The Anatomy of a Successful Social Media Post

Did you bring your scalpel? We’re starting something new here at BizzyWeb. For the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a look at successful social media posts, emails, blog posts and websites to narrow in on what makes them work. Today we’re slicing open some successful social media posts to see how they’re built.

For our purposes today, I’m defining “successful” as:

• Reached at least 20% of followers
• Received 5% engagement compared to total number of people reached
• Was shared out by multiple users

These numbers seem low, but keep in mind that most content on social media is consumed passively. Your audience is scrolling through hundreds of posts daily. Reaching people is easy – getting them to take the next step and interact is harder. At the end of the day, those interactions have more value because they require your audience to take steps (clicking, typing out a comment, sending to a friend, etc.). That’s the key we want to hit.

So what about a successful post makes someone stop scrolling and interact? 

Short, snappy description

When it comes to social media, less is more. A common mistake is throwing everything but the kitchen sink into a post. Don’t overthink what you post – often, just a short sentence and captivating image is enough to reach people.

Showcases company culture

The beauty of social media is that you can hang up your suit and tie and reach your customers on their level. If they’re following you on social media, it’s because they’re invested enough in your company to want more information. You don’t have to be laser-focused on sales. Show what makes you unique!

Invitation to interact

Social media thrives on engagement, but a lot of social media posts don’t actively encourage responses. Even just adding a simple question mark ignites a spark that makes your audience step in.

Relevant information

Every post should provide value in some way. Your blog should already be providing useful content to your audience – sharing that out on social is an excellent way to hit two birds with one stone. If you find an article on someone else’s website you think your audience would find useful, share it!

Still need to troubleshoot your social media? Don’t miss our My Digital Marketing Isn’t Working – What Do I Do? BizzyWebinar on February 15. Can’t make it? You can watch it anytime after broadcast on our YouTube channel.

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A tweet by any other name…

Still struggling with social media? Our Buzz Builders online marketing programs handle social media for you, so you can give your customers the content they want that keeps them coming back.