Q&A: Stand Out on Social Media: Essential Tools, Content, and Design

[Caitlin_M]

Standing out on social media is no small feat. 

Some of the biggest hurdles are figuring out what to post and how to design content that not only captures your audience’s attention but also drives meaningful results for your organization. 

We’re sharing valuable insights and practical strategies to navigate these challenges and create content that truly engages and builds your brand. Discover how to navigate the ever-evolving social landscape with proven strategies and essential tools, see how to identify your core content topics and plan around your goals, and learn how to use storytelling and design to create content that’s engaging.

You can view the webinar directly through Wistia or right here on the Blog!

After the webinar, Megan took some time to address even more questions that we didn't get to during the live webinar. Check it out!

Resources:

Social Media Worksheet Bundle
Get Advice for Your Social Media Strategy
Get the slides
Grow your contact list through social media
Megan's Suggested Resources
Connect your social profiles to Constant Contact
Create a social post and schedule it
Import Your Canva Images into Constant Contact
How to Create Trendy Social Media Content
15-minute social media planning calendar
Social media post ideas
Digital storytelling
AI in Marketing

What are the best strategies to grow your following on social media?

A good place to start is with an existing email list, if you have one. Create an email that invites your subscribers to follow you on social media. Share some details on what value you provide on your channels and how they can interact with your content.

Ensure you insert a social follow block in all of your email campaigns as well so it’s easy for your contacts to find your channels.

Great content that is helpful to your audience is a great way to get them to share your posts, Reels, and videos. You can also utilize relevant hashtags to make your content easier to discover.

How do algorithms work in different social media channels? Can I use them to have my posts seen by more followers?

Each platform uses different algorithms and prioritizes post visibility based on various factors, including the size of your audience, previous post engagement, and audience interest in the post topic. Unfortunately, no one knows all the secrets and the algorithms can change frequently.

At the moment, these are the types of things that help you compete with the algorithm on the major platforms:

• Focus on high-quality content that aligns with your followers’ interests
• Pay attention to your metrics to understand what’s working and your audience demographics, and when they are online
• Video also performs well, so get comfortable being in front of the camera. This is also a great way to show your personality.
• Engagement and interaction - the more engagement you get, the better off you will be. 
• Focus on natural engagement vs. forced engagement such as “like this post to keep seeing us in your feed.”
• Use polls, ask questions, ask opinions, and ask for their feedback
• Use the various features of each social platform like stories, reels, and even live videos to reach more people.

It's helpful for small business owners to be a constant student of social media - post regularly and learn what works for YOUR audiences. No social media audience will ever be more important than an email list that you own.

How do I connect my Constant Contact account with my social media accounts, such as Facebook or Instagram.

If you're looking to sync your Constant Contact account with other social media platforms, check out this article.

Can I post the same thing across different social media/email/blog channels?

Generally, yes. When you’re planning a campaign we recommend combining two or more channels to amplify your reach which gets the most amount of people to see your marketing message and take action. The most common channels are email, social media, and SMS.

​We recommend using the same theme but modifying the post to suit each channel. Each channel has different features like the ability to include links and sometimes people expect to see different things on certain channels. In our research, we find that usage time varies between all of the channels so posting all at once may show lower engagement in certain areas. This is something to test in your strategy to see if it makes a difference with your audience.

Any tips on how to best manage a city’s social media feed? There are always new things happening and information to share with residents and businesses, so how can we organize that?

You could think about these things as different pillars for your strategy:

1. A pillar for news 
2. A pillar for information helpful to residents
3. A pillar that shares information for and about businesses

Can you do too many Reels/videos?

Yes, it is important to pay attention to your engagement and reach to determine a good number of Reels and videos. Quality is more important than quantity. Your content needs to hit the mark, which starts with an understanding of your audience.

I work for a closed system library that wants to increase our appearance to folks who are not yet patrons. Does social media make sense for us? We are not a library for everybody?

Yes, many closed library systems use social media. It can be a way to connect with current and potential patrons, promote your collection and services, and build a sense of community among existing members. It can still be a way for others to support you.

I do public wellness posts weekly for both a nonprofit Facebook page and then use the same content on my own page. I get a lot of people following my personal page wanting to "friend me" who aren't in our geographical target market. Is it harming our analytics to not friend people who aren't a match? I figure they can follow and not be friended.

For clarification, Facebook pages do not have a “friending” option. Only personal accounts. Instead, followers will like your page and see posts in their feed. Make sure your page is set up appropriately so you do not run into issues down the line. It needs to be set up as an organization page. No, this won't harm your analytics since the two pages are completely separate.

How does any of this change when we’re offering 'services' and not product?

The same concepts still apply here. You want to build connections with people. It's not so much about the service itself, but how you help them. This means sharing your expertise, answering their questions, and sharing resources where appropriate. In addition, you can share videos on the services and why your service is important. You can share book or resource recommendations, provide tips and guidance in relation to your service.

For those of us who are a service-based business (life coach, etc.), what kinds of images make the most sense for content?

Take photos during your day-to-day tasks and behind the scenes. If you're in a coaching session with a client, you could also ask if it would be okay to take a selfie with them. 

In regards to content, think about common coaching scenarios you can generalize and provide a little guidance on to help your followers. You could also share images of resources you use with your clients, like worksheets, or if there are books you recommend.

