Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Category: Social Media

  • How To Effectively Write Social Posts

    We all know we should publish social posts. We tweet or post to Facebook, but what is the best way to do it? How should the posts be formatted? When should we post? Let’s discuss.

    Why Does Formatting Matter?

    Formatting standardizes your social posts in a way that makes your personal workflow optimal. Adhering to these best practices has helped me build my own brand as well as many others.

    You’re completely free to disagree and disregard. With that, however, I ask for an open mind. Try my method for two weeks. See if you get more replies, engagement, and impressions. Do your own test.

    More after this video.

    People Scan, They Don’t Read

    It’s true. People don’t read. They scan. Think about yourself. You’re busy. You open your phone or browser to see what’s happening on your favorite social platform. What’s the first thing you do? Scroll?

    In order to get attention, how you format your social media post makes a huge difference.

    Stop Excessively Using Emoji

    Emoji are visual. They are pictures. Our brain processes images differently than words. (Remember the last time you made a spelling error on a graphic? It’s a different part of the brain.)

    Emoji use falls under “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” I know you love your emoji. If you must, use them at the end. Or a GIF (which is automatically at the end). Emoji are not bullet points.

    Who is your audience? Can they see the emoji? Most people over 40 who wear reading glasses. Even with my glasses, I don’t always know what the emoji is. I thought the sushi one was a lobster roll and I thought the slot machine was a house. They are too dang small. I’m not even talking about legit accessibility issues with screen readers.

    Carin Arrigo uses a purple heart at the end of her tweets. She’s using it to reinforce her brand. Purple was her mother’s favorite color. She honors her in all that she does.

    Don’t Hashtag Words Within Your Main Copy

    I find myself saying this often: hashtags are links. They are for filtering and search. Use them at the end so your copy is easy to scan and read.

    Formatting for Social Networks

    Each network has their own quirks. This is one of the many reasons why auto cross-posting is a bad idea. Instead, mix up your content and share it intentionally across time.

    Formatting for Twitter

    Just because you have 260 characters (or whatever they change it to in the future), doesn’t mean you have to use them.

    [Intriguing quote or question]

    [Call to Action]

    [short link]

    [Hashtag1]

    [Hashtag2]

    [Hashtag3]

    I use Revive Old Post on this blog (to cycle my content on Twitter).  Unfortunately, I can’t format my tweets that way. I really wish I could put the link before the hashtags. Oh well. Nothing is perfect or fool-proof.

    Formatting for Facebook

    Facebook uses Open Graph to pull in the featured image and meta description. Sometimes people don’t realize that image is a link to click on. For this reason, I like to nest the link in between paragraphs.

    [Intriguing quote or question]

    [short link]

    [Call to Action]

    When you hire me you get me.

    You don’t get an intern and you don’t get automation.

    http://bit.ly/BridgetsServices

    What do you get from a social media manager you find on Craigslist?

    Posted by You, Too, Can Be A Guru on Friday, January 17, 2020

    Formatting for LinkedIn

    LinkedIn is pretty straight forward. Sharing content is easy and it doesn’t matter if you use a short link or not. Sometimes, LinkedIn gets fussy if the link is shortened. So, go ahead and use the long, ugly link at the end. You can be pretty wordy on LinkedIn if you like, too. People actually read on LinkedIn.

    [Intriguing quote or question]

    [Call to Action]

    [website link]

    Formatting for Instagram

    Instagram is pretty simple and direct. It’s great to use a bunch of hashtags. You can’t even use a link. The big problem where I see people going wrong is taking screenshots of fliers that no one can read.

    I made a tutorial on how to use Canva to make these images instead.

    [Intriguing quote or question]

    [Call to Action]

    [hashtag] [hashtag] [hashtag]

    [hashtag] [hashtag] [hashtag]

    [hashtag] [hashtag] [hashtag]

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7R6eCfHwKu/

    Formatting for Success

    Formatting your social posts allows people to notice and engage with your content. I double dog dare you to try it for two to four weeks. Look at your analytics. Notice your mentions increase.

    If it doesn’t work for you, I offer a free, money-back-guarantee to this advice.

    What do you have to lose?

  • Is Your Site Ready for Social Sharing?

    As a social media manager, I come across a lot of websites. Most of them, sadly, aren’t ready for social sharing. Let’s get yours ready with this quick tutorial.

    Why Should My Website Be Sharable?

    Ideally, you’re publishing on your website so people will know more about you, your product, and/or your services. Small businesses can leverage social media to level the playing field.

    When your site is shared on social (because it will be) will it look like a blank gray box or will it be some lame default image?

