(4 min. read)
A social media post can be as simple or as complex as you feel it should be for your brand. No matter which platform you use, what your marketing goals are or what your strategy may be, these six tips will help you create a well-designed post.
Keep branding consistent
If you haven’t already established style guidelines for your brand, then now would be a great time to define them. Decide on a specific set of brand colors (HEX, CMYK or RGB). Create guides on logo usage. Identify any specific fonts and appropriate text sizes. Take time to think through design elements that should always be standard across everything that carries your brand’s name. Begin to take note of how large, established brands maintain a consistency regarding fonts, use of color, and even the most minute stylized detail. Uniformity in these areas is critical to a well-established brand identity. Specifying these particulars in advance will save a ton of time and take some of the guess work out of creating future social media posts. Brand guidelines will also help if more than one employee is creating posts for your company.
Mind your tone!
If you’re having a conversation with someone in their 50s about your company, you may use different language or tone than you would if talking to someone in their 20s. The younger generation may not understand your “Who’s the Boss” reference and the older generation won’t know what to make of your “Drippy” new Fall Lineup, or “Bussin’” new menu items. Keep your audience in mind when creating a post – it will go a long way in keeping them interested and engaged.
Share something YOU would want to read
Every post should not be sales-driven with the purpose of pushing your product or service. According to the July 2022 Global Digital Snapshot Report from DataReportal, 83% of people using social media are doing so for fun (47% connecting with friends and family, 36% filling spare time)! In other words, if you aren’t blood, a close friend, or even an acquaintance, then providing interesting content or entertainment is the way to their online hearts. With this in mind, aim to give your audience something that will keep them coming back for more. Help them identify with the human(s) behind the brand. Maybe play into their sense of nostalgia for things from the past, or share your favorite ways to unwind, personal interests, what you are reading, etc. Don’t be afraid to be human! Give your post a more humorous, quirky or even sarcastic tone if it suits the brand and the post.
Make it visually appealing
You have only a moment to grab someone’s attention on social media (a recent survey by Facebook identified that duration as 2 seconds). If your post includes an image, you stand a better chance at stopping the scroll (https://ducttapemarketing.com/use-images-enhance-content-social-media/). If the post is comprised of a photo with text overlay, ensure that any text is well-balanced on the post. Avoid having text cover an important part of the photo. When selecting a photo to include, be sure that you have the right to use it. There are several royalty-free photos sites where you can find images – stock.adobe.com is an excellent resource (albeit it comes with a price tag). Another image you could include is an infographic, which is a visual representation of information or data. People love artistic representations of data!
Design it for the right platform
There are ideal sizes for a graphic post for each social media platform. A simple online search will give you the necessary dimensions. If you’re using a desktop design program such as Canva or Adobe Express, make a dedicated template that is sized for each platform where you plan to post. This will make the process more efficient going forward. You may even want to start a separate guideline sheet for each platform. There are many websites that are great for keeping the platform sizes accurate. Most offer a free account where you can use their pre-made templates to build out the post. Before you start, check to see if you can download the finished product for free or if payment is required.
Include a call to action
You’ve caught their attention. They stopped scrolling to view your post. Now what do you want them to do? Including a call to action is a way to keep the audience engaged and interacting with your brand. The action can be to sign up for a free rewards account, to mention the post when they come to order or to share their story. Regardless of what it is, make sure it is clearly stated. If there is a deadline or an expiration, be certain to include those details.
Creating compelling, relevant content that connects your business with existing customers, while driving new customers in the door is incredibly important, but it’s time-consuming work. We are here to help!
GLM Custom delivers social media packages custom tailored to fit the needs and meet the goals of our clients. Ask us to build a strategy and management plan that’s perfect for your business!
Visit us at www.glminc.com.