The 8 Commandments of Facebook Content Creation

“Quit it with these long posts! I just ignore them!”

I recently posted a status on Facebook sharing my opinion of long posts (specifically on Facebook), backed up with a study of course. However, I believe content creation, in general, is such an important subject that I’d like to harp on about it a little more.

So in this article I’ll go into more depth regarding ‘post lengths’, but also provide you with 8 golden genius drops* of content creation advice.

*Golden Genius Drop: A piece of priceless advice that one’s mind may chew on.

Long posts SUCK (most of the time).

99% of those using social media are doing so for the reason described in the title – to be ‘social’. They’ll come on to check out what’s happening with their friends, maybe skim over a few news stories, watch a video or two, or check out a new restaurant. They don’t come on to read lengthy articles or to learn, in great detail, about any particular subject - We have blogs and news sites for that kind of stuff. At most, people will interact with links to articles that have a brief description before-hand to help them decide whether they want to spend time reading on.

According to Track Social, Facebook posts of more than 140 characters attract a significantly less amount of engagement (Figure 1.). However, this doesn’t mean you have to start cutting all of your posts down to Tweets. The beauty of Facebook is that there are no limitations here.

A long post can still gain a healthy amount of engagement IF it’s structured in the right way; but when I say long, I mean long within reason. My rule of thumb is that if a posts runs over 100 or so words write a blog article. Any more than 100 words and you enter into the boring/ignored category described at the start.

Figure 1

To find out about how to structure these longer posts that still provoke engagement, read on!

The 8 Commandments

Here are the 8 rules I follow when creating Facebook posts:

1.       Write an attention grabbing opening statement:

Think of your post like a newspaper article; the headline is the hook for readers.

2.       Good grammar and perfect spelling:

I shouldn’t need to explain this one. Poor grammar and misspelt words just looks careless, so be careful.

3.       Shorten links:

These save space and look far tidier (I have slight OCD…). Use Google URL Shortener to help you here.

4.       Use bespoke graphics:

Something I try to do as often as possible is use bespoke graphics or original photography. These present a professional image to followers, and will keep you out of copyright trouble!

Simply saving images from Google is lazy and risky. So if you can’t create bespoke graphics, or have no unique photography, then use websites such as Flickr to source images.

5.       Use Hashtags to label the subject, but that is all:

Unfortunately the introduction of hashtags into Facebook didn’t quite work out. According to EdgeRank Checker’s research, Facebook hashtags are actually less likely to make a post go viral. People also don’t tend to take part in public discussions on Facebook the same way they do on Twitter. So again, this makes the Facebook hashtag redundant.

However research aside, Facebook hashtags are a great way of labelling what your post is about. Think of them like labelling a blog article... These labels may attract your audience to read your post.

6.       Get to the fucking point:

As previously explained, people have short attention spans when spending time on social networks. Don’t bore your poor followers…

7.       Include a call to action:

Studies show that people are more likely to engage if asked to.

8.       Sign off with your website URL:

Not only does this make a post look professional, but it drives potential customers to the point of transaction.

If you’re purely using social media for PR purposes the same rule applies. The majority of your service/product information should reside on your website.

Let’s wrap it up

So there you have it, eight ways you can create more professional looking Facebook posts that will encourage engagement. All you need to do now is discuss an interesting or useful subject.

To give you an example of what a good post may look like, I thought I’d sign off by following my “8 Commandments”:

A Sweet-Ass Blog Article Sign Off:

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and, as always, would really appreciate any feedback. So who’s going to start the discussion? Comment below chums.

If you’d like to check out some of my Facebook posts then join me here: http://goo.gl/5nbmAV

#FacebookPosts #8Rules

www.dreamtheatremarketing.co.uk

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7 Social Media Time Savers

There’s no two ways about it, social media marketing is time consuming – if done properly. However, if you read and apply the seven tips I’ve provided in this article, you’ll feel like Dr. Who (apparently he’s the ‘Time Lord’).

