My Secret to Creating Successful Social Media Posts
Figuring out what to post on social media can kind of feel like watching a baby learn how to walk. There’s a lot of hesitation, wobbling, falling, and - let’s be honest - sometimes screaming is involved.
I know because I’ve been there! And I’ve worked with authors who have been in the same boat that you’re in.
You know you need to connect with readers on social media, but you have no idea how to do that in a way that doesn’t make you feel (and sound) like a used car salesman.
The truth is, there is no secret formula or tool that will automatically connect you to your readers and get you thousands of likes. But I do have a system that you can apply to your social media that will make a huge difference.
And here’s my secret: I create content buckets.
When you don’t have parameters around what you should post on social media, it’s just too vast and you feel overwhelmed with options.
So here’s what I do - not just for our own social media but for our clients as well.
I pick 2-3 types of posts that I want to share consistently on social media. So for example, I know I want to share our blog content, I want to share insight and information that will help our ideal reader, and I want to share inspirational or motivational quotes.
Those three types of posts are my “content buckets,” which I rotate each day. So one day I will share a blog post, the next day it will be a bit of helpful information, the third day it will be a quote, and then I start the process over again.
This doesn’t mean I’m only going to share those three types of posts - I usually pop something funny or some life lesson in that people can relate to while showing more of my personality.
For one of our clients we share pull quotes from her book, motivational quotes, and various pictures that are featured in her book. From time to time she shares a personal picture from vacation, or a picture of her dogs.
When you can identify 2-3 types of posts that can fit into your content buckets, it will make creating a consistent schedule of content so much easier and much more effective.
This approach has several benefits:
It helps you stay consistent. Consistency is one of the main keys to success on social media. If you only post here and there, you won’t see the results you need. But when you have the parameters set with your content buckets, you know exactly what to share.
It strengthens your brand. When you share specific types of content, you can really hone in on message, what you want to share, and how you want to connect with people. All of these help establish your identity in the eyes of your readers, and make your posts more easily recognizable as you in their feeds.
It allows you to focus. When you’re all over the place with your posts and you don’t have a clear vision of what you want to share, you can’t expect your readers to know either. Knowing what types of content you are going to share helps you do just that.
It saves you time. When you have your content buckets set up, it allows you to know exactly what you’re going to post so you can set up your schedule ahead of time. I spend about 30 minutes a week setting up my entire week’s worth of posts. Because I know what types of posts I’m going to share, I create content that easily fits in those buckets, using Adobe Spark to make images, and then scheduling them in Buffer. Wham, bam, boom!
So let’s take this a step further…
How can you make these content buckets even more useful? By knowing who your ideal reader is.
Everything - I mean everything - comes back to your ideal reader. When you know exactly who you’re trying to connect with, what they are interested in, why they purchase the books that they do, how to genuinely connect with them, and so on, you’re able to create powerful posts that your readers will respond to.
One of my favorite comments to receive is, “it feels like you’re inside my head!” Or “I was just wondering how to do that!” It’s because I know who my ideal reader is - I’ve clearly identified her and know the details that help me get in her shoes so I can create content that she will respond to.
Every author I work with has an ideal reader and it makes ALL the difference in the world.
And you can to!
If you want to learn more about how to finally see results on Instagram and reach your goals, grab my FREE Instagram Posting Formula.
And if you want to go a step further and get all of the tools, resources, and help that you need to market your book, grow on social media, and sell more books - join The Author Circle membership!
