Swipe left: Why your content is getting ghosted

Editor's Notes

• #3 So, before I help you with the future of your social media strategy, I need to take you back to the recent past, to the last BrightonSEO.
• #4 This is Corrie, and her talk at the last conference was about creating compelling content for social media – and she had a really clever metaphor for content. Now before I continue, I’d really recommend following her and checking out this talk which is linked on her Twitter because it’s brilliant.
• #5 She had this great metaphor about bad content being like a bad first date. It’s boring, it’s self centred, it does not leave you feeling good afterwards. Which got me thinking –
• #6 Considering #Love is the most popular searched hashtag on Instagram, perhaps she has a point?
• #7 And what mistakes are we making in social media that’s leading us to be ghosted by our audience before we’ve even reached the first date?
• #8 IMAGE WILL SHOW A MOBILE PHONE LIKE A DATING APP, WITH “YOUR PROFILE ISN’T ACCESSIBLE” as text.
• #9 According to the WHO, 10% of the world population live with a disability
• #10 Breaking down that stat further, according to NHS statistics, in the UK, more than 2 million people are living with sight loss. Of these, around 340,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted.
• #11 So if your social media platforms aren’t accessible, you’re potentially missing out on around 16bn of sales in the UK alone.
• #12 Not only that, but a recent study found that captioned videos receive 40% more views than those without captions, as audiences don’t tend to turn the sound on while they scroll – so if you don’t have captions, you’re missing out on a lot of potential sales and engagement. And Instapage found that captions led to a 26 percent higher clickthrough rate on calls to action. And yet…
• #13 And yet, according to Twitter’s own stats, only 6% of images on their platform are accessible.
• #14 And Instagram only added accessibility formats in 2018, and their Story content STILL isn’t accessible.
• #15 So when the platforms aren’t making it easy to be accessible, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s not much you can do, but you’d be wrong. So, what can you do to make sure your content is as accessible as possible?
• #16 Starting simply, caption all your videos! Social platforms have made it easy by offering auto-captions (not that I’d recommend them for accuracy), there’s really no excuse not to have captioning on your videos anymore.
• #17 Using closed captions can even make your video easier to find! YouTube videos with captions are actually indexed for search. That means your video can appear in YouTube search results even for a term that isn’t in your title or description.
• #18 Just to clear up the difference between closed captioning and subtitling. CC provides text to convey what speakers are saying plus it provides descriptions of other sounds happening in the video whereas subtitles only convey spoken words. While subtitles will do if closed captioning isn’t an option, for people with hearing impairments, CC is the most accessible option for video content
• #19 If you use Premier Pro to edit your videos, the latest version actually makes subtitling even quicker to achieve with transcription and subtitling done in seconds. Simply go to the transcript tab, hit create captions, and then it’ll create auto captions based on what it can hear which are then easy to go in and edit. You can then export with captions burnt on, or export the SRT file to upload to a social platform. You can even change how it looks on a screen and how long it stays up on screen.
• #20 There are also many apps on iOS and Android that generate subtitles for you using AI. MixCaptions on iOS and AutoCap on Android are two reputable solutions for creating your subtitles automatically. They don’t work perfectly, so make sure you proof the subtitles for accuracy.
• #21 It can be tempting to use funky texts and emojis within your content, but screen readers HATE THEM.
• #22 This is what funky texts and fonts sounds like to a screen reader
• #23 Likewise, when screen readers read emojis, they read the title of each emoji aloud. So if you repeat the smiley emoji 20 times, guess what, the screen reader will read it out 20 times. And that’s 19 times too many for anyone.
• #24 For the same reason, try and put hashtags in the comments, not within the post. If you wouldn’t want every hashtag in your post read aloud to you, chances are the user doesn’t either.
• #25 #Capitalize each new word in the hashtag too if it’s multiple words in a single hashtag. This makes it easier for screen readers to differentiate individual words.
• #26 And until Instagram gets its act together and adds accessibility tools for stories, avoid posting crucial information on just your Instagram Stories.
• #27 I saw something quite alarming on Twitter recently concerning alt text. Becky posed this question on Twitter, the comments in response were mainly one of two things: I don’t know how/I didn’t realise it’s a thing I keep forgetting.
• #28 I’m not going to assume that everyone in this room knows how to do alt text – so here’s a quick explanation. Most social platforms will have the option of adding alt text somewhere, as do a lot of scheduling platforms, you just need to find it. I Say for example I wanted to tweet this ridiculous picture of my fat and stupid cat Kevin. Just click on “add description” right underneath his ridiculous bow tie, and type your alt text and hit save. And this can be done on desktop and within the app on social media platforms. I’m also going to add a link to Twitter’s own access advice within this slide which you can access after my talk. https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/picture-descriptions There’s even a Twitter account which DMs you reminders to add access information
• #29 And for those of you who would have answered you simply forget, I’d recommend following: @AltTxtReminder, who will DM reminders when you post images without alt text.
• #30 Adding alt text is something that tends to get forgotten about, and yet it’s one of the easiest ways to be creative with accessibility tools.
• #31 I admit, being creative with alt text is something I myself only recently thought about after seeing a very interesting quote tweet from the main man himself, Kelvin Newman about what he’d noticed on Brighton and Hove Albion’s tweets.
• #32 And I agree, it’s a perfect example of how to write alt text that is both informative and engaging. Your alt text content SHOULD be as interesting as your main body content, and yet it’s something I’d never ever thought about until that moment. \
• #33 Genius.
