Best Practices for Social Media Content Production

Best Practices for Social Media Content Production

• Effective social media content requires strategic planning, platform-specific knowledge, and audience understanding.
• Different platforms have different content length recommendations.
• Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are best for 15-60 second videos.
• Facebook and LinkedIn are suitable for 1-2 minute videos.
• YouTube videos should be 7-15 minutes for in-depth explanations or tutorials.
• Aspect ratios vary by platform - Vertical videos such as TikTok, Reels, and Stories use 9:16.
• YouTube videos use 16:9 widescreen.
• Square videos are 1:1 for Facebook and Instagram feed.
• Hook viewers within the first 3 seconds.
• Use subtitles for accessibility.
• Aim for 1080p video resolution for professionalism.
• Utilize platform-specific features like Instagram Reels music or TikTok effects for discoverability.
• Use bold visuals or text within the first 3 seconds.
• Optimize for 1080p resolution.
• Use platform-specific features.

Image Content

• Recommended image sizes vary per platform.
• Instagram posts are 1080 x 1080 pixels square.
• Instagram Stories are 1080 x 1920 pixels vertical, 9:16 ratio.
• Facebook posts are 1200 x 630 pixels, landscape.
• LinkedIn posts/banners use various sizes (1200x627/1128x376).
• Pinterest pins are 1000 x 1500 pixels vertical.
• Employ the rule of thirds for balanced visuals.
• Use contrasting colors for stand-out elements, minimal bold text.
• Optimize for high-resolution to avoid pixelation.

Text and Caption Writing

• Instagram captions should be 125 characters or less for maximum engagement or longer for storytelling.
• Twitter/X captions are limited to 280 characters but brevity boosts retweets.
• Facebook posts should ideally be 40-80 characters for optimal visibility.
• LinkedIn captions should be professional, to the point, and attention-grabbing within the first two lines.
• Use clear, conversational language aligned with your brand voice.
• Incorporate a call-to-action (CTA).
• Break longer captions into bite-sized paragraphs with emojis or line breaks.

Use of Hashtags

• Instagram: use 3-5 relevant hashtags, avoid overloading.
• TikTok: use 2-4 trending or niche hashtags for visibility.
• Twitter/X: 1-2 hashtags.
• LinkedIn: 3-5 professional hashtags relating to the industry.
• Mix branded hashtags with trending and niche hashtags.
• Research hashtags specific to your target audience.
• Avoid banned or irrelevant hashtags to prevent shadow banning.

Posting Frequency and Timing

• Instagram: 3-5 times per week for consistent engagement.
• Facebook: 2-3 times per week prioritizing quality over quantity.
• Twitter/X: 3-7 times a day.
• LinkedIn: 2-3 times per week for relevancy.
• TikTok: 1-2 times daily for algorithm favorability.
• Post during peak engagement times specific to your audience and platform, e.g., morning or evening.
• Utilize analytics tools to improve timing.

Interactive Content

• Interactive formats like polls, quizzes, and contests enhance engagement.
• Use Instagram Stories or Twitter Polls for quick questions.
• Employ tools like Typeform or interactive Stories for quizzes.
• Design share-worthy campaigns with compelling prizes.
• Instructions must be clear and aligned with your brand.
• Utilize interactive stickers for polls, sliders, or questions on Instagram.
• Promote interactive content across multiple platforms for better reach.

Audio and Music

• Trending audio or music on TikTok and Instagram Reels can enhance algorithm performance.
• Ensure licensed or royalty-free usage to avoid copyright issues.
• Use professional equipment to maintain good audio quality when recording.

Stories and Reels

• Short, bold text overlays are best for 5-10 second impactful stories/reels messages.
• Incorporate interactive elements like polls, questions, or countdowns.
• Use clear calls to action such as "Swipe Up," or "DM."

Branding

• Use consistent color palettes, logos, and fonts across all platforms.
• Create branding templates using tools like Canva.
• Subtly incorporate watermarks or brand elements to prevent content misuse.
• Highlight brand tone in captions and visuals for clear branding.

Accessibility

• Use relevant alt text for images on platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
• Add closed captions to all videos for viewers with hearing impairments.
• Avoid excessive emojis or special characters hindering readability.

Analytics and Optimization

• Employ tools like Instagram Insights, Facebook Analytics, or TikTok Analytics to monitor performance.
• Track engagement metrics like reach, impressions, CTR, and conversion rate.
• Repurpose high-performing content across different platforms.
• Use A/B testing for captions, visuals, and hashtags to identify best options.

Tools for Content Creation

• Tools like Canva, Adobe Express, CapCut, and Adobe Premiere Rush can be used for graphic and video design.
• Use hashtag research tools like Hashtagify or RiteTag.
• Use analytics resources such as Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social.

Content Creation

• Content creation produces original custom content aligning with organizational goals, audience, and brand.
• Original content is created in-house, while curation requires finding and repurposing pre-existing content.
• Content creation is purpose driven, either educating, entertaining, or inspiring the audience.

Content Curation

• Content curation involves gathering, organizing, and sharing relevant content from various sources.
• Focuses on adding value to the audience by presenting information from different perspectives.
• Curation entails gathering, organizing, and sharing relevant content.
• Content curation involves aggregation, relevance, and adding value to the content.
• Content includes articles, social media reposts, highlights of industry research, curated email, and "best of" blog lists.

Content Creation vs. Content Curation Comparison

• Content creation is usually original and produced by the organization, while content curation reuses external materials.
• Full control in content creation, but limited control in curation.
• Higher resources cost in content creation, lower in curation.
• High SEO impact in content creation, and low impact in curation, unless value-added commentary is implemented.
• Content creation directly addresses needs, content curation encourages discussion.
• Creation is time-consuming and harder to upscale, whereas curation is easily scalable.

Content Creation and Curation Complementarity

• Organizations commonly use a hybrid approach combining creation and curation, such as using curation to engage between creation.
• Content curation helps to fill content calendars when new original content is in production.
• Curated content builds trust by including third-party perspectives, while original content highlights expertise.
• Content creation focuses on SEO, while curation improves social media activity and visibility.

Best Practices for Content Creation & Curation

• Comprehensive research assists in understanding audience needs.
• Utilizing content calendars enhances consistency in production.
• Quality should always be prioritized over quantity.
• Sources should be clearly attributed in curation to avoid copyright issues.
• Add commentary to frame content in your brand's voice.
• Use tools like Feedly or Pocket to streamline content discovery.

The Importance of Content Curation

• Content curation is a vital strategy in modern marketing communications; gathering, organizing, sharing, and adding valuable content from multiple sources.
• Curation provides thought leadership positioning a brand in an authority position by showcasing knowledge/industry trends.
• Significant cost savings in production time compared with creation.
• Regular engagement is maintained even when original content is unavailable.
• Curation values audience needs, enhancing connections by addressing needs.
• Curation fosters community interaction through sharing from influencers, customers, or industry leaders.
• Curation diversifies content offerings and provides broader range of ideas, insights, and viewpoints.
• It enhances brand visibility by providing diverse content across platforms.
• Curated content is relevant to certain audiences.
• It enhances search engine rankings with strategic use of keywords/hashtags.
• Demonstrates awareness of current industry trends to position a company as a knowledgeable player in the market.
• Helps improve SEO and social media visibility through the strategic pairing of content with keywords/hashtags.

This quiz delves into effective strategies for producing high-quality social media content. Explore platform-specific recommendations for video length, aspect ratios, and optimal resolutions. Learn how to engage your audience within the first few seconds and enhance accessibility through subtitles.