Are You Following the Best Practices for Facebook & Instagram?
When the best practices for Facebook and Instagram are discussed, do you know what they are? If you don’t, you’re not the only one. The rules are always changing, making them hard to keep up with. Nevertheless, you can’t afford to ignore the latest practices. Otherwise, you could fall short of your competitors.
To save you some time, we’ve created an easy cheat sheet that covers the best practices for Facebook and Instagram – at least at the moment. While things do change from time to time, you can expect this information to be at the core of any strong social media marketing strategy.
Let’s dig in.
It’s All About Community
Facebook and Instagram are all about building communities. If you’re using your accounts to talk about yourself and promote your services, take a step back and reevaluate things. Your followers are looking for connections that bring them closer to your brand. This isn’t done by selling. It’s done through real, authentic interactions. Here are a few tips to help you accomplish this.
- Be conversational in your posts. Talk to your fans like real people.
- Post authentic content that is unique to your brand.
- Share exclusive content that other people can’t see, such as photos, videos and behind-the-scenes looks.
Be Consistent in Your Posting
Facebook and Instagram are two channels where you don’t have to post each day to be noticed. Because of their algorithms, posts that are interacted with will continue to pop up in the news feeds. That said, consistency is more important than how often you post. If you have good stuff to share each day, share it! The best strategy is to post a variety of content so that all of your fans will have something to enjoy.
Use the Available Editing Tools
Both Facebook and Instagram have a wide array of editing tools and filters that are worth checking out. Before posting a picture or video to your account, take the time to jazz it up. Drawing tools, stickers, face filters, etc. let you liven up your posts while keeping them original.
Acknowledge Your Fans
It’s always recommended to respond to comments and feedback. But, how thoughtful are your responses? If you’re only liking people’s comments or saying a generic “thank you”, revisit your interactions. Taking a moment to respond with something unique and personalized can earn you a true fan.
Allow for Genuine Storytelling
A cool feature on Facebook and Instagram is Stories. When you post something on either of the social channels, you have the option to post it to your feed or your story. With Stories, you can add multiple posts that play together. After 24 hours, the content is deleted and not added to your account. Because of this, you can post raw, unedited footage.
Hang Out with Your Fans
Use Live streaming to show a more personal, human side of your brand. You can make an announcement, share a new product or answer common questions. Don’t overthink things – this is unstructured time to hang out with your fans.
Facebook and Instagram are effective tools for building a community around your brand. By following the practices above, you can take control of your social media marketing strategy and enjoy improved results.