they are the ideal length for the type of performance they are hoping to achieve. Here are the ideal lengths for social copy according to Hootsuite.
- Organic: Between one to 80 characters
- Ad copy: 5 to 18 words for each section of the copy
- Headlines – 5 words
- Main text – 14 words
- Descriptions – 18 words
- Between 71 to 100 characters
- Hashtags should be at most 6 characters
- Updates, organic or paid, should be about 25 words
- Articles – 1,900 to 2,000 words
- Organic: Between 138 to 150 characters with 5 to 9 hashtags per post at 24 characters or less each
- Paid: 125 characters or less
If you are bulk scheduling your social media content, you should leave the length around 80 characters, keeping hashtags to a minimum, since most social media falls around this length. Once you have your copy written, then you can start optimizing your image and video content.
Top Tips for 2018 Best Social Media Practices
Repurpose Your Best Content
Pulling quotes and statistics from top performing content and repurposing them into share-worthy infographics is an excellent way to engage your audience with material you already have. According to iScribblers, people remember 80 percent of what they see and only 20 percent of what they read. Infographics turn your best content into a snapshot of your brand, enticing new viewers to learn more. Data from case studies can also be used to start an online debate or discussion post. Repurposing blog content could turn one post into dozens for long-term use and re-use.
Go Live
Facebook has explicitly advised brands to use Facebook Live after their algorithm change earlier this year stated that real-time videos get six times as many regular interactions as normal videos. These videos are more appealing over normal video content because they are presented as “must-see” content rather than a clip you could easily brush off. The raw feel also adds a tone of realism to your brand, building loyalty and consumer trust.
Once your brand accounts publish your social content, have your team members share them to their individual feeds. This ensures that your content not only reaches the followers subscribed to your channels, but to potential customers as well.
Don’t Hide Your Personality
Brands that stand out today aren’t afraid to remind followers that there’s a person behind their account. Brands like Netflix get noticed because they don’t take themselves too seriously, often joking with their followers and staying on top of humorous trends. Research shows that well-crafted social and political posts also provide more incentive from followers to maintain loyalty. According to SproutSocial, 58 percent of consumers are most receptive to brands communicating their positions on social media. Speaking on issues relevant to your audience is quickly becoming an expectation rather than an exception.
good morning to my new queen of acting Michelle Gomez and only to my new queen of acting Michelle Gomez pic.twitter.com/Eyl4pyHOux
— Netflix US (@netflix) November 5, 2018
Tag Influencers and Brands in Posts
Tagging other brands in your posts is a guaranteed tactic to gain exposure for your social content as tagged posts tend to earn more attention. To find relevant brands and influencers to tag, comb through relevant keywords and hashtags with resources like Moz Keyword Explorer or Google Keyword Planner.
