This week, I’m doing things a bit differently.
Why?
Because I received a lot of great questions, and I had three in particular that I wanted to give you answers to.
This week, we’ll look at the best format for Facebook posts, which type of email is best (plain text or graphics) and how far out you should plan your content.
Facebook has 3 billion monthly active users, so getting your posts right = a big opportunity. Here’s what working for us right now:
We like to mix things up with short- and long-form Facebook posts, text and video. Real, authentic pictures do very well. Stock graphics and images do not. People want value. If you focus on value above all else, your posts will have a greater chance of performing well.
And for “boosting posts,” I haven’t come across a person who found the ROI to be good.
Instead, I recommend that you run paid ads because you can laser-target a market. Niche video ads with a clear value prop are working well. For example, “Are you a marketing agency owner looking to save $50k on taxes? If so, this short video will show you exactly how to do this.”
At the end of the video, you might propose that the person book a call with you to learn more about the strategies that you discuss in the video.
Offering value – for free – can help you land more potential clients/customers.
I wouldn’t say one type of email is better than the other. Typically, the choice between plain text and graphical emails comes down to your goal. Are you sending a marketing email or a cold email?
Because cold emails are sent to look like one-off messages, they’re usually just plain text.
Marketing emails are more likely to have graphics. Dear Katie is an example of a marketing email.
Each type of message will serve a different purpose. If you’re sending messages to your list – people who subscribed to your newsletter – then feel free to include graphics. If you’re sending cold emails, opt for plain text.
And one last thing: don’t send cold emails from your marketing platform, or you’ll risk getting kicked off.
There’s no hard and fast rule about content planning. What works for one person may not work for another. You know yourself best, so ask yourself: what will allow me to show up consistently?
For me personally, I prefer to plan my content a month in advance. BUT I also leave my schedule flexible for other posts that may come up in between. If I have an inspired moment or a partnership post that pops up, I can just push the post I already created (my planned post) to a later date.
With this strategy, I always have plenty of content.
If the idea of creating a month’s worth of content sounds impossible or exhausting, then this strategy may not work for you. Try planning a week or two weeks of content instead.
Just make sure that you are creating some kind of plan. I don’t know many people who post on the fly and stay consistent. They typically have a bank of content to pull from when they’re feeling uninspired, traveling, sick, etc.
That’s why I always recommend having a batch of posts on the back burner to post during more difficult times.
And, that’s a wrap on these Dear Katie questions.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
Mix short and long-form posts with text and video. Use authentic images instead of stock graphics, and focus on providing value to your audience.
It depends on your goal. Use graphical emails for marketing to your subscribers and plain text for cold emails to recipients who haven’t opted in.
There’s no strict rule. Plan a month ahead if you can, but keep it flexible for spontaneous posts. If that’s too much, try planning one or two weeks in advance.
Authentic, valuable content, especially in video format, tends to perform best. Avoid stock images and focus on engaging your audience.
Many find that running targeted paid ads is more effective than boosting posts, as it allows for better audience targeting.
Create a content plan and maintain a bank of posts to draw from, especially during busy or uninspired times.