Resources
Part of telling your digital story is knowing the tools available to you. This is not a comprehensive list, it's just a few of the tools I regularly use:
- Feedly -- my RSS feeder of choice, great for finding content across numerous blogs and websites
- Canva -- a great free tool for simple photo editing and graphic creation
- IFTTT -- "If This, Then That." You can build simple automation between your different platforms (BUT never autopost content!)
- TweetDeck -- a great tool to manage your Twitter lists
- Hootsuite/Buffer -- both great for scheduling tweets, Hootsuite is also a great social listening tool (BUT never schedule Facebook content from outside of Facebook -- schedule natively in Facebook)
- bit.ly -- let's you create shortened links. Primarily useful with an account (free), where you can customize your links
- GetEmoji -- let's you access emojis on your desktop
- Facebook Pages to Watch -- gives you insight into what your partners (and competitors are doing well on Facebook). Here is an explainer post I wrote on why they are important and how to set yours up.
- Unroll.me -- a free tool that takes all the emails you don't want clogging up your inbox (but from which you don't want to unsubscribe) and puts them into an email digest which you get once daily
- Google Alerts -- Google will send you an email whenever one of your key terms is mentioned on the internet
- MailChimp -- a free tool to manage your email program
- Facebook Insights -- your analytics won't give you any answers, but they'll give you great questions! Find your by going to your brand page and navigating from "page" to "insights"
- Twitter Analytics -- not as much information as your Facebook insights, but still plenty to learn
Tips and Concepts
Follow the 80/20 Rule (of Thumb)
20% of your content should be about your brand and your offerings.
80% of your content should be helpful for your audience.
Created Content vs. Curated Content
Created content is anything you create.
Curated content is anything you find in the world and repurpose for your audience. This can include articles, memes and the like.
Ideal Post Length
“The ideal length for tweets is between 71 and 100 characters. Tweets see 17% higher engagement rate if they are shorter than 100 characters. For Facebook, posts with 40 characters or less receive 86% more engagement compared to longer posts.”
Here is a more thorough breakdown.
Posting Frequency
As a rule of thumb, I recommend you post on Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn a minimum of 3-5x per week and a maximum of 3-5x per day.
Twitter is more open. Generally though, I recommend the guideline of posting a minimum of 8-10x per week and a maximum of 8-10x per day.
Native Video on Facebook
If you have the video (meaning you created it yourself or paid someone to make it for you), always upload it directly to Facebook, as opposed to sharing a YouTube link. You will see significantly higher views and reach.
Blogging
The three primary reasons for blogging:
It's always better to blog on your own site (because of reasons 1 and 2 laid out above). But if you can't, consider one of these alternatives:
20% of your content should be about your brand and your offerings.
80% of your content should be helpful for your audience.
Created Content vs. Curated Content
Created content is anything you create.
Curated content is anything you find in the world and repurpose for your audience. This can include articles, memes and the like.
Ideal Post Length
“The ideal length for tweets is between 71 and 100 characters. Tweets see 17% higher engagement rate if they are shorter than 100 characters. For Facebook, posts with 40 characters or less receive 86% more engagement compared to longer posts.”
Here is a more thorough breakdown.
Posting Frequency
As a rule of thumb, I recommend you post on Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn a minimum of 3-5x per week and a maximum of 3-5x per day.
Twitter is more open. Generally though, I recommend the guideline of posting a minimum of 8-10x per week and a maximum of 8-10x per day.
Native Video on Facebook
If you have the video (meaning you created it yourself or paid someone to make it for you), always upload it directly to Facebook, as opposed to sharing a YouTube link. You will see significantly higher views and reach.
Blogging
The three primary reasons for blogging:
- Great for your website's SEO (search engine optimization)
- A good blog can serve as a bridge between your social media and your website
- It makes you an expert in your field!
It's always better to blog on your own site (because of reasons 1 and 2 laid out above). But if you can't, consider one of these alternatives:
- Facebook notes
- LinkedIn Pulse
- Tumblr
- Medium
Connecting
If you haven't already, connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Instagram. And consider signing up for my mailing list, which I use to promote events and share helpful tips and tricks to help you master your social media.
Step Up Your Social
Have you subscribed yet to my podcast? It's called Step Up Your Social. All episodes are ~10 minutes or less and provide quick, actionable tips to help you take your digital marketing to the next level.
Stream all episodes for free at StepUpYourSocial.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Stream all episodes for free at StepUpYourSocial.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.
And of course if you would like to have me come speak to your group, organization or company, or are looking for a training, consultation, personalized comprehensive digital strategy or audit, or anything else to help you better tell your digital story, let's chat!