1. What is the purpose of it?
Posting on social media without a strategy means posting just for the sake of it. It’s ineffective for you – and confusing for your audience. A solid strategy encompasses all the essential elements which define your purpose – the why, who, what, where & when. The strategy is also goal-driven, and all posts should support this goal, whether it be to grow your brand, generate leads or boost engagement. So when creating a post, carefully consider the purpose of the post. Does it communicate the right message to the right audience to help drive you forward towards your goal?
2. What value does it give to the user?
Nobody follows a brand on social media just to be sold to. They follow the brand’s account because of what they get from it – upliftment, inspiration, aspiration, humour or information. Before you post, don’t just think about what you are posting, consider the value you are giving your audience. High-value posts will help grow your audience and their appreciation of you. The end result? Steadfast loyalty, resulting in increased sales.
3. Is the quality good enough?
We’ve all been there – busy life takes over and we realise we haven’t posted something in a while. We quickly find a post and although it’s not great, it’s something – it will do for now. With your visual representation on social media a direct reflection of your business, any posts of questionable quality included in your feed do nothing but make your page look unprofessional and sloppy. The takeaway? If in doubt, don’t use it! Always aim for top quality. Check your spelling and grammar in the copy. Even one poor quality post has the potential to change a followers perception of a brand.
4. Is there a clear call-to-action?
So if we diligently follow the points above and put the hard work in, we are bound to attract the interest of our audience. But we still need them to take some kind of action, and not just passively observe. Every post must have this essential ingredient: a clear and relevant call-to-action (CTA). The CTA is like an invitation to journey on with the brand. Whether it be an on-page interaction or a lead to landing page – the follower likes what they see and now is invited to take some kind of action, i.e. Sign up, Shop now, Learn more, etc. The CTA creates a seamless flow, from marketing post to destination.