4 things to ask yourself before publishing your next social media post
So often people think they need to be online—specifically on social media. But why? The days of being online just to have a presence are over. In a world where the internet is saturated with information, the only valuable way to be online nowadays is to do it with a purpose.?
According to The University of Maine, there are 4.8 million active social media users and the average person spends approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes every day on social media. Think about your last social media post. Why did you share it and what did you want your connections or followers to get out of it? If your answer is “I don’t know” then you’re probably not getting the most out of your time online.?
The new age of social media is posting with a purpose. Don’t share content, news, photos, videos and information just for the likes. Share because you want your network to know something, do something or learn something. So before you hit publish on your next social media post, consider why you’re doing it and ask yourself these four questions:
Who is your target audience?
In a limitless world like the internet, it’s impossible to make everyone happy. The definition of internet troll is the case in point. I’m very sorry to tell you, but it’s very unlikely you’re everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s OK. All you need to do is be the best cup of tea to everyone who likes that particular flavour. Take me for example, is someone who hates social media going to think I have great ideas? No. Absolutely not. But if you’re dabbling in creating an online presence and want to set social media goals, you may find this article helpful. So stop sharing for everyone and start posting with a purpose.
Defining a target audience also lets you get really specific in your content. When you know exactly who you’re talking to, you can be very direct—and very helpful.
What is going to make your readers click?
Take a second and refresh your social media feed. How many new posts do you see? Likely a lot. Think about the last time you clicked on something on LinkedIn, Instagram or Google. What made you click on it? Maybe it was the headline or maybe it was the photo. I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but on social media that’s all we do. So post with a purpose and make a good first impression—because it’s likely the only one you’ll get.?
If you don’t grab your network’s attention, they’ll keep scrolling and your post won’t get any views. I’m sure that’s not what you want. You probably want to make an impact with your time online, so create social media content that captures attention and makes people want to click.
Side note: It's not lost on me that the image in this post is probably very uninspiring. But it's the best I could do without an image subscription service. So please be kind in the comments.
Now think about your next social media post in that same feed. Will it stand out? Would you click on it? Before you hit share, think about your headline, image, lead-in text and call to action.?
What do you want your network to know?
I hope your takeaway from this article is how to post with a purpose on social media. And I want you to know it only takes four steps to make that happen. Hopefully you’re creating your next social media post as you read this because I’m hoping this is a beneficial and actionable guide for your social media content. I want you to know that getting the most out of your time online starts by posting with a purpose.
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Defining what you want your target audience to know also helps create your lead in text. Lead in text is a short introduction to your content that will make readers want to click. The text should be short and sweet. It can start with a fact or benefit, it should include how the content will help the reader and end with a call to action that’s in their best interest. Here’s an example of my lead in text for this article:
Did you know people spend approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes a day on social media? In a world where everyone is posting, you want to get the most out of your time online and make an impact with your social networks. Learn more about how posting with a purpose can help grow your business.?
Here’s another example:
Why does social media matter? Your online presence is an extension of you, your brand and your business. So it’s important to post with a purpose. Learn how asking yourself four simple questions can help you reach your target audience and drive more engagement with your social network.?
What do you want readers to do?
A call to action is crucial for your content on social media and this starts with knowing who you’re talking to and what you want them to know. Maybe your social media post is at the top of the marketing funnel. This is when readers are discovering information about the topic and you want people to learn more. Maybe your post is more descriptive and it’s in the middle of the marketing funnel. This is when people are deciding if they need it. If that’s the case you want them to learn more about the benefits and provide relatable examples as to how the information will better their life. Or maybe your social media post is at the bottom of the funnel. This is when the person already decided they need the product or service, they know how it will benefit them and now all they need to know is how to get it.?
Don’t sleep on the call to action. We don’t want to assume people will click and read, we want to tell them why they should click and the benefit they’ll get from reading. This may sound obvious, but in the online world we don’t want to take anything for granted. My best advice is to make your call to action beneficial.?
If this article was going to end here, which call to action would make you click to keep reading?
Both are actionable, but only one is beneficial.
Regardless of what you want readers to know or do, you want them to take action—so just tell them what to do..?
Did this help redefine your next social media post? I certainly hope so. So what’s your next step? What’s my call to action for you? Open a Word Doc or a Google Doc and start playing around with your next social media post. Make a conscious effort to post with a purpose by writing to your target audience, creating a captivating headline, including a click-worthy image and a direct call to action. So go ahead, make a difference in someone’s life with your next social media post.