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When someone says, \u201cEveryone else is doing it,\u201d I generally turn and run. That\u2019s just not a good reason for doing\u2026 anything.<\/p>\n
But when it comes to social media marketing, \u201cwhat everyone else is doing\u201d can be good information. It can help you know what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not\u2014so you can develop your strategy without having to learn the hard way.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I appreciated Software Advice,\u00a0a social CRM\u00a0research firm<\/a>,\u00a0sharing their early findings from the Social Media Content Optimization Survey<\/a>, their first ever study on how marketers are optimizing social media content.<\/p>\n While I didn\u2019t see any shocking revelations, the information in this survey is certainly worth reviewing. In particular, the top tactics for optimizing social media content.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s review them now, then talk about what your goals should be for social media marketing, so you know how to get the best results.<\/p>\n The survey uncovered 7 tactics for optimizing social content, but 3 stand out as being very important: using images or photos, using hashtags<\/a> and usernames, and targeting specific groups and\/or users.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s zoom in and take a close look at the top three tactics. To learn more about the fourth, creating CTAs in social media, read this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n When it comes to content, there\u2019s no better way to increase engagement than with pictures.<\/p>\n In blog posts, images have been found to increase engagement by 94%. That\u2019s almost double the engagement an article gets with no images! And while I haven\u2019t seen any numbers, I imagine you get a similar boost on social channels.<\/p>\n Both Facebook and Google+ were designed for sharing images. In fact, Facebook\u2019s developers include high-quality images in their recommended best practices. Check out tip #4 below.<\/p>\n Even Twitter now includes in-stream images. Like this one, which I found in my stream recently.<\/p>\n Great words from @ponderful<\/a> on the power of Twitter RT ($twtr #smwf<\/a> #socialmedia<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/noShYTAOJY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sean Gardner (@2morrowknight) April 6, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Why are images important?<\/p>\n People are visual. Even if we have time to read\u2014which most of us don\u2019t\u2014we understand new information better if it\u2019s accompanied by an image.<\/p>\n In social media, people tend to scroll through their streams until something catches their eye. And let\u2019s be honest, images are more likely to catch the eye than a text post.<\/p>\n So take time to find suitable images for your social content. Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n 5 stages of #twitter<\/a> user #epic<\/a> RT @Fifusince1992<\/a>: hahaha epic #Obssesion<\/a> xD pic.twitter.com\/Os65KUlm4D<\/a>“”<\/p>\n \u2014 Mia (@JointlyApart) April 5, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Just one caveat with regard to images…<\/p>\n Be careful about using images of people. A study done by Taggs<\/a> revealed that social content with images of people got fewer likes, shares and comments than posts with no people or with just a part of a person (hands, for instance).<\/p>\n Why? Taggs believes that \u201cwhen Facebook user encounters a brand image of a product, lifestyle, or landscape without a person shown, the user is better able to project themselves into the image.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, they can connect better without other people in the image. And if they feel more connected, they\u2019re more likely to like, share, or comment on the image.<\/p>\n A key to social content is getting it found. For that, there are no better tools than hashtags and user names.<\/p>\n Hashtags are familiar to most social media users. In Twitter and Google+, they tend to be keywords that ensure your posts are found by anyone searching for those terms. Here\u2019s a good example from one of our Crazy Egg tweets:<\/p>\n Successful sales copy doesn’t always have to be direct or hyped to get results. https:\/\/t.co\/C95r6LLUQY<\/a> #copywriting<\/a> #sales<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Crazy Egg (@CrazyEgg) April 7, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This tweets will be easy to find for anyone searching for tweets related to copywriting or sales.<\/p>\n Hashtags also provide a way for users to communicate with one another in real time. Follow a particular hashtag and any posts tagged with that hashtag shows up in your stream.<\/p>\n In Facebook, however, hashtags are also used to add depth and commentary to ordinary posts. Like this one:<\/p>\n Or this one:<\/p>\n I doubt anyone is searching for “BabyFriendly,” “illtakeit” or “itfits.” These are more like asides from the person posting, adding their own commentary to their posts.<\/p>\n Hashtags are great for making sure searchers can find your content, but what about people who aren\u2019t searching? What if you just want to make sure someone sees your post? For that, there\u2019s user names.<\/p>\n In Facebook and Twitter, you do this with an \u201cat\u201d sign and the person\u2019s user name. @KathrynAragon, for instance. In Google+, use the \u201cplus\u201d sign, like this: +Kathryn Aragon.<\/p>\n This creates a tag, which alerts the person that content is being shared with them directly. Here\u2019s how one marketer did this in Facebook:<\/p>\n This marketer was kind enough to share an article I had written. He could have just posted the link and be done with it. But by tagging me in the post, he let me know it was being shared.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a good strategy because it serves as an introduction of sorts, putting you on that person\u2019s radar. (If I see another post from him, I\u2019ll probably pay attention.)<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve written a blog post that features someone, you can use this same technique to let them know about the content. Like this tweet, in which I tag @ChrisGoward so he knows I reviewed his book:<\/p>\n New Post – The One (and Only) Way to Improve Conversions: You Should Test That! Hat-tip to @chrisgoward<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/Rrg2r12xPP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kathryn Aragon (@KathrynAragon) March 3, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In most cases, when you do this, the person will share your post, which helps:<\/p>\n One of the top reasons for using social media is to build your network. Fortunately, you can easily build your reach and influence with the two tactics we talked about above. But sometimes, you can boost your efforts for quicker results.<\/p>\n Keep in mind, this tactic needs to be used with care. Go overboard, and you could look like a stalker, which will do more harm than good.<\/p>\n When you want to build relationship with a particular brand or influencer, pay attention to their social media streams. By helping them achieve their goals, you become an ally of sorts, and they\u2019re much more willing to talk with you if try to reach out.<\/p>\n For example, you might follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. When they share an article you particularly like, retweet it to your followers. Like their Facebook posts and plus-one interesting posts on Google+. Leave comments on their posts and respond to tweets.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t overdo this, but do engage with one or two of their posts every week or so. Be sure to use their username tag when you do, so they see your activity (as in the examples I showed you above).<\/p>\n Over time, you\u2019ll catch their attention and be seen as a friend, if not a super-fan and\/or a resource. They may begin to recognize your name and even engage with you in social channels. At that point, you might be able to direct message (DM) them and get a response\u2014because you\u2019re a real person who has given them support and encouragement.<\/p>\n Let me repeat: Do this with care. It\u2019s a great way to build relationships with specific individuals and brands, but rely too heavily on it, and you come off as creepy, which, I\u2019m sure, is not your goal.<\/p>\n Social Advice\u2019s survey also measured marketer\u2019s goals for using social media.<\/p>\n According to these results, most marketers are using social media to nurture relationships and build brand recognition. That\u2019s as it should be.<\/p>\n Social media should never be done for the purpose of direct sales. It\u2019s a terrific marketing tool if you use it properly: to build relationship and brand loyalty among your followers.<\/p>\n Which brings me to the real focus of social media marketing.<\/p>\n According to a Duke University survey of online shoppers<\/a>, when people buy online, only 16.8% of them are looking for a low price and only 6.6% care about the brand. What matters most are:<\/p>\n Each of these concerns\u2014quality, service and trust\u2014can be developed through social content that helps people know your brand better.<\/p>\n Remember, people buy from brands they know, like and trust.<\/p>\n In social channels, people can actually \u201ctalk\u201d to brand. They can sense the personality of the people behind the brand, and feel more connected because they\u2019re \u201clike\u201d them. Rather than building a brand of stuffed shirts and gray suits, you can build a brand that\u2019s accessible and real.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not just philosophy, either. Brands like Coca Cola and Ikea<\/a> have set this as their goal, and you can see it in their social channels.<\/p>\n![\"social](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/social-media-optimization-survey-placeit.png\")
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\nSource: Placeit.net<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nTop Tactics for Optimizing Social Media Content<\/h2>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Social-Optimization-Survey-Results.001.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nUsing photos and images<\/h3>\n
![\"facebook](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/facebook-recommends-images.png\")
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![\"shoes\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/shoes.jpg\")
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Using hashtags and user names<\/h3>\n
![\"facebook](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/facebook-hashtags-1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"facebook](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/facebook-hashtags-2.png\")
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Targeting specific groups and users<\/h3>\n
Why Be Social? How to Set Your Goals<\/h2>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Social-Optimization-Survey-Results.002.jpg\")
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![\"what](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/what-consumers-want.gif\")
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