Are you responsible for the content management of your company’s social media? If so, you’ve probably encountered many cases of writers block along the way. If you manage multiple social media accounts like us, this probably occurs at least a few times a week. Take it from us, coming up with engaging Facebook posts on the daily can be super tough. However, with a little know-how and a ready selection of “go to” posts at your disposal- you can kiss the days of staring blankly at your computer and/or banging your head against the desk in frustration, goodbye.
Before we divulge a few examples of our favorite “go to” posts, it’s important to understand how and why they work for us. We’ll reiterate a point we make time and time again: social media is not an outlet for you to “sell, sell, sell”. Instead it’s a place for you to engage and build dynamic relationships with your customers. With Facebook’s Edgerank algorithm operating the way it currently does, only an average of 6% of fans actually see what you’re posting. NetWeave clients have an average of 20% fan post penetration, and we try to keep it that way. You know how? We use the Edgerank formula to our advantage.
Say there’s a really important event or product you need to push on social media. The day before you do that post, try posting something that will get lots of engagement naturally. That way more fans will be likely to see your event/product post the following day, because they JUST interacted with your page during your “go to” post.
The following is a list of a few of our favorite posts that usually do the trick of us. Just make sure you keep each of these relevant to your page and use the correct tone of voice that you’ve established with your audience. The idea behind all of these is that people love talking about themselves. Most of the time all you have to do is give them a reason too…
1) A simple text-only question
We love: “If you were to get in your car right now, how long would it take you to get here?” It may seem a little silly but you wouldn’t believe our success rate with something this simple! It’s fun and easy for your fans to play along. Be sure to post it at a peak time and you’ll soon be scrolling through hundreds of comments from your Facebook fans.
2) A shareable meme
Memes are impossible to ignore and are present on virtually every social media site out there. The best part is, with tools like memegenerator.net you can make your own! The trick is to find a meme that is still popular and relate it to something about your company’s service or product. This one was created for the Bradenton Blues Festival and used the popular “Victory Baby” meme.
3) A caption-this photo
A picture is worth a thousand words right? So why not ask your fans to write what words a particular photo is saying to them? Funny or heartfelt photos tend to perform the best, but as long as the photo is dynamic you should receive a good response. Just make sure the photo is very relevant to your business.
4) A “this vs. that” question
If one thing is for certain, it’s that people love giving their opinion. All you have to do is ask them what they prefer. It generally works better if you give your fans some kind of context. For example, for The Florida Aquarium we asked fans who would win in a “battle of cuteness”, otters vs. penguins. For Tonton Sauces & Dressings (shown here) we asked which dressing fans preferred on their salad. Get creative with it! You can keep it text-only or use photos.
5) An inspirational quote
A weekly dose of inspiration never hurts, and with so many to choose from there’s always at least one that’s relevant to your fans. Include one with a photo and it becomes instantly shareable. We like finding quotes on brainyquote.com and then adding them to one of our own photos like this one for Bungalow Beach Resort.
6) A trending hashtag
With hashtags being clickable on Facebook, you can reach more people if you join a trending topic. If you can’t relate to anything that’s currently trending you can always use a popular “day of the week” hashtag instead. There’s plenty to choose from but we love:
#ThrowbackThursday or #TBT
#WeddingWednesday or #WordlessWednesday
#ThankfulTuesday
#SundayFunday
The following is a fun #ThrowbackThursday post we did for Bok Tower Gardens.
Do you have a few “go-to” posts of your own? We would love to hear them! Please leave yours in the comment section below.