The Excuses Reasons

Some excuses as to why people don’t have time to market their business through social media are entirely valid, but only some. The majority of excuses are, in fact, products of laziness and a lack of creativity. The good news is you’re about to get the answers to both sets of excuses.

I understand fully that some are trying to start/run a business along-side running a family or working a 9 till 5. Purely fitting in the time to service clients can be difficult, but it can be done. Pretty much all other excuses don’t merit a mention. Don’t be lazy is all I can say.

One health warning I’ll give straight off the bat is: rushed social media marketing can be detrimental to your business and reputation.

So to the 7 Tips

A few of these may seem like common sense to a lot of you, but guess what: common sense aint that common. Remember that.

1. Create a Post Planner

Your post planner should be linked to the decisions you made in your monthly strategy. This can be as simple as a spread sheet with the days of the week on it, and then under the days the types of posts you intend on creating that day. For example:

Monday: 1. Motivational video, 2. Post monthly offer.

Tuesday: 1. Engaging question, 2. Staff/location picture, 3. Upcoming events.

Wednesday: 1. Expert article – And so on…

You get the picture.

A good rule of thumb is 2 – 3 posts per day. You don’t want to flood your audience’s News Feed, and want to give each post time to be affective.

2. Use Scheduled Posts

Scheduled posts are awesome; purely and simply. It is a very simple tool that Facebook provides, and for other channels such as Twitter, I advise hootsuit.com.

Set your posts up for the day and they’ll be released at the times you have set. Bingo.

Facebook Scheduling

3. Use Pinterest or Evernote

Everyone should have somewhere to store inspiration at all times. As I carry my phone with me 90% of the day, I use Evernote – a great app that allows you to store notes, voice notes, web-links and images. Pinterest, if you don’t already know, is great for storing useful web-links etc.

This stored data can then be reviewed when it comes to creating content for your social media channels.

4. Time Block

Time blocking is simple, so I’ll keep this explanation short.

Block off a time period when you’ll work on a selected task, and turn off all distractions during this time (phones, internet etc.). You must only focus on this task and nothing can interfere with this time period.

Here is a useful link I posted on Facebook recently which explains time blocking perfectly:

http://www.wikihow.com/Time-Block

5. Link Facebook with Twitter with LinkedIn

By linking up your social media channels, anything you post on Facebook will be repeated on Twitter, and Twitter with LinkedIn etc.

I do warn you however, do not solely release content on one channel and neglect the others. This reeks of laziness. The types of content required for each channel varies. Treat Twitter like a bar, Facebook like your lounge and LinkedIn like a conference room.

6. Sleep Less

This can be nicely described using a famous quote by a hero of mine – Arnold Schwarzenegger:

“There’s 24 hours in a day. You sleep for 6 hours and you have 18 left. Some of you out there say ‘well, I sleep 8 hours or 9 hours’. Well then, just sleep faster!”

Due to my current business/life situation I have to get up at 6am every morning in order to get things done. And before a busy day it might be 5.30am; whatever it takes.

7. Stay Healthy & Exercise

A good diet coupled with regular exercise increases concentration and your ability to learn. With a poor diet and a lack of exercise, 1.You run the risk of feeling sluggish and 2. your brain will not work at its optimal performance.

For those who are interested this is why exercise helps your brain:

1. As you exercise, your muscles contract.

2. This releases chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1.

3. IGF-1 travels to the brain and stimulates the release of several chemicals, including brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF).

4. Regular exercise increases levels of BDNF.

5. BDNF stimulates neurons (brain cells) to branch and connect in new ways.

6. New junctions between neurons are the basis of learning.

And that’s that.

To Wrap it Up

There is never really an excuse for why something can’t be done. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in order to achieve a goal.

Hopefully this article has given you some actions to take away and add in to your daily routine. If there is anything you’d like to discuss further then leave a comment bellow, or on Facebook, Twitter, Google +… where ever suits you best. All of the links are below:

F: https://www.facebook.com/DreamtheatreLimited

T: https://twitter.com/DreamtheatreUK 

G: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103777485746000148812/posts

www.dreamtheatremarketing.com

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A Social Media Master – The Story of Ross Stewart

Let me introduce you to Ross Stewart:

Ross is small and loud… There you go. Done.

