Social Scorecard: Radio’s top social posts this week, plus 5 hot tips for Instagram
A whopping 50% of Instagram users follow at least one business brand. When you take into account this stat, Instagram is more relevant than ever in conveying your station’s brand message using visuals.
But if want to attract a high engagement rate, the captions are just as important as the stuff you are sharing. It allows you structure context around your visual content. They add wit, humour and personality to your feed.
So if you struggle to nail captions, here are my six sure-fire tips that will help you hit a home run.
Use a consistent tone of voice
Lighten up – No really. Your audience is flicking through their feed when they have a spare moment and are looking for something that catches their eye and is entertaining. Pretend it’s your own account, minus the drunken mirror selfies and food pics – I’m talking about the language you are using. Give it the human touch, don’t write liners that are all uptight and corporate. It’s not what your audience is going identify with.
List a call-to-action
Over 60% of successful posts by brands have a product featured. However a call-to-action doesn’t necessarily have to blast sales – it can also be used to spark engagement, inviting users followers to tag a friend or leave a comment. You’ll find you can achieve another boost in engagement but using a question so that followers can answer in the comments section underneath.
Get to the point
You’ve only got a few lines before your captions are cut off with a ‘View More’ button. Deliver that punch line right at the start and tail your caption with hashtags. Try only using up to 150 characters – you’ll find it will sit really well under your content. Remember to KISS: Keep it simple, stupid!
Use hashtags
If you are going to use hashtags to grow your audience you need to understand how they work. They are used to group content. Think of it as a way of organising posts into a category. Users can search a hashtag and it shows the latest content that features that keyword, say your station name or talent. That’s why it’s so important to use hashtags in your posts – your essentially filing away all your posts so that users can easily find you. Don’t go overboard though ok? Keep in between 3-4 hashtags to get the best results.
Emojis
Do you want high engagement? Then get used to including emojis within your caption. Stats show that 93% of 93% of connections with content are nonverbal, so it helps to portray a feeling behind the post. Sometimes less is more and the use of an emoji and a few hashtags is all you need to get your point across.
Tag other Instagram accounts
Your station or show isn’t a one person show. Users don’t want to see you only flogging your own brand. Tagging sponsors, talent, influencers or big brands can often lead to them engaging with your post, boosting your reach. Another clever move is posting user generated content and tagging your audience. It’s a great way to build a connection with your audience and convert them into fans – they’ll in turn become brand advocates.
Our top picks this week come from KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O, Nova 96.9’s Smallzy and 91.9 Sea FM.
1. KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O: Facebook – ‘Things you can’t wear in the office’ (ARN)
Let me first start this off by saying, if you are sick of seeing the same talent in this section – step it up!
I am loving that the team are steering away from show based content and creating original, relevant stuff of their own. Breakfast show that clearly understands their audience. The video is engaging because it’s relatable content. It’s set around an office and the daily struggles of what to wear in a fun way. It drives people press play, share and talk about….at work. Very savvy!
https://www.facebook.com/kyleandjackieoshow/videos/1714255658609335/
2. Nova 96.9’s Smallzy: Instagram – ’90 days till Summer’ (NE)
So….many…yes’s. This is exactly what I have been preaching to you all. You are real people who breathe, eat and poo just like everyone else. That’s what makes you appealing and relatable to your audience. Smallzy’s selfie at the gym demonstrates to the audience more than meets the eye – He works out…just like everyone else and is worried about getting that ‘Summer bod’, just like the rest of us. It’s refreshing, it’s not flash and most importantly it’s genuine. (Is it just me or does he look a little like Gaz from ‘Geordie Shore’ in that pic?)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYhkkzyDh61/
3. Hit Network’s 91.9 Sea FM: Facebook – ‘Friend of the show got this card…’ (SCA)
Three little words user generated content – boom! It engages listeners with your brand and serves as your own little endorsements. It’s a savvy form of brand marketing and advertising but also makes your listeners feel engaged and heard. Simple post but you guys nailed it!
Friend of the show Mel got this card put on her car at Pacific Paradise yesterday 😂- BarRat and Jess x
Posted by 91 9 Sea FM on 2017年9月7日
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Social Scorecard is compiled exclusively for Radio Today by Jess Frangelli.