As a blogger or small business owner, the most common type of content you create is most likely blog posts. Whether your goal for your blog is to gain readers or convert visitors to paying customers, unless you have a large following of raving fans who check your site regularly for fresh posts, you have to let people know when you have new content on your blog and give them a reason to go to your website.
The best way to do that is through your social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.
But, as you have probably already discovered, each social network is different so the way you present your content needs to be different. Some are more fun and off the cuff like Twitter, while others, like LinkedIn are more reserved. Your or your brand’s image and audience will also factor into how you post on each social site.
As if that weren’t enough to think about, you also need to consider post length for each social network. You probably already know that you have 140 characters on Twitter. But did you also know that Google+ displays a ‘more’ link after a certain number of characters so at first glance the reader only sees the first few lines of a post?
Let’s take a closer look at how to adapt your blog post for social media so people feel compelled to click on that link. We’ll use the blog post Perfume Sets Make Great Last Minute Christmas Gifts from Maria José Ovalla’s blog, Very Busy Mamá, to show you how to let followers on each network know about your latest post.
For each one I’ll also let you know why each one works for that network and some optional tweaks.
The blog post
In her blog post, Maria wrote about the Wonderstruck Enchanted by Taylor Swift perfume set to highlight a great last minute Christmas present idea. She included some large color-rich images in her post – very important if you plan to post to Pinterest or Instagram.
The Facebook post
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Why this works for Facebook:
- Talking in first person and sharing something about herself is perfect for Facebook which is by nature a personal network.
- Although Facebook allows for nearly unlimited characters, you don’t want to rehash your blog post here. Maria’s short post is all she needs to say to get people who are looking for last minute gifts to click on the link.
- She tied in her brand by using the word “mama” in the post.
- The image is colorful and catches the eye in followers’ fast moving newsfeeds.
The tweet
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Why this works for Twitter:
- With only 140 characters Maria hit the high points of the post – perfume sets make great last minute Christmas gifts and mentioning the gift set highlighted in her blog post.
- She used Bitly.com to shorten her blog post link leaving more room for text.
Since Twitter now shows images within the tweet, Maria could also have included a picture for this to stand out in her followers’ crowded Twitter streams.
The Pinterest pin
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Why this works for Pinterest:
- Pinterest is a very visual social network so this pin is perfect with just a few words.
- It’s also a fun network which is why Maria can use the all capitals for the word sweet and it doesn’t come across as yelling or rude.
The Google+ post
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Why this works for Google+:
- Google+ posts have a larger headline in the pulled content that appears under the text so you don’t have to say as much. Maria has a quick line about last minute Christmas gifts and let’s the linked headline do the talking.
- The smaller image that’s pulled can be fine for Google+ since people don’t usually post as often as on Facebook. This means that posts usually stay more visible for longer and you don’t have to scroll down to see the most recent posts in your newsfeed.
Unfortunately, Google+ only lets you choose either a photo or URL link (see screenshot below) that will show up in the window below your text. If you want an image to be more prominent in your followers’ Google+ newsfeeds, choose to add a photo instead of a link and simply leave the URL in the text portion of your post.
The Instagram post
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Why this works for Instagram:
- According to the website Marketing Charts, 20% of female cell phone users aged 18 and up use Instagram and 43% of 18-29-year-old cell phone users report using Instagram. It’s also the second-most important social network to American teens.
- Maria starts off this post with the same phrase from Twitter, but the second phrase, “Ohhhhh sweet Taylor!”, appeals to the younger female demographic on Instagram.
Wrap up
We took one blog post and adapted it to five different social networks. Use the tips on why each works to create your own social network posts. The key is to choose words that fit your brand as well as the vibe, context and character limitations of each platform.
Here are a few things to note that apply to all of the posts:
- Hashtags – Notice how Maria uses the same hashtags on each network to create a consistent message across her online presence.
- Posting dates – One suggestion I have is not to post the same blog link to every social network on the same day. Space them out throughout the week to prolong the life of your blog post.
- Pre-link text – Maria changed the wording in most of her posts, but kept the same theme. Depending on your blog post topic you could even highlight different sections on different social networks.
Share your tips and lessons learned on adapting blog posts to social media platforms.