We all strive to do things the right way. We research others in our field, often emulating those we look up to. There’s nothing wrong with that when you’re starting out and learning.
Absorb all you can.
After awhile though, you discover your entrepreneurial voice and want to be unique. And you realize there really is no right way.
After reading so many writing blogs and tips for freelancers, I’ve decided to just try what feels right to me when it comes to using social media for business and building brand identity.
Lately, I’ve been going with my gut instinct.
Twitter is my most active social media network. I’m involved in conversations, get retweets and share on that social media platform daily.
After many, many posts, I realized the best way to get more people to comment, like or share my posts was to just be me.
It’s honestly that simple. Be yourself to boost social media engagement.
Here’s a few types of social media posts that I share often (on Twitter, Facebook and Google+) that tend to do well.
11 Social Media Posts that Get the Click
- Good News: There so much negativity out there, it’s nice to highlight feel-good stories. I find that sharing videos or articles with eye-catching photos get noticed the most.
- Personal Work Updates: People like to know what you do. Whenever I share behind the scenes photos of me working or stories about an article coming together, I always get a good response.
- Pictures of Animals: Cute cats and precious puppies rule the Internet. Since I’m an animal lover and write about pets often, it’s easy to toss a few of these posts into the mix.
- Positive Quotes: It’s uplifting to read a well-written sentence or two that provides reassurance or puts a positive spin on a situation.
- Empowering Status Updates: Show that you’re positive and powerful. I love letting my followers know when I’m moving forward despite a set back or tough situation.
- Relatable Memes: Share memes that make you say, “Oh, that’s so me.” in your head, and you have a winning post. Hot topics include ‘the need for coffee’ and a ‘love of weekends’!
- Funny Selfies: Once I shared a picture of me riding a camel. It was the perfect Hump Day Wednesday silly picture.
- Ask for Help: Since my co-workers are canines and they can’t really help me with questions, I often toss a few questions out on social media to get the assistance I need. I like to ask for feedback on headlines I’m writing or when my AP Style knowledge is on the fritz.
- Things I’ve Written: As a writer, I always want people to read my work. Instead of just posting a link to what I’ve written, I often try to give a little back story or insight into what I enjoyed about the project to get readers more interested and talking.
- You’re Not Alone: When something strange happens to me, or I run into an odd work situation, I like to write an update that reminds people that they’re not alone. Other people (including me) also have these thing happen. Yes, this includes writer’s block!
- Thanking Others: I work with sources and experts for many of the articles I write. When I post the finished pieces, I like to tag them and thank them for their help and advice. It’s nice to follow-up and chat about how things turned out.
Overall, I post what seems helpful, kind and interesting. I write how I speak, share my ups and downs and try to be as real as possible. If nobody ever wonders if I’m an automated Internet robot, I’ve done my job well!
Do you have a favorite type of social media post that always gets your fans talking? Share your tips and ideas about social media engagement in the comments below!
This post was updated on December 9, 2016.
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