The nature of how we sell and share our products online has changed drastically over the last decade. While marketing has developed a foothold in the world of editorial, producing brand stories and other sponsored content, the social side of marketing has become not just a huge driver of traffic and conversions but also a platform for interacting with and serving customers. But, not all platforms are built the same way and require specific messages and tones to be effective at capturing the eyes and attention of your readers. So, how do you create this content? To find out I spoke with Matt Keezer, an expert in the travel space who founded the online travel company FlightHub in 2012. He oversaw the formation and early days of his company’s content marketing team and had some tips for me to share regarding how to approach specific platforms.
How To Produce Enticing Platform Specific Content?
1. Facebook
Facebook is all about interaction. As such, it is important that content created for Facebook has a strong interactive element as to encourage debate, response, and/or sharing. The best way you can describe a Facebook post according to Keezer is a CTA that isn’t necessarily just written to draw in readers, but also encourage them to act in a certain way. A note for those concerned about Google rankings, Keezer believes, through testing, that the only way to positively effect the movement of your Facebook page in rankings is to drive interaction, not simply backlink or pay for boosting Facebook posts.
2. Twitter
While Facebook lets you do just about anything, Twitter certainly does not. Limiting writers to simply 140 characters, Twitter requires you to be the best you can be at writing headlines. While you can do polls and ask users to favourite or retweet as a form voting, the main purpose of Twitter is to bridge readers to your content. With Twitter’s new rules regarding photos and linking within tweets, writers now have more real estate to work with, something that is greatly appreciated.
3. LinkedIn
Finally, a place where you can let your nerd flag fly. While content should be simplified on both Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn allows you to communicate with professionals in your field, allowing you to produce more technical articles and more business related content. In addition to technical pieces, LinkedIn is obviously a great place to recruit talent. Working with your HR department, writers could craft content that allows potential candidates an opportunity to learn about your company and its employees as they seek out potential opportunities. Ultimately, LinkedIn is certainly the platform of choice for writers looking to really dig deep into the content they create.
5. Other Platforms
New platforms are making themselves known all the time. Publishing platforms like Medium allow for some deep, long-form editorial work that can help you dive deep into specific issues regarding your company or the industry, while others like Snapchat and Instagram allow you to show off your company’s lighter side as you show off to potential recruits.