What types of content would you recommend when selling non-visible services rather than products (ie. the IT industry)?

Offer tips that help followers to effectively and safely use technology. Depending on who you're targeting, are there important pieces of equipment for a network? News can be a good pillar here. There are constant threats to devices and such, plus there are always advancements in technology. It’s a good space to keep people up to date who may not be as involved in the industry.

Our nonprofit is a membership-based organization that essentially only businesses can be a member of. However, we have a large following in our industry that includes followers who cannot join our organization. How would you address both of these groups when posting on social media?

This could be a good opportunity to share some information about your members' businesses. You could also share information that's more public and helps all businesses be successful, such as marketing tips or tips for launching and funding a new business.

I work for a nonprofit. We often post to gain donations. I worry people will tire of our donation requests, even though we constantly need donations. White noise is a big issue for us.

Remember, you don't want to make it so much about the donations. Tell the stories such as those who directly benefit from donations, your founder, your volunteers, and why they choose to spend their time with you, and how rewarding it is. Keep people updated with progress on those you're helping. If you obtain permission, share a personal story from someone who was assisted.

What is the best way to come up with ideas for videos for social media?

Pay attention to trends on social media and figure out a way to brainstorm how to turn them into something that will work for you. Check out Megan's list of resources that she shared. She regularly uses these resources to find new ideas.

What are your thoughts about including a linktree in our Instagram profile? Are those fee-based? Do they add value? What kind of business are they suited for?

LinkTrees are helpful for people visiting your profile where you want to provide multiple links to different sites. Many different businesses use them. Check out this tutorial on how to create a “link in bio” landing page in Constant Contact.

Constant Contact allows us to post our marketing emails to LinkedIn. Does the process provide an opportunity to summarize the e-mail or add a banner graphic?

Yes, you can even ask Constant Contact to scan your email when posting to social media to provide a recommended summary. 

Is it worth posting on our own LI frequently if we don't have much of a following? Would time be better spent replying to other prominent accounts?

It's still important to post consistently so your content can be seen by more people. Replying and interacting with other accounts is also important, so you can get in front of more people. Keep a steady stream of both.

How can businesses choose which social media platforms to use and which ones will be the best for them?

It starts with having an understanding of your audience and where they are spending their time. Don't just look for the most popular platforms. Find out where they are engaging with content. Sometimes that means simply asking them. Check out this article for more information on the best social media platforms for your business.

At my company, we primarily use Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for posting. It seems hard to get engagement as I don't think a lot of our clientele is even on social media (mostly older people). Would you say we're posting the wrong content, or would the platforms we're posting on be something to consider?

Facebook seems to be the typical go-to platform for an older audience. Again, talk to your audience on these channels so you can understand where or if they are spending time on any of these channels. You don't want to be spinning your wheels on the wrong platforms. Instead, put effort into those channels where you’ll see higher engagement. Check out this article for more information on the main platforms.

Which channels are best for image carousels?

Instagram is probably the most popular for carousels. Facebook also offers this feature.

I work at a country club. How do you feel about promoting events with the flyers vs just posting photo/video content on social media?

If you can keep the flyer about the event simple to read and understand, yes. Keep in mind that having an image with a bunch of text about your event can be hard to read on smaller screens. Ideally, you'd have a flyer in a size that's appropriate for the platform with the title and date of your event, and then have a landing page where people can see more information about the event.

Any ideas if I work for a company that doesn't use a "face" on posts and keeps them more informational? What do you suggest if we don't put a face to the company?

Here are some suggestions: Start with photos of the product, then go to industry-relevant stock. Don't forget about sharing tips and information that could be put into a visual carousel or layout with a tool like Canva.

I struggle to create shareable stories as I work in healthcare and need to be careful with identifiable things. Where can I get more inspiration and not feel so stuck?

Focus on a few content pillars that will serve as the basis for your content strategy. Content in healthcare can typically follow along the lines of helping your audience get to and maintain health. This could mean seasonal reminders about staying healthy, reminders about vaccines, etc. Share tips for working out, eating healthy, tips for getting your steps in, maintaining a workout routine, etc.

What are the most effective strategies to get feedback from our content? How can we get reviews about our company?

First and foremost, pay attention to your social media metrics. The engagement on your posts, likes, shares, etc. See what people are responding to. In addition, you can simply ask your followers or even email subscribers what kind of content they would find helpful. 

Reviews are best asked for soon after a purchase or interaction with your brand or organization. You can send an automated email after the interaction or even a text message. In most cases, it's not ideal to blanket your social audience to ask for reviews. 

Is there a place for longer-form storytelling videos (5-10 minutes) on social media? Or should videos be kept as short as possible?

A good place for long-form video content is on YouTube, but even they've been making strides toward short-form video content with YouTube Shorts. But if your content is valuable and resonates with your audience, it shouldn't be a problem.

Are there any tools or recommendations you would have if you are the only marketing person who does all of the marketing solo for two companies with multiple locations?

A Content Scheduler would be very helpful here, along with a simple editing tool like Canva and your smartphone.

Make sure you're syncing your tools together to help you save time. If you're planning to post from your Constant Contact account, you can sync your Canva account so everything can be found together.