• #34 Just as you’d add an alt text for a still image, you should also add descriptions to video content too. Subtitles and closed captioning aren’t accessible for screen readers. Writing a short description in the text of a post to explain what happens in the video is the only real way to make the content accessible for screen readers.
• #35 I’ve only got so much time to focus on this, but if you want to know more about social media accessibility and what you can do, Ellen Cole actually talked about this yesterday, and I’d really recommend checking out her talk and following her on social media.
• #36 As well as regularly reading websites like the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and reading industry blogs and websites, I’d recommend following this Twitter account. It regularly tweets really handy hints and advice on making your social media content more accessible.
• #37 IMAGE WILL SHOW A MOBILE PHONE LIKE A DATING APP, WITH “YOUR PROFILE ISN’T ACCESSIBLE” as text.
• #38 There are two reasons why Twitter is always brimming with conversation every time you refresh your timeline. One, because everyone has an opinion on everyone else’s opinion, and two because the most successful posts and users invite conversation, rather than talking at the person. This tweet by Amy is the perfect example of that. If she’d written, “I’m Amy and I’ve been told I’m too ambitious”, she may not have got 17k quote tweets and over 23k likes. And in case you’re interested, the wildest feedback I’ve ever received is, “I’m too passionate about doing a good job”.
• #39 TikTok is the perfect example of a platform that has become powerful and popular because of the conversational type space it creates.
• #40 Its soul purpose is connecting a diverse community, who generate entertainment. People can stitch other's content, and use their audio to add to a debate, perform, or simply add to an existing narrative. Everyone listens to the videos they see, and respond accordingly. And the most unexpected thing can end up going viral and connecting people.
• #41 Back in August, Recess Therapy, who have an online series where they ask children random questions met a young boy called Tariq. They asked him a simple question, “what do you like about corn?” And an international viral sensation was unexpectedly born when he gave his answer.
• #42 A creator saw this video and created an auto-tuned remix of this interview. The original video now has over 22m views, and it’s taken on a life of it’s own through conversation and sharing using #corntok
• #43 People used the audio to share their own niche hobbies and loves outside of corn, bands made their own versions of it, and brands like Nandos intelligently took a piece of the action too. Even the top trending background effect became corn. So, what can we learn from Corn Kid?
• #44 One – corn is clearly delicious.
• #45 And two - there is a new relationship between commerce, community and entertainment, and it's vital to keep up
• #46 So listen to what your audience are enjoying rather than telling them what you think they’ll enjoy when you create content.
• #47 Involve your audience in your content when you can – whether it’s through using influencer-connecting agencies on a long-term basis and for ad campaigns, or simply posing questions on social media and using their answers to inspire and create future posts, it will help you create more engaging content that actually speaks to the people you’re trying to connect with.
• #48 After all, what’s more authentic than using your own audience to advertise/help you with your strategy?
• #49 IMAGE WILL SHOW A MOBILE PHONE LIKE A DATING APP, WITH “YOUR PROFILE ISN’T ACCESSIBLE” as text.
• #50 Leading on from listening to your audience, is communicating back to them.
• #51 Community management is so much more than communicating when you’re putting out fires or providing FAQS.
• #52 It’s an opportunity to share your tone of voice, your values and ultimately, why they should remain loyal to you. If they’re following you on socials, trust me when I say that you responding to their comments about how great you are will mean something. It creates a sense of online friendship and shows you’re not a cold-hearted brand with no sense of humour, and that you value them as a consumer of your product or brand.
• #53 And don’t just use the same template responses in your community management, your audience will figure it out and won’t interact with you again. I’ve worked on multiple accounts where the standard was to reply to every comment with a unique, tailored response, and they have seen the most successful and consistent growth as a result. Yes, it’s a lot of time and energy, but the results are always worth it.
• #54 And go beyond the direct messaging responses
• #55 Search your brand’s hashtags and locations, look at quote tweets from your posts, use Twitter Advance Search and search for just your brand name and common mis-spellings of your brand. You’ll find a goldmine of users who like you who aren’t following you. In my experience, leaving a nice comment on these users translates into higher follower counts and engagements.
• #56 IMAGE WILL SHOW A MOBILE PHONE LIKE A DATING APP, WITH “YOUR PROFILE ISN’T ACCESSIBLE” as text.
• #57 The average user attention span in 2022 is just 8 seconds
• #58 And it’s even shorter on social media. Facebook recently revealed that the average attention span on their platform is around 2 seconds: 2.5 seconds on desktop, and 1.7 seconds on mobile. So you don’t have a huge amount of time to make a good impression. So how you make sure that you make a lasting impact and stop them scrolling?
• #59 Keep your content as concise as possible without compromising your message; make important information clear and break up long content into shorter paragraphs.
• #60 Not only will this improve the experience for users, but it also aligns with making your platforms more accessible, as users on the autism spectrum, with dyslexia, or who have heightened anxiety can digest concise content easier too.
• #61 And once you’ve got their attention, in order to secure it, you need to consistently post a variety of quality and creative content that they can connect with. There's never been more eyes on social channels, so if you aren't speaking to your audience, they don't have to listen, they can go elsewhere.
• #62 Nobody wants to see an advert, so if you're going to promote something, do it with style.
• #63 A great example of this is when the ObiWanKenobi series started streaming on DisneyPlus. Every time someone used the hashtag for 24 hours after the launch, they’d see a moving light-saber go across their screen. It wasn’t perfect in terms of accessibility, but nonetheless it was a clever concept.
• #64 IMAGE WILