Top Tips For Social Media (#1-5)
Social Media (SM) is perhaps over-hyped at times but there is no doubt that in aggregate it has taken on increasing importance in recent years. Major corporations, smaller organizations and savvy individuals are all utilizing SM, seeking posts that will go viral, elevate brand buzz and ramped-up recognition.
Below are some suggestions for further enhancing your SM skills and overall effectiveness.
1. Be mindful of brevity and available space – for example, Twitter’s 140 characters. NOTE: new Twitter policy – will no longer count photos and shared links in their 140 limit (announced May, 2016).
2. Photos and videos, when used properly (relevancy is key), will add more interest in your message, increase viewership and ultimately result in more Shares, Retweets, etc.
3. Set a goal for your message, identify your target audience and then choose the best, most appropriate platform for reaching them. In other words, on which SM platform are you most likely to encounter the individuals/group you want to see and hear your message?
3a. There are lots of platform choices – from Facebook to Instagram to Pinterest, etc. – do your homework for which will be best.
4. Take advantage of and capitalize on trending #hashtags to fit your message and mission into ‘the conversation’ and what is relevant, current and topical. Even if your post and targets are not a perfect fit for the top #hashtags, you can still use them to your advantage and raise visibility.
5. Use sites like bit.ly or ow.ly to shorten your message to fit available space and keep it streamlined (see above re/Twitter character constraints and updated info a/o 5.16).
Thanks for reading, sharing and your feedback. Stay tuned for #6-10…
