Determining what to post on your social media platforms is a task that often causes a string of emotions and us constantly questioning our decisions.
Is it the right image? Do I need more text? Should it be a video? What about this emoji? Did I post too soon? Will anyone like it? Did I use the right hashtag? I’ve heard of Geo-tagging…what is that?! How do I get someone to click the link? Wait – how do I make a link? What is no one likes it? What if they HATE it? Is this video too long or too short?
I’m getting anxiety just typing all of those questions out!
It’s enough to make you just stop and tell yourself that maybe tomorrow you will get it right. Maybe tomorrow you can make that decision…only tomorrow leads to the same stress inducing questions so you throw your phone and yell “F*%K It” to the whole damn thing.
I get it.
Been there.
Take a deep breath and remember this – It will NOT be perfect, but it will be authentic. No matter what you post, it is a step forward because you took an active step in sharing more about your business.
Tips for the Ideal Post
Notice I didn’t say “perfect”. Perfect is the enemy of the good, the great, and everything in between. So we will shoot for ideal and authentic.
What is authentic?
So glad you asked, because this is a word that is thrown around A LOT. I define authentic as being simply you. What image and/or video shows you when you are doing what you are best at? It’s not complicated. It’s SIMPLE.
This is where people often struggle – they want to get everything, every detail, every link, into one post. Social media is a relationship that you build with people. You want them to ask you questions. Did you forget a link? Oh, did I? Maybe you get called out. Reply to them “I can absolutely put that in the comments – thank you so much for catching that!” And then you forgetting the link, scores you some engagement.
Social media is about being SOCIAL.
Let me repeat that, Social Media is about being SOCIAL. You want to engage and create something that has them seeking out more info.
The Components of A Solid Simple Post
In order to create a post that truly engages, it needs a total of 5 elements:
- A Simple, yet effective image (ideally organic)
- The image cropped/edited for the platform it will be posted on
- A clear caption with a call to action
- Relevant hashtags
- Geotags or other tags for collaborators
Your goal here is to showcase a small part of your business. Not to give the whole thing away at once! Most of my clients most successful posts are the shortest and simplest.
Examples of effective, simple posts:
- A video of opening a door and walking into your establishment
- A close up of your product
- A video of your pouring something (beer, coffee, soda, etc)
- A video of your services in motion with one client or one class (taekwondo students mastering a form, art students in a pottery class at the wheel, a personal training teaching someone how to do a squat)
- A photo of your best selling products and bundles
The key here is to simplify. Don’t try to push multiple experiences into one post. Break them up so you have MORE content that showcases your businesses with clarity.
After you have an image or video picked out, the caption is your next priority. And before you ask, yes, you need emojis on every platform but LinkedIn. They are fun and bring life and attention to your caption.
Now – what should you say?
I’m going to be a broken record here, state whatever it is, SIMPLY and with clarity. Don’t use a whole lot of terms that are specific to your industry unless this is for an industry post. This is where its helpful to have some training in television production. You only have 2-3 seconds to capture someone’s attention and then keep it. Long, complicated words are too much. Break up sentences and use easy to understand words.
Then encourage your followers to engage somehow – click the link, comment below, share. Ask them to do something!
I always tell my clients that the best sales people of all time are kids under 10. We don’t care if someone says no at that point and we will ask until we are blue in the face in a hundred different ways. Be that tenacious 5 year old who wants engagement. Ask for a review in a 100 different ways (HINT: Ask ChatGPT to give you 100 different options on a call to action for your posts) keep asking, it works. Remember, it takes someone seeing something five to ten times before they take any kind of action. Most of the time they skim right past the ask! So ask them to complete some type of task in every post.
And now here is the caveat. DON’T ask for the in sale every post. Only ask for a sale about 20% of the time. The other 80%, ask for some type of engagement – ask a question, comment below, share, check in, etc. It’s about upping your engagement, because when your engagement is high, your post rises in the algorithm.
Hashtags & Geotagging
Hashtags and Geotags are still important.
A hashtag is the keyword that people can click to find your post and all other posts with that hashtag. If you put in Martial Arts or Pottery, then your post will pop up in those searches. I don’t recommend a ton of hashtags, three max on Facebook and LinkedIn, with up to ten on Instagram. Right now barely anyone is using hashtags on BlueSky and TikTok is usually about the same as Instagram.
Now on to Geotagging.
What is it?
Basically, it is a setting that shows people where you are located. If you have a brick and mortar business, then it is very important. It allows people to search an area and see your posts.
Lastly, if you can tag another business in a collaborator post, that is also very helpful. Working with other businesses can give you a boost on your own following and allows your post to be seen by your followers and theirs. Utilize your resources.
Keep it SIMPLE
Social media was originally designed to be fun and engaging. There is a reason people will watch all kinds of videos and seek out beautiful images. Your business can be one of those accounts that they search for when they open their phones.
If you do nothing else today…find a photo that you think showcases your best self. And post it. Even if you don’t have a caption. Tomorrow…post a picture and a caption. Every day take an action and before long, you will be a posting pro.
I love to hear from you! Comment below or send us a message on one of our socials. I am on Bluesky (@venturewrite) come find me and say hello.
Cheers my friends, you’ve got this.