Create the Perfect Social Media Message

A little bit about me… Kim Karagosian (not Kardashian) Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at AH From NJ, Lives in NY, Works in NJ Loves research and marketing, especially social media Feel free to connect with me and ask questions at

Because you are going to be able to create the Perfect Social Media Message after today. Tips for understanding your audience Timing your message Creating content that resonates and Using the right tools Why should you be happy?

Social media needs to be entertaining and informative. You’ve worked hard to build your brand - now it’s time to increase awareness and get people’s attention! But wait, people’s attention span is now only 7 to 10 seconds. The average attention span was 12 seconds in 2000 and was 8 seconds in 2012 according to Statistic Brain. Eek! Am I losing you yet?...

Online surveys In-person questions and focus groups Analyzing what your competitors are saying and whom they are saying it to Looking at your website analytics and understanding who is coming to your site Using social media analysis tools Know thy audience. How do you figure out who you are talking to?

Tools to use to help understand your audience: Google Analytics Facebook Analytics Followerwonk.com Survey Monkey

Prove it…OK I will! Spotlight on NJBIA attendee: Metrofuser Location: Roselle, NJ Twitter w/ 405 followers Did you know that… The most active time for Metrofuser’s followers on twitter is between 2pm-3pm and 5pm-6pm but Metrofuser is tweeting the most between 12 and 1pm. Majority of Metrofuser’s followers are males Popular hashtags for the industry & based on their followers are #printer #parts #tonercartridges and #print. Use these to get more engagement and followers.

Before Actual tweets No detail about benefits or if space is limited. What can people expect from it? Wrong time to post. Not a popular hashtag It is intriguing and might engage followers, but not too conversational. Wrong time to post. Goes to LinkedIn page instead of website.

After NEW tweets to use based on research & knowing their audience Clever message and call to action. Posted at 2pm and again at 5pm. Used appropriate hashtag Link goes to Metrofuser’s training section on website Detailed and authoritative. Posted at 2:30pm and again at 5:30pm. Used appropriate hashtag Link goes to website with article. Break, fix, install, troubleshoot, integrate, upgrade & deploy. Do it ServicePlus Training. Limited space. study found that printers using higher quality “certified” paper operate 9 times longer

A Perfect Timing Example

Content that Resonates with Your Audience Look at the posts that gets likes, comments, & retweets Look at your competitors Content tip for social media: Informational Entertaining Visual Engaging Positive

Tools to use to generate content and understand what resonates: Swayy Google Alerts Twazzup

Prove it…OK I will! Spotlight on NJBIA attendee: Kramer Beverage Company Location: Hammonton, NJ Facebook presence w/ 677 likes Did you know that… When Kramer Beverage Company posts event dates in advance (more than 4 days), they get more “likes” and shares on Facebook Kramer does a great job in being active and posting pictures, but engagement can be improved by asking more questions Popular hashtag Kramer can be using on FB include #beer and #craftbeer. Use this to get more engagement and followers.

What does this tell us? Kramer should send a survey to their Facebook followers to try to understand who they are – Current customers? Prospective customers? Small businesses? Aspiring business owners? Experiment and use Facebook as a customer retention tool, not customer acquisition, and highlight successes and articles from your customers. Encourage them to share posts and comment. Create content like “Caption this” contests that encourage comments and sharing Ask questions such as… What’s your favorite Craft Beer on #FootballSunday? So You Want to Open the Next Great #CraftBeer Bar? What are some things to consider?

Bonus: You don’t have to create all the content yourself! Use a tool like Swayy to discover content to share that is relevant to your brand and company You can share the information directly from Swayy’s platform in seconds to your social media pages Test, test, test! See what content and messaging resonates best with your audience and go from there!

Twitter Tips: Write tweets between 120 and 130 characters – leave room for retweets with comments Use social media tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule your tweets Use action words Share other people’s content and comment

Facebook Tips: Post consistently to stay in the News Feed Add variety to your content by posting photos, videos, and articles Have fun with your Facebook posts – this is a more personal network so let people get to know the “people behind your brand,” spotlight your customers, provide discounts if applicable, highlight favorite products & services here!

Recap: How to create the perfect post Know your audience and what content resonates with them best Discover the best timing for your messages (don’t just post to post, make sure you are reaching your audience at the right time) Be positive, informational, and entertaining with your posts Use a variety of content such as company photos, customer photos, contests & videos Use tools to help with posting and analysis Engage with your users and create a dialogue Test, test, test to find what works best for your company

Happy