5 Tips for Effective Social Media Content

We often think about the text we are going to create and the ideas we wish to express in the written post, and it can be tempting to think about the image you share as a bit of a ‘third thought’. The image you use to support your post is very important because it enables your post to stand out in people’s news streams (which are busy and full of noise). It also gives you a vehicle to express even more about your company, so can be a valuable tool for communicating what your brand stands for, how great your product looks, or even a chance to outline your typical customer “personality”; even if you’re using stock images, the persons depicted in those images should be in some way indicative of your demographic, relevance, benefits, tone of voice, etc.

Instagram is almost entirely “image based”, suited to short texts which are very pointed around relevance to your key message (likely hashtags). Your posts on Linkedin, alternatively, will likely connect you to people who are willing to read more in-depth material, as well as a target demographic who are more expecting of a professional, corporate tone. Facebook can be a combination, although is more consumer-centric than the mid-point, and so you should bear this in mind by striking a tone and length somewhere in between the two.

It’s very helpful to firstly create several “content pillars”, which will be ballpark topic guides for the different types of content you’re going to put out on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc. Those may be things like, “educate the readership”, “explain key product benefits”, “contribute to the industry-wide discussion,” etc. This will give you some indication of what to post about and in what repetition and rotation. They can cover a broad area with diverse content under each, but it will make for a good base to begin.

You do not need to pay to boost posts for them to be visible, but if your following is fairly modest, then you may only have a handful of interactions from each post. Whilst the numbers can look a bit underwhelming, if those are quality engagements from real people who are considering becoming your long-term customers, then these connections/engagements are potentially valuable – more so than paying to receive one hundred random likes, which can look impressive but don’t sell anything for you.

At Gemini, we approach every single social post we create with the care and creativity that goes into a television commercial (TVC) – not in terms of time, but in the exacting focus we seek to emphasise in the endeavour to create compelling narrative. We care about every word and consider our name to be on each and every one, so they have to be perfect, and of course meet your social strategy goals. It can be tempting to just push out 8 posts per month because the plan says to, but it’s better to create content which is strong, relevant, engaging and valuable.