    Every social share is a first impression.

    Set Up For Social Success

    Proper social setup is important on blog posts, yes. It’s also important on custom post types and pages. Yes, and pages.

    Even if you use a tool like like I do,  you still need to set the page up with a title, keyword, meta description, and featured image.

    Facebook’s Open Graph is the Google of the social networks. Make sure you have a 155 character description for your metadata (or excerpt) and a featured image that is 1200 x 628 pixels. If you ever plan to boost the post, make sure that the image doesn’t have more than 20% of the area covered in text. You can use their text overlay tool to check.

    How Do I Make My Website Sharable?

    You can watch the tutorial on YouTube here. (It’s embedded below, as well).

    Tools You Need

    iThemes Training Webinar

    You can watch the hour iThemes Training Webinar here.

    Questions?

    As always, I’d love to help you in your social media journey. Shoot me a comment and let me know how I can help you.

  • Which new platforms should businesses be on?

    I asked my audience what they’d like me to address sometime back and this question was posed: “Which new platforms should businesses be on?” I’m not sure people will like my answer, but let’s go for it anyway. My quick answer is stop chasing new. Be consistent on what you have.

    Further, I was asked where to best spend your time since things change awfully fast.

    Human Behavior Doesn’t Change.

    Here’s the thing. Tech changes. Human behavior does not.

    [bctt tweet=”Technology changes; human behavior does not. ” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    As humans, we are social. We need to feel love and belonging. Loyalty matters. As we go about our day, we engage in small talk which builds and maintains relationships. Small talk can be about the weather at the bus stop, in an elevator, on or Twitter. We share our day with the next-door neighbor standing in the driveway or by posting a photo of our lunch on Instagram.

    Today, the strawberry plants I grew from seeds are flowering. I texted this to my mom and put it on Instagram.

    We are created to share experiences and tell stories. That will never change. Where we tell our stories  (technology) may evolve over time, but gaining trust and loyalty (behavior) is always down to engagement (conversation).

    New Social Media Platforms in 2019

    I honestly don’t know any new social media platforms that a business might use. What I do know is that platforms will always arise and the good ones will stay — like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

    “I often get asked what the next big app or social media platform will look like. The truth is, I don’t predict. I’m a counterpuncher—I react.” Gary Vaynerchuk, 2016

    Mark Whitehurst from Marketo says you should pay attention to Vero, Musical.ly, and Steemit. Search Engine Journal talks about the 7 biggest platforms and names existing ones. Truthfully, it can be anyone’s guess.

    The downfall of looking for the newest, shiniest tool is that the audiences continually grow. So, in 2011 Snapchat came on the scene and a number of their audience migrated from Instagram. Instagram was no longer the “young people’s platform,” whatever that means, it was Snapchat. Gen Y and Z have increasingly made their conversations one-to-one or one-to-many in private group chats.

    How does a business get in on private conversations?

    Businesses saw the opportunity with Snapchat and their filters. Everyone copied Snapchat including Instagram and Facebook and there are frames and branded filters everywhere. It’s the same as sports stadiums. They used to be named after heroes. Jack Murphy Stadium became Qualcomm Stadium. I believe Wrigley Field was one of the first to brand a stadium. But I digress.

    The point is this: brand awareness campaigns can happen on the new tech. But engagement campaigns are more difficult.

    [bctt tweet=”Businesses can always spend money on brand awareness campaigns; engagement is more difficult. ” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    Experiment but Stick with the Standards

    It’s good to experiment and keep aware of your marketing channel options. Radio and TV ads are not dead. Neither are billboards, movie reels, or signs on grocery carts.

    You know what works? Whatever tool you use. Go with it. If you want to spend your advertising budget on a community event, do it. If you are publishing on your website, keep doing that. The biggest problem I see is people starting but not continuing with the effort or channel.

    Twitter: The Caveat You Knew Was Coming

    If you’re reading this article, there is a 50% chance (according to Google Analytics) that you saw it on Twitter. It’s no wonder that is my bias and I’ve explained the reasons why Twitter is the best platform for business to business before. That said, I spend my time on Twitter — every day. Several times a day. It’s where I’m campaigning.

    Is Twitter the best for the local carwash? No. They use fliers, spend money with ValuPak, and attend the chamber of commerce.

    Go with the Blue-Chip Platforms

    If you are starting your social media marketing now, my recommendation is to go with blue-chip platforms. What do I mean?

    When you are new to investing in the stock market, you’re advised to go with blue-chip stocks. Those are the tried and true investments. Low risk, certain reward.

