Social media is an integral part of most communication strategies, and there are always areas for improvement in current practices. Whether your messaging has become stagnant or your photo shares are down, revamping your strategy can help generate new ideas and attract new followers. This week’s post aims to help fill holes in your social media strategy – from integrating videos into your tactics to improving your photos and graphics and more. By filling these holes, you can update your brand’s online image and increase your levels of engagement.
In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five”– an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary – we look at tips to improve your social media strategy.Information about available video platforms,examples ofhow to improve engagement on Instagram, an explanation of why social media managers should keep well-maintained personal accounts and graphic design tips are all covered in this week’s post. We also look at tips to help integrate content marketing into your social media strategy.
The social video starter guide (PR Daily)
The value of video in social media is growing, and it offers itself as a great resource in online communication. As communicators, it’s important to ensure that social video is used to its fullest ability. This article features an infographic outlining all that you need to know about video platforms available to your brand and their uses. Google Hangouts, Instagram, Vimeo, Vine and YouTube are all highlighted in the starter guide, which offers a breakdown of features that brands can use to determine which platform can meet its needs.
YouTube, for example, is the second most visited site in the world. According to the infographic, the site generates over one billion visits per month, and over six billion hours of video are viewed monthly. Aside from attracting over one billion visitors, YouTube reaches more viewers between the ages of 18 and 34 than cable networks – which can be useful to those attempting to interact with that age group. The infographic also advises to produce “humorous, details videos about your business and industry” for best results from the platform. Visit the article to view the infographic and for more tips.
Instagram Photos With Faces Get 38% More Likes (Mashable)
If your brand is on Instagram, you’re already doing well in the social media scene; however, you can be doing better. According to a recent study, “Instagram photos that include faces are far more likely to get likes from followers than those without.” By posting photos that include faces, your brand can increase engagement and set itself up to receive more likes and comments from viewers.
“According to a report conducted at Georgia Tech, people are more drawn to photos that feature the face. In fact, of 1.1 million randomly-selected Instagram photos analyzed with face detection software, those with faces were 38% more likely to get Likes and 32% more likely to get comments,” the article reports. But don’t post too often – posting too frequently can decrease engagement. More tips to ramp up your Instagram presence can be read via the article.
Why Social Media Managers Need to Manage Their Own Social Media (PR Newser)
Managing a brand or company’s social media accounts may be your responsibility by day, but it’s equally as important to keep a well-groomed personal online presence as well. If there is ever a damaging slip up on the social media accounts you manage, your personal accounts may come under fire. An example of this is the current U.S. Airways tweet mishap – the manager of the airline’s social media accounts was identified, and his personal social media accounts are now being featured in the media.
The article explains: “In following up on the beaten-to-death porn tweet story, someone at the [Daily Mail] did a Google search, found the guy responsible for managing social at U.S. Airways, visited his Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, and grabbed some personal–but not private–screenshots… The rag also took the time to make fun of the manager’s own descriptions of his job and post blown-up versions of his profile pics.” For the whole story, and for a lesson in cleaning up your personal accounts, visit the article.
5 Graphic Design Tips for Social Media (Huffington Post)
To give your social media an edge, sharing posts with photos and graphics increases engagement and the likeliness of being shared. By applying basic graphic design techniques, you can give your posts a professional touch. This article offers “five simple tips [that] will have you creating amazing blog graphics, social media posts and marketing materials in no time.” From choosing the right font palette to picking color schemes, making small, aesthetically-appealing graphic design changes can help generate added attention for your posts.
While making changes to images and graphics, it’s important to remember to “keep it simple.” According to the article, “it can be easy to get carried away with so many great images, graphics and fonts to choose from. Simple is always best when it comes to graphic design. Reducing clutter means you’re more likely to get your message across! Make sure you have a reason to use every design element, and keep the number of fonts, colors, shapes and frames to a minimum.” Visit the article for the full list of graphic design tips.
Practical Social Media Tips To Enhance Your Content Marketing (HootSuite Blog)
Social media serves as a great platform for content marketing, but many brands’ are struggling to incorporate content marketing into their social outreach. The tips in the article not only make a case for the reach of social networks, but they also offer insight into the best social media strategies for content marketing. The article explains: “The fact is, content marketing isn’t a science. There are a lot of factors outside of your control which can contribute to your content being a hit or falling flat.”
To conquer these factors, try the following tips:
- Share messages at optimal times
- A/B test on social networks to see what resonates with your audience
- Optimize messages to each individual social network
For details about the above, and for access to the full list of tips, visit the article.
Faith Goumas is the public relations associate at the Public Relations Society of America.
