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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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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