When you sit down to start writing your social media marketing posts, ask yourself: What is the best way to get conversions of your social media marketing posts?

Are you trying to get more followers, traffic to your website, or engagements? Are you looking to drive visitors to request more information about your services? Do you want them to download a guide? Or, are you trying to convert them into a marketing qualified lead (MQL) or sales qualified lead (SQL)?

The only way to ensure your social media marketing is effective is by creating a strategic approach that allows you to attract and engage a clearly defined audience and, ultimately, generate profitable action through compelling content.

Here we share the top 10 best practices for social media marketing posts that convert:

1. Engaging video! According to a report from HubSpot Research, more than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands – more than any other type of content. If you're looking for social video ideas, consider how-to, entertainment, behind-the-scenes, culture, recruiting, response, shout-out, event, promotional, demonstration, interview, and even customer testimonials. The best video length for Facebook engagement is under 1 minute and 30 seconds, and Twitter's length is 2 minutes. So, you could smartly record one video and share it across multiple networks, then also upload it to YouTube for additional exposure.
2. Tag fellow bloggers or influencers you are quoting in your post. People love to be recognized and will like, comment, and share these posts on their networks. This generates fresh eyeballs on your page. There are a number of ways to find social media influencers to help promote your business. It takes time to do the research, but the results are well worth it in terms of growing your traffic and subscribers, and ultimately increasing your conversions. 
3. Become a social media curator. Become the go-to resource on your social media to find the best information out there for your ideal customer profile and industry. There is a wonderful thing that happens when you build trust in your tribe. When they know you “know” your stuff, even if you are sharing other’s content, there is tremendous value to your audience to know that you have sifted through all the info out there and given them the “news they can use”. It all comes down to understanding your audience, using the right tools and constantly analyzing your results.
4. Keep your social media posts balanced. You cannot hard sell in every post. That will turn you audience off. Look at your social media as a ratio. For example, the 5-5-5 combo is 5 posts from you, 5 posts of curated content, 5 posts of engagement. Another combination that may work for you is 6 parts curated, 3 parts your content, and 1 part promotional.
5. Stay consistent on your timing. Every platform has their peak performing times. Also, keep consistent on your posts, using a scheduler like Hubspot, Hootsuite, or CoScheduler. Create posts when you are feeling inspired, then schedule them accordingly. If you wait to post only when you’re feeling it, you aren’t fully delivering to your audience. So, create batches at a time during your inspired periods so that you have enough content to stretch it out. Most importantly, test and track results for yourself and use engagement data from your social media channel insights and management tools to do what works best for you.
6. Create headlines that solve a problem. A catchy headline is extremely important to engage the reader to view your social media post. It infuses words and thoughts designed to catch someone's eye and get that person interested in reading what follows the headline. People are naturally attracted to posts that connect their questions and problems to a solution. Keep your content digestible with bullet points, numbered lists, or eye-catching charts. There are three solid headline formulas that tend to perform well:
   
   How To {Do X} To {Help You Experience Desired Result}
   Ways To {Do Y} To {Produce Desired Result}
   What Is the Best {Topic} That Will {Do Something Desirable}?
   
   
7. Post daily. Experts agree posting once per day is optimal, with a maximum of two posts per day. If you post too much, you can appear as being a little spammy and end up experiencing a drop in engagement. That’s why it’s important to understand how your audience uses social platforms and what they want out of your content. Instead, focus on quality over quantity.
8. Repackage your content in different ways to allow you to post the same content multiple times. Change the headlines, up the copy, or change the anchor picture. Your audience is changed up through the algorithm so the exact same audience will not be exposed to the same content each time you post. 
9. Use hashtags for your content so that new eyeballs find your content. You can use various sites to help you find commonly used hashtags for your niche. Also, create your unique hashtags so that your audience can search your content easily. If you are wondering which hashtags to use, here are seven hashtag generator tools to help you with this:

• • • • Influencer Marketing Hub Instagram Hashtag Generator
      • All Hashtag
      • Ritetag
      • Instavast Hashtag Generator
      • Photerloo Instagram Hashtag and Keyword Generator
      • Hashtag Generator #HashMe
      • Hashtagify

10. Quality photos. Pictures are instrumental. This is why Instagram has grown so fast. People love engaging photos.  There are many free stock photo sites you can use, as well as paid stock photo sites. If you are taking your own photography, lighting is everything. A ring light can solve a ton of issues when doing your own photography. Make sure your photos are properly cropped, filtered and edited. This will get your pictures noticed and get your content read and shared. 

Getting Started

Every business is different, and every social network is unique, but there are many ways to achieve success. Following these social media best practices will not only help you get started, but also let current marketers fine tune their craft. Now that you’ve got these best practices for social marketing down, find out what the best social media marketing strategy is for your business. 

Are You Ready to Build a Social Media Strategy That Works?

Let's get the conversation started. Contact us and we’ll meet with you to learn more about your organization, your goals, and how Rutkin Marketing can be your turbo-charged engine to get results.