We’ve all heard the questions Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? probably many times throughout our schooling careers. Ever get sick of them? (I definitely have, since these questions would be placed at the top of many of my research papers, along with many decorative red marks – ok, I’ll try not to take a trip down memory lane…) However, these questions are necessary to ask if we want our content to contain relevant and helpful information for our readers. By asking these questions, you’ll nail what consumers are looking for, and have room for other interesting blurbs.
Here they are, a list of our favorite questions and why they’re important for your brand page:
Who to Post: Well, this is an easy question- get your company and brand name out there! Tell your followers who this page belongs to (whether it’s just the company name, or the actual names and faces behind it all). Customers like to see that businesses are made up of actual people who they can connect to, not unemotional robots.
Why to Post: Well, the data says it all. So many people are using social media to communicate, that businesses would be making the mistake of not taking this opportunity to reach new customers. The real question is “Why would any business not want to tap into the wealth of information found online?”
What to post: Post things that would add value to your company for customers. Try to be life-changing, and not just a word ranting bore. Don’t bombard your clients- tell them only necessary information and try to keep it to a minimum (no one likes reading long, monotonous paragraphs.) Posting different types of media (videos, pictures, links, etc.) can also add some life to your brand pages.
Where to post: It’s useful to try to be everywhere at once- not all consumers use all social networks. Widen your reach by being present on different social networks, and keeping each one up-to-date (a single tool that allows you to update all your accounts simultaneously would be very time-efficient.) But keep in mind- utilize all the social media networks that work best for your company.
When to post: Yes, there are actually specific times and days to post that ensures that your content will reach more people. Generally, you should post at times inconvenient to you- most of your customers have a workday too, so they’ll generally be online for non-business reasons after hours. Our tip- having a scheduling tool is really helpful. There are also different peak hours for the different media websites. Here’s a quick guide to posting times:
- Facebook: 1-4pm ET, especially on Wednesdays and Sundays. Avoid the eights- 8am-8pm is a bad time frame to garner likes and activity.
- Twitter: Monday 1-3pm is the best time, where after 8pm on most days (3pm on Fridays) are the worst.
- Tumblr: After 4pm and on Friday evenings seem to be when customers are online.
How to post: Don’t try entirely to be a business. As I mentioned before, consumers like to see that their favorite companies are backed and run by actual people. When posting content, don’t just try to shove information down your customers’ throats. Sure, the end goal is to increase sales, but try to do so in a fun way – some customers are attracted to a company because of their fun atmosphere. If you want to relay information, make it easy to understand. There’s no need to get super fancy, since there is much potential for your audience to get confused. And lastly, you can seek the help of the actual social sites themselves- Facebook has a new promote button that guarantees your brand will reach more customers for a small fee.
