'What do I post on my social networks?'
We received a #TackleTuesday question from Jenn Anderson from Jenn’s Friends. Here is some background so you can formulate your own answer, if you wish.
Jenn’s Friends is a pet care service for when you are on vacation or simply need a little help to walk your dog. They offer a variety of services which you can find on their website. Jenn’s question was:
"What do I post on my social networks?"
We already answered Jenn’s question and here is a summary of that answer. Feel free to leave your own answer for Jenn’s Friends in the comments below.
Many small businesses don’t bother to ask that question, so the fact that Jenn is says a lot about the type of business she wants to run. To simplify this answer, we gave her two types of content she should post on social networks.
1. Stories about the animals she cares for.
That can be difficult when you are limited to 140 characters and you do not want to write a novel in your Facebook post. This is why having a blog is very important.
You start by sharing your story in long form, in a blog post. Here are two things to remember when creating a blog post.
1. Include an image to go along with your story.
Thanks to networks like Pinterest and how we have moved to a more visual society an image will add character to your blog post. This can expand your reach if the image is good enough.
2. Think about your social content.
Before you make your blog post live create one sentence for each social network you are posting on.
Here are some pointers for each network relevant to Jenn’s Friends that you may find helpful too.
Keep it short, simple but intriguing by thinking about the emotional side of the story. Sharing the part of the story that will tug on the heart strings of your readers is what will create a buzz of engagement.
Keep it simple, to the point, not too emotional but not too factual either. Treat this sentence like a punch line, something that is intriguing enough for the reader to click on the link.
Google+
A must for all businesses! Great for SEO. Honestly I would do a hybrid based on your Facebook and Twitter posts. This one is strictly SEO for me, but you need engagement, so usually something that is intriguing and emotional works best.
2. Tips
I believe all businesses should post tips. NOT a tip that everyone else will post in your industry, but something custom from you. This means these tips must be in the moment, not always possible but with the help of your smartphone (which is probably already in your hand) it can be done. Here are the steps to getting great tips with your smartphone in hand.
1. Snap the pic.
2. Open your social network.
Instagram works as a great gateway to Facebook and Twitter, but I highly recommend using BufferApp for posting. Although Instagram is not included.
3. Create your quick one or two sentence tip and post.
I know it’s not always that easy, so here is what I do most of the time.
1. Snap the pic.
2. Create a voice memo.
3. Title the voice memo so it reminds me of the pic.
4. Later I check my voice memos and create the posts.
If you are using BufferApp you don’t need to worry about what time you are posting because it will post it at the right time for you.
We shared our advice for Jenn’s Friends about what she can post on her social networks, feel free to share yours. Let us know if you have any questions or join us at our next #TackleTuesday.