9 Types of Social Media Posts & How to Use Them
Let’s face it, social media has taken over and there’s nothing we can do about it. The best we can do to make the most out of the phenomenon is take advantage of the opportunities it provides for our business. Just as there are many platforms to choose from, there are just as many (if not more) ways to post on them! Nowadays, a picture and descriptive caption doesn’t quite do it anymore. People have gotten creative and the different types of social media posts have expanded since its debut to internet society. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of types of social media posts you can utilize for your business’ social profiles.
Types of Social Media Posts
Product Posts
These posts are pretty self-explanatory. They are generally an image and caption to advertise your product. We normally encourage posting product posts minimally to avoid lack of engagement from your audience, as they tend to make an account look too corporate. Instead, we recommend engagement posts where you get the best of both worlds!
Branding Posts
These are the go-to in our book! They pique interest without being “salesy.” Engagement posts should involve highlighting the entire brand as a whole rather than just an individual product. These types of posts can also talk about new exciting things that have happened with your brand such as new products, concept launch or influencer partnership. While you don’t necessarily use them to promote a specific product, you’re still selling your business but in an engaging way.
News/Trending Posts
If recent news and trends are relevant to your business, then you can and should post about them. However, to avoid posting about things your audience might not care about, make sure it’s appropriate to your business and the interests of your fans.
Promotion of Blog Post
Social media is a useful outlet to promote a blog if you have one. Always be prepared to have a relevant image that touches on the topic of your new blog post. Your caption should include reasons why your audience should read your blog as well as a link to where they can read it.
Contests
One of the most popular ways to build engagement is to create a contest for your followers that reward them for their engagement. It’s important to make sure your contest is relevant to your target audience and that the prize is something they would really want.
Contests can amount to multiple posts, not just one! You can create posts leading up to the contest that help get your audience excited and spread the news to expand your entries.
Behind the Scenes (BTS)
Give your audience a sneak peak of what goes on behind the scenes. Whether you’re a restaurant prepping meals in the kitchen or an agency in a team meeting, sharing snapshots of what a typical business day looks like can help you look more relatable and personable on social media.
Polls/Questions
Polls are a great way to engage with your audience! They can be done via an Instagram Story or Facebook post. Questions can also be asked in a simple post caption paired with a relevant image.
Stories & Livestreams
Stories can provide interesting time sensitive content to your audience. Your story is only live for 24 hours so it’s a good method to promote an event or product. In addition, livestreams are a great way to get a human face in front of your business. They can help promote a product or give your audience a better idea of what your business is about.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Invite your followers to share their interactions with your business on their social media, for example using a product you sell or shopping at your physical location. Your business can gain exposure, reach and engagement by re-sharing or reposting this content. User-generated posts also display a certain level of authenticity that talking about yourself simple doesn’t. To encourage this kind of content, ask users to utilize a specific hashtag in their post caption for a chance to be featured on your profile. This hashtag makes it easier for you to find their content to repost.
Bonus: 4 Types of Content
Photos
This tried-and-true content type has been the go-to attention grabber since social media first began. As time has gone on, people have come to expect the use of high-quality imagery, so it’s important to use a great camera, lighting, props, etc. to really make your photo subject shine. Some quality can be sacrifices if being used as a BTS, livestream, or UGC post.
Videos
Videos are extremely popular on all social media, not just YouTube. They can lead to some of your highest engagement rates from comments and shares.
Multimedia/GIF
Multimedia graphics (those with some combination of text, sound, animation) or GIFs give you a chance to show off your creativity in posts. They’re less time consuming to make compared to a video but provide that extra amount of flare that is interactive and immersive all in one.
Graphics
Graphics that utilize text and imagery can help you get your point across without requiring someone to read the post caption. Although It’s recommended that text take up less than 50% of the graphic, and less than 20% if you’re trying to boost, text can be used to highlight the most important, attention grabbing messages such as ‘25% off!’. Make sure to keep these graphics on brand including colors, fonts, and imagery.
In Closing
At face value, posting on social media seems like an easy thing to do. But the reality is that there’s more to it than meets the eye. It requires planning, keeping up with trends and making sure that your posts are cohesive while being relevant and on brand to your business. Keep in mind these types of posts the next time you’re planning your social calendar or better yet, let Trifecta Marketing Services help you with all things social media including content creation, post & scheduling and reporting!