Here’s What Not to Say When You Post on Social Media

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In the social media world, the dos and don’ts stretch across a vast terrain. While we’ve covered everything from creating boosted posts on Facebook to garnering real relationships using Instagram, it’s time to take a dive into the copy, particularly, the type that you shouldn’t be using.

For starters, regardless of the platform, social media copy should be both creative and informative. Consider the last listing ad that you wrote. More than likely you used an eye-catching headline with descriptive language to increase the appeal of the property. Social media copy is no different. You want to pull readers in from the start, but also make it apparent that what you’re posting will provide value. Nothing is worse than filling a post with fluff just to try and increase your engagement—it simply won’t work.

In addition to keeping the creativity and valuable aspects in mind, there are three additional things that need to be taken into consideration when creating a post—character limits, hashtags, and the overall tone.

Facebook

Character limit: Considering sharing a journal entry as a post? Think again. While Facebook’s actual character limit is capped at the thousands, studies show that the highest engagement happens at 40 characters. In fact, after the 40-character mark, engagement decreases.

Hashtags: If you scroll through your feed, you may come across quite a few of your friends who utilize hashtags. Although Facebook has recently incorporated hashtags into their platform, they simply don’t optimize for them the way that both Instagram and Twitter do. If you do feel the need to use them, aim to only use one or two per post.

Tone: There’s a time and place for everything. With Facebook, tonality plays a large roll in your copy. It really depends on your brand and posts’ purpose. If you utilize a business page and are sharing a luxury listing, the overall voice of your post will be more serious than sharing an entertaining YouTube video.

Instagram

Character limit: While Instagram is all about strong visual content, copy does in fact matter. It helps to provide context and compel your audience to engage with you. When writing a caption, studies show that it’s best to try and stick to 138­–150 characters.

Hashtags: Unlike Facebook, Instagram hashtags make a world of difference. They are one of the best ways to get more eyes on your posts and grow your audience. You can now even follow certain hashtags. However, be wary of overusing. Aim to use 5­–10 hashtags per post, and avoid the temptation of using unrelated ones.

Tone: If you’re a fan of wittiness, Instagram is the place for you. While your Facebook business page isn’t the place for clever copy, Instagram is. If you’re posting a silly meme or sharing behind-the-scenes content in your story, feel free to keep the captions light. Again, just be mindful of your brand.

LinkedIn

Character limit: LinkedIn is a platform intended for you to connect with like-minded professionals. When it comes to posting, the text allowance is large (600 characters), enabling you to share long-form content such as blogs and job postings.

Hashtags: LinkedIn is another platform where using hashtags doesn’t add much value to your posts. While the platform claims that it supports the use of hashtags, it doesn’t have an extensive search functionality like Instagram does. The consensus? It’s solely up to you, but if opt to do such, so be sure to hashtag wisely.

Tone: When crafting your posts for LinkedIn, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s a professional platform. Whether you’re prospecting or trying to connect, the tone should air more on the side of professionalism.

Twitter

Character limit: If you’re an avid tweeter, you know the drill—280 characters or bust. Fortunately, this doesn’t include images or links. However, it does include hashtags, so be sure to make your tweets short and sweet.

Hashtags: Similar to Instagram, hashtags are an intricate aspect of using Twitter. Both searching and using relevant hashtags can help you increase your engagement and following. Connecting via hashtags can lead to prosperous relationships.

Tone: Twitter may very well be the most casual out of all platforms. The limited character count helps set the stage for a light, yet still effective tone.

Using social media as a form of digital marketing is absolutely necessary. Although the best practices may seem intimidating, learning how to create the type of copy that works can take your efforts to another level.

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