3) Social Media Graphics: Promoting Site Content (OUTDATED)

Graphics can be created to support as well as summarize site content on social media platforms that link back to the original content through shares links alongside them. For example, we can create graphics to present our optimized Question and Answer Page or a summary of an expert article.

Through this discussion, we will discuss the process of designing graphics, using image captions and hashtags, as well as posting best practices

(i) Designing Graphics:

To aid the graphic designing process, you can consider using sites that allow you to not only create your own graphics but provide a wide range of templates that you can edit.

Some tips to consider include:

• Know which design size you require beforehand - this may vary based on the social media platform. For example, Instagram offers a maximum resolution of 1080 x 1080 px.

• Use only 2 font designs to avoid going overboard.

• Use contrasting fonts or different text sizes to grab attention and to ensure the main message is conveyed.

• Less is sometimes more: if your design does not require extra backgrounds, images, or design layers, consider going with white space as that helps avoid your content being avoided due to noise.

• Use icons to help graphically summarize your content.

• Consider combining consistency with creativity: ask yourself what your major content can creatively look like as consistency is a core principle of content creation. Consistency also applies to your design (font, colors, etc). For example, an analysis of 7 Cups Instagram can help identify that most of the posts are quotes, affirmations, etc. Note that more foundational blocks can always be introduced into the flow with time.

• Consider adding your logo or site information on your graphic to help strengthen your brand.

• Think of ways to stand out: Research and observe current trends, international events, and other possible content inspirations, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box to trial new creative ideas. For example, 7 Cups hosted a very successful and engaging Mental Health Trick or Treat

Sites that have free editable templates include:

• Canva

• Adobe Spark

• Easil

• Pablo by Buffer

(ii) Image Captions and Hashtags

• Remember that your image caption not only represents the content you are posting about but the brand you represent.

• Consider the length of your caption based on your social media platform. For instance, Twitter limits characters, Instagram can be used for a medium length caption, while Facebook could host longer article-style captions too!

• Some ideas of captions include: summarizing the content, mentioning the main motto of the post, etc.

• Add emojis to connect with your audience.

• Don’t forget to ensure readability by breaking up your longer captions with headings or spaces.

• Questions help engage the audience: never forget to look for opportunities for reflection such as one-word answers to yes/no questions, or other quick icebreakers such as what everyone plans to do at the weekend.

• A call to action is important to ensure further practical engagement. You can remind users about more details about supporting content present in the link in your bio or directly share your relevant link (depending on the social media platform)

• Structure your caption with important information at the beginning, followed by any additional information of interest (such as goals, facts), questions for engagement, call to action, etc - you can style your structure based on your content type.

• Include relevant hashtags and consider using mentions and tagging other users. Researching relevant hashtags involves keeping an eye on the hashtags used by influencers and leading figures and profiles within the industry, looking for trends and patterns, finding related hashtags just like related keywords, as well as trialing different groups of hashtags for certain content types. Last but not least, your brand can aim to start a new hashtag of its own as well! Some websites have tools that can help you target and research hashtags - some examples are included in this external link.

(iii) Posting Time

Many people often wonder when to post their content, and this curiosity is definitely important because posting time does influence engagement and value of the content posted - however, there are no correct rules of guidance.

Rather, posting times should be based on insights on when your audience is most likely to be active - most social media platforms offer these insights for business or creator accounts, alongside insights in regards to other engagement factors.

One excellent feature to utilize to ensure posting time, as well as a smooth flow of content, is to plan content in advance and schedule posts - scheduling is possible through the Twitter platform as well as the Facebook Business Suite for both Instagram and Facebook

Activity

Using your answer to the question in Discussion 2’s activity, create a social media graphic presenting the content and share your graphic as a reply to this post. Creativity is welcome for this task, and you can create any form of content. Feel welcome to use the 7 Cups social media content for inspiration if needed. Reply to at least one student’s graphic as well.

Tip: You can discuss ideas or ask for help in the student discussion and support thread!

Not sure how to add images directly into this forum discussion? Find instructions here

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