Great post, Sarah! I have one question about CTAs based on something I was told by another person with marketing expertise. Do you feel like CTAs for free items, like an always free newsletter, should also follow your 20% CTA rule, or do they get a pass? I completely agree with this stat for paid items. Thanks for being an invaluable resource! :)
Basically, in posting on social media you should generally be fun and cool and entertaining (or whatever your brand is) 80% of the time, and only sell/promote yourself/your work 20% of the time. ☺️🙌
Honestly I think this applies to free things as well, since it's still an "ask." But lots of marketing folks would disagree with me on that, so I think that if it feels right to you and your audience seems cool with it, then do it!
Sarah, this is good and important stuff to anyone who wants to shift *anything* in a modern market. You don't own your social media account. It is not yours. Anyone can restrict it, remove it, ban it, burn it, take it over, or buy it out from under you. The closest thing you have to true "content" ownership is your web site (but even then, back up what you want to save forever because even web sites can go away). Thank you for saying this and saying it loudly and with conviction.
Also, I dig your social media motto. A lot of years ago, I came up with my own rules for social media: 1) Be useful, and 2) Don't be a jerk. Funny how we line up, isn't it? :D
Spot on Sarah. For a time, we were getting beat up by the Facebook bots restricting content on our Funny Sci Fi group posts because movie quotes have references to things they are programmed to shun. Even had the POW! and BANG! exclamations on a Batman comic trigger them. So yes, you can suddenly be shadow banned on social media without even knowing it. You can easily lose connection to your audience there. We went from 200 to 300 people joining our group each day to 2 or 3 when they restricted us. (Then they changed how people follow groups, so that's all weird now.)
The whole X thing seems pretty silly, but I never liked Twitter much, because the content seems to go instantly stale. Where other platforms seem to stay green much longer. In fact, I often will get likes on things I posted years ago on FB and YouTube.
Also, I appreciate your advice on the 80/20 rule. I'm guilty of doing 99% Entertaining and 1% CTA. I just feel like people skip anything promotional on social media.
Thank you, Drayton. Whoof, that's frustrating. I also prefer the evergreen-ness of certain social media platforms -- Tumblr is great for that, too! Also HI DEB!!! I miss you guys.
I very much agree, being in the marketing field myself. I would add that it's most important to have a good story. What I mean is that a good website is great for a good CTA on social. But it is attached to an overall story you want to tell. It is also part of your social interaction that people buy into. If they buy into your story, they buy into you. And when they come to your website the story stays consistent.
I think my heart grew three sizes grinch-style while reading this. One of the weird emotional struggles with the social media shenanigans going on for me has been the idea that social media is the only place my voice goes anywhere. Shifting focus, just Thinking about shifting focus, feels Good.
Now I just have to return all those presents and stuff.
Great post, Sarah! I have one question about CTAs based on something I was told by another person with marketing expertise. Do you feel like CTAs for free items, like an always free newsletter, should also follow your 20% CTA rule, or do they get a pass? I completely agree with this stat for paid items. Thanks for being an invaluable resource! :)
I missed the 20% CTA rule. Can you fill me in?
Basically, in posting on social media you should generally be fun and cool and entertaining (or whatever your brand is) 80% of the time, and only sell/promote yourself/your work 20% of the time. ☺️🙌
Love it and will include it in the Substack Field Guide with reference to you.
Thank you so much!
Honestly I think this applies to free things as well, since it's still an "ask." But lots of marketing folks would disagree with me on that, so I think that if it feels right to you and your audience seems cool with it, then do it!
Thanks for your insights, Sarah! I love what you do.
Thank you! How kind! ☺️🙏
Sarah, this is good and important stuff to anyone who wants to shift *anything* in a modern market. You don't own your social media account. It is not yours. Anyone can restrict it, remove it, ban it, burn it, take it over, or buy it out from under you. The closest thing you have to true "content" ownership is your web site (but even then, back up what you want to save forever because even web sites can go away). Thank you for saying this and saying it loudly and with conviction.
Also, I dig your social media motto. A lot of years ago, I came up with my own rules for social media: 1) Be useful, and 2) Don't be a jerk. Funny how we line up, isn't it? :D
Thank YOU for saying this, Jimmie. ☺️
Spot on Sarah. For a time, we were getting beat up by the Facebook bots restricting content on our Funny Sci Fi group posts because movie quotes have references to things they are programmed to shun. Even had the POW! and BANG! exclamations on a Batman comic trigger them. So yes, you can suddenly be shadow banned on social media without even knowing it. You can easily lose connection to your audience there. We went from 200 to 300 people joining our group each day to 2 or 3 when they restricted us. (Then they changed how people follow groups, so that's all weird now.)
The whole X thing seems pretty silly, but I never liked Twitter much, because the content seems to go instantly stale. Where other platforms seem to stay green much longer. In fact, I often will get likes on things I posted years ago on FB and YouTube.
Also, I appreciate your advice on the 80/20 rule. I'm guilty of doing 99% Entertaining and 1% CTA. I just feel like people skip anything promotional on social media.
PS Deb says, "Hi!"
Thank you, Drayton. Whoof, that's frustrating. I also prefer the evergreen-ness of certain social media platforms -- Tumblr is great for that, too! Also HI DEB!!! I miss you guys.
Wonderful article! Thank you, Sarah!
Thank you, Tina!
I very much agree, being in the marketing field myself. I would add that it's most important to have a good story. What I mean is that a good website is great for a good CTA on social. But it is attached to an overall story you want to tell. It is also part of your social interaction that people buy into. If they buy into your story, they buy into you. And when they come to your website the story stays consistent.
Yes!!!
I think my heart grew three sizes grinch-style while reading this. One of the weird emotional struggles with the social media shenanigans going on for me has been the idea that social media is the only place my voice goes anywhere. Shifting focus, just Thinking about shifting focus, feels Good.
Now I just have to return all those presents and stuff.
Thank you for writing this.
Thank you for saying that, Trace! And it's hard not to think that way. 💜