Come to think of it, that’s a pretty damn accurate way to describe why he’s been successful on social media! I can also say what I like about Ross, as he’s a very close friend of mine.

Ross has a coaching business, Ross Stewart Fitness & Nutrition, and has done for about two months. The reason I describe it as coaching business and not a personal training business is because they can be two very different things.

Ross was a personal trainer for three years. He provided personal training sessions in the gym he rented, and his training and diet advice was condensed into the hour long sessions you’d paid for. I’d say that’s an accurate description of the majority of personal training business out there.

Now I must add: Ross loves to witness huge improvements in clients. So to be fair to his old business, the service did go slightly further than the one hour long sessions. His clients could contact him at any time and he was fairly active on his personal Twitter account. He also keeps his knowledge of training techniques and nutritional findings up-to-date; he’s the kind of person that strives to improve himself on a daily basis.

However, after spending some time in Australia, Ross returned to start what is now his coaching business. The word coaching is used because he provides more than training sessions in a gym. Of course he is still a trainer and a nutritionist, but he is also an online coach, a motivator, a lifestyle coach, a businessman and a writer. He teaches people how to live a healthier, more active and enjoyable life.

LET THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN BEGIN

Now that I’ve given you an understanding of Ross’s business, I’ll explain how he has used social media to catapult him into a position where he’s at his upper limit of clients, both online and off. Also how in the space of two months he has accrued 643 Facebook fans, with an average of 9000 engagements per week, and 385 Twitter followers, all ready to validate Ross Stewart Fitness & Nutrition.

 1.  Ross believes what he preaches, and boy does he preach!

There is nothing more obvious than when someone doesn’t believe in their own product. It shines through in the lack of passion in their content. People respond to passion, but how can you be passionate if you don’t believe in your content? 

When you can project passion people will respond and thrive off you. So don’t douse that what you truly believe. Shout about it.

Now, not everyone will agree with what you say. However, this is a good thing. A little controversy creates discussion, and if this discussion is happening on your page then guess what? You’re hosting the party! There’s also an argument that for people to love you, some people must hate you… I don’t really buy into this. However, I do believe that in order to be at the top of the pile, and have very loyal followers/clients, you will have to accept that people will disagree with you and try to depose you.

The take away: No one listens to the guy sitting on the fence.

         2.  Ross online is the same Ross offline.

Ross’s blog articles, Facebook posts and Tweets are all filled with his, let’s say, colourful personality. I’m sure he’d prefer me to use the adjective charismatic, but that aint gona happen!

Ross sometimes uses ‘flowery’ language and isn’t scared to say if he thinks something is shit. He uses ‘words’ like “y’all” and “bro”… But who cares!? He isn’t auditing your accounts! He’s trying to motivate you, make you look and feel better. So he can get away with this style, because it portrays a young, energetic and passion filled business; a coach whom you’d like to spend time with.

Now, if you’re a Lawyer or an accountant, or even wish to advertise a more conservative/professional brand, then you would adjust your style of writing accordingly; there’s no need to completely suck the personality from your content though. You can still radiate passion and credibility, while projecting a personality that provokes people to do business with you.

The take away: Be yourself and project your personality.

3.  He tells you where to find him.

At the bottom of every single post Ross includes a link to his website – www.rossstewartfitness.com. In his Facebook about page and all over his Blog you can find links too. Forgive me if this seems like common sense, but it’s amazing how many people forget to include links to their website or links to where customers can by their product. It turns out that common sense isn’t that common.

Include links everywhere; in your Facebook posts, throughout blog articles… Don’t do the hard work of creating a loyal online community without providing easy access to your website or URL’s where transactions are made.

The take away: Provide accessible links.

         4.  Ross’s content is valuable.

People don’t follow Ross to find out what colour of Jack Wills sweatshirt he’s purchased that week (as important as shopping in Jack Wills is). They seek fitness and nutritional advice. They want to read his posts, tweets and articles and feel motivated.

