What makes for a great post in social media? It's the question that haunts community managers and marketing directors. First, the bad news. You know it. I know it. But I have to point it out: The most effective posts and updates are going to depend on your community. If you have good analytics reporting and pay attention to your fans, you'll figure it out eventually. (More good info on this here.)
Now, for the good news: There are, in fact, a few magic bullets for Facebook and Twitter. The following discussion covers only Twitter and Facebook. The best research is available for these two platforms more than any others. So let's take a look at some of the available data to find the buzzwords that ignite your social media followers.
The buzzwords: "Please" and "thank you"
Why they're powerful
Didn't your mother teach you anything? Sheesh. The exact same behavior that keeps everyone in the real word from thinking that you're an asshole applies to the social media world too. Every time you post content for your fans, you are implicitly asking, "Take time from your day and look at this thing that I just posted." You're asking them to do something for you, so say "please." And if they engage, say "thank you."
Put those buzzwords to work
Look at these two imaginary Facebook updates and decide which one you would rather click on.
- Win a free keychain from PancakeHut. Click here.
- You can win a free PancakeHut keychain! Please see this page for details.
The point is, stop being such a jerk all the time. Your fans will definitely appreciate it, and they'll engage with your content more. It's easy to forget that there is an actual person (most of the time) on the other end of the conversation. So remember your manners.