    “A blue-chip stock is the stock of a large, well-established and financially sound company that has operated for many years. A blue-chip stock typically has a market capitalization in the billions, is generally the market leader or among the top three companies in its sector, and is more often than not a household name. Some examples of blue-chip stocks are IBM Corp., Coca-Cola Co. and Boeing Co.” Investopedia

    Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are the blue-chip social media platforms. Those, in that order, are the best places for a business to spend their time and marketing budget.

    Be Intentional with Your Marketing

    In order to be successful in social media marketing in 2019 or 2009 you need to be intentional. Choose a platform and use it daily or weekly. Publish articles on your website on a regular basis. If you don’t have the time or want to become an expert, outsource your social media.

    There is no hack. You just have to do the work.

  • A Case Study: Marketing Consulting with Jocelyn Mozak

    From time to time, a case study becomes a good way to reflect on results for both you and your current and potential clients. This is my first for one of my very good friends and I’m proud that she’s also a client.

    https://twitter.com/JocelynMozak/status/1084120768240181248

    The Client

    I met Jocelyn Mozak of Mozak Design at WordCamp Seattle last year. Her Portland, Oregon based business is going well and she often presents and coaches on systems and processes that help other businesses. However, she wanted to build up her brand awareness about her coaching program and training for speakers and wasn’t sure how that could happen with Twitter.

    The Challenge

    Jocelyn was all-in on Facebook. That’s where her tribe was. That’s where her clients were. That’s all she focused upon. But after sitting down at an impromptu lesson I gave to Robby of Beaver Builder at WordCamp Seattle 2018, she was in.

    I could sense her excitement and that was contagious.

    She DMd me. I invoiced her. Caldendly appointments were made. Once the Zoom call began, I had a chance to change her mind about Twitter. People who know me know how much I believe in it as a tool.

    https://twitter.com/JocelynMozak/status/1062393906279649280

    The Consultation

    The first call was the test. Test of the coach on the consultant. Could her audience really be elsewhere except her beloved Facebook? How could she connect with people who might like her coaching services? Once I began to teach her about lists, however; I think she saw the way she could grow her influence.

    One of the things I enjoy (I know, it’s supposed to be about the client) is that during a consultation I can give specific rather than generic examples. So, for this call, I suggested that she create a list of WordCamp speakers starting with those slated to speak at WCUS. This allows her to spend time engaging with her peers in the speaking world and continue to build those lists. Since she is an avid speaker at a variety of conferences, the light bulb went on and she went to work.

    Look at those lists!

    After that, we briefly discussed hashtags and their purpose as well. I’ve personally seen her engage more on Twitter in our circle of friends and watch people tag her to get their attention.

    The Second Call

    Okay, Bridget. If you can do that for Twitter, what about LinkedIn. (Quote for dramatization).

    Yep. We set up another call over Zoom (she likes to record them) and we went through specific use cases on why she should be there.

    Who is her audience? Women leveling up their careers and speaking engagements.
    Where do those people spend their time? LinkedIn.

    It made perfect sense.

    The Results

    I’m stoked with the results. I knew Jocelyn was sitting on a gold mine.

    Twitter:

    Jocelyn tweeted only 17 times in October with 1,880 impressions. In November that number went up to 220 with 40,200 impressions. December was 276 tweets and 48,300 impressions. I’d say those are impressive results.

    LinkedIn:

    After Jocelyn put our plan into action for LinkedIn, the more professional network, she’s had a 60% increase in profile visits.

    Look at that increase!

    Google Analytics

    Google Analytics is the ultimate in metrics. The whole point of social media is to build brand awareness so that people will visit your site. I love that her traffic has dramatically increased from Twitter (54%) and LinkedIn (2000%).

    Love the green numbers!

    The ultimate result, to me as a consultant and teacher, is her newfound excitement for platforms that can help her build her own coaching business to a new level.

    Bridget’s Twitter coaching has been transformational. I used to use Facebook exclusively and avoided Twitter at all cost. After a single session with Bridget I understood exactly how to wrangle Twitter and make it work for my business. Now Twitter is a key part of my social media marketing. I’m building relationships and growing my online visibility. I even, I dare say, prefer it to Facebook somedays!

    [caldera_form id=”CF59e795482d092″]

  • Marketing Isn’t About Tools – It’s About Psychology

    Marketing tools are simply that — tools. When you overly rely upon automation to replace human connection you will always fail, regardless of how slick the tool is.

    Marketing is about relationships. Relationships take time. No CRM or auto dialer will change that for you.

    A brand needs to be relatable. As your customer base relates, they develop affinity to the brand. Affinity leads to loyalty. Loyalty leads to sales.