 Here’s a good example of useful content from Ross’s Facebook page:

“If you're going to eat breakfast make it high in protein and add some fat. Good examples of this are meat and nuts or eggs cooked in butter/coconut oil. Coffee with butter/coconut/MCT oil is also a solid alternative for those who feel they have to have something but are pushed for time.”

This content is laced with knowledge and advice. It is valuable, as time has been spent researching it, and the implications of following the advice will have a direct effect on your life.

The take away: An easy way to lose followers and fans is to post useless content.  Offer value.

5.  Ross follows the ‘Rule of Thirds’.

The content that you publish should be shared (fairly) evenly between:

1.       Promoting your services and achievements.

2.       Publishing unique, useful content.

3.       Sharing content written or discovered by others in your field. 

You don’t need to follow this rule exactly, but it’s a good place to start. It turns out Ross adheres to this rule quite accidently, but the fact remains that there is variety in Ross’s publications.

Your social media content must have variety in order to hold your audiences interest. Don’t let your social media pages become stale.

The take away: Mix up your content using the ‘Rule of Thirds’

TO CONCLUDE

Using these techniques Ross has built a community - not purely fans of his Facebook page and followers on Twitter. He has a community of loyal clients and ambassadors that will market his business for him, free of charge. This form of marketing is called word of mouth marketing, and is the Holy Grail for businesses striving to grow.

If you’d like more information on how to create a loyal online community, like the Dreamtheatre Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/DreamtheatreLimited, or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DreamtheatreUK.

To find out more about Ross Stewart Fitness & Nutrition, the same actions apply:

https://www.facebook.com/RossStewartFitness

https://twitter.com/RossStewartPT

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Social Media for Small Business as well as Big

It amazes me, slightly annoys me, but does not surprise me that some small business owners have not yet conformed to the power of social media marketing only to continue to spend large sums of money on quarter page adverts in local newspapers, which reach a small fraction of their target audience. You could expect to spend in excess of £250 for this example of newspaper advertising, but has money been well invested?

Before answering that question let’s look at some of the reasons small business owners give for still using this form of advertising instead of social media marketing:

1.”We always have.” 2. “Its’ tried and tested.” 3. “Social media marketing only works for household brands.” 4. “Social media is just a fad.” And the best reason 5. “I don’t understand it…” Well, to me, each of these excuses sound like fear of change in its purest form. When something isn’t working or is inefficient, repeating the same process will not change the outcome. Nothing happens by accident. The most successful businesses are dynamic businesses. Change, in fact, interests customers.

Let me now answer the reasons for not trying social media marketing:

“We always have”- I’d be writing this on paper if this was everyone’s attitude.

“It’s tried and tested”- It wasn’t always tested.

“Social media marketing only works for household brands”- We will visit this later.

“Social media is just a fad”- Tell that to the 800 million users on Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg who operates Facebook with a $1.5 billion annual profit.

“I don’t understand it…”- When I started Dreamtheatre I didn’t understand financial forecasting, but I knew my business plan would benefit from it. I cared, so I learned. Get with the program or you’ll go under.

I’ll now try to explain how social media can work very well for small businesses using a simple example:

A client of Dreamtheatre owns a small coffee shop. One day 10 customers who are visiting this coffee shop show this on Facebook by using the ‘Check-in’ function. This then appears on the Facebook News Feed which is visible to all of their friends. Each of these customers has 300 Facebook friends. This means that potentially 3000 people have seen that this is the coffee shop their friend likes to visit… Everyone knows that there is no better form of marketing than friend recommendation. If you were a client of Dreamtheatre then this kind of daily exposure would cost as little as £145 per month. Now compare this with £250 for a newspaper ad that only appears for one day.

The most valuable ability Facebook marketing has is that it allows you to target your market; very precisely. An advert for the coffee shop in the previous example could be targeted at students from The University of Glasgow, living in the west end of Glasgow, between the ages of 18 and 21. This amazing ability cuts out wasteful spending and increases the chances that the advert will reach its intended target and be successful.

Now ask yourself; could social media marketing be useful for your small business?

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