6 AWESOME FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE SOCIAL POSTS (WITH EXAMPLES)
Getting people engaged with your business on social media might seem tough, but there are a few simple things you can do today to start getting more clicks on your social posts. We picked out some of our favorite social media accounts to show you the 6 awesome features that make these social media posts so effective.
SHOWING BENEFITS, NOT FEATURES
Showing a product’s benefits — not its features — is one of the most fundamental concepts in advertising, but so many people ignore it when it comes to writing social media posts. If you’re posting on social media as a brand, your post is competing for attention in a timeline full of news articles, baby announcements, cat videos, and many other kinds of engaging posts.
Most people aren’t going to be interested in your new product, service, or company announcement, so frontload the benefits and make it matter to them.
Here’s how Slack, the communication platform, got the word out about Workflow Builder, a new feature being released later this year.
Instead of leading with the Workflow Building, the post describes a solution for a problem facing many Slack users: No coding experience? No problem. Soon, you’ll be able to build automation apps for Slack without writing a line of code.
Once Slack has your attention, it can give you more information about the feature, including its name and its planned release.
GETTING TO THE POINT. QUICKLY.
On social media, big blocks of text are tough to read. That’s why stripping down your post’s copy to its bare essentials is important. If your post is easy to scan, it stands a much better chance of being read.
Here’s a Nintendo Instagram post that keeps things short and simple.
Obviously, Instagram is a visual social media platform, but Nintendo’s quick copy — just 86 characters! — gives the image context and helps create the family atmosphere that’s so integral to Nintendo’s core brand.
BREAKING UP TEXT WITH EMOJIS AND HASHTAGS
Sometimes basic text can feel a little stale on social media, but you can liven it up with a few eye-catching emojis.
In this LinkedIn post, Lemonade, a New York-based insurance company, is promoting a recent blog post, “How Much is Your Stuff Worth?”
The copy, “Because your stuff is probably worth more than you think,” is simple and straightforward, but the headphones, bicycle, and watch emojis make the line more concrete.
When you see the emojis, suddenly you’re thinking about all the small things in your apartment and how much it would cost to replace them.
GETTING VISUAL WITH IMAGES, VIDEOS, AND GIFS
It’s no secret that visual content performs much better on social media than text-only posts.
Our brains can process visual content much quicker than lines of copy, so get visual! Here’s an Instagram post from Tennessee-based furniture retailer O.P. Jenkins.
The picture is absolute interior-design eye candy. The bedroom is washed in natural light, every piece of furniture is in just the right place, and all the accessories complement the bedroom’s overall aesthetic.
The caption explains that one of O.P. Jenkins’ interior designers put the room together, showcasing the talent of the O.P. Jenkins staff, but the image catches your attention first. This beautiful bedroom shot makes the post’s main message — our designers can transform your home, too — stand out.
SHARING THIRD-PARTY CONTENT
The best brands on social media become resources for their followers, and sometimes that means sharing third-party content. When you share content from another person or company, you’re showing your audience that you’re not living inside your own bubble and that you’re willing to find the most helpful, relevant content and share it, even if it’s not yours.
Here’s a third-party post from REI.
In this example, REI shared a recent post from Outside Magazine about a mental-health law for veterans. REI’s post expands the reach of Outside Magazine’s initial post, and it gives REI an opportunity to post about veterans, an important issue for REI.
COMMENTING ON WHAT’S GOING ON
Authenticity is at the core of social media. A social strategy that depends solely on automation isn’t likely to have much success.
Part of being authentic is being active and participating in what’s happening. Starbucks really captured the moment and made news with this simple tweet.
Many people won’t understand the tweet at all, but if you were on Twitter on May 6, 2019, it would make more sense.
The night before Starbucks sent out this tweet, a misplaced Starbucks cup ended up in an episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones. The next day, the internet was on fire with Starbucks memes. Starbucks jumped on the opportunity and received a ton of free PR for its tropical-and-aptly-named Dragon Drink.
These examples show some of the best ways to make your social media posts stand out. Try introducing a few of these ideas into your own social content and start driving more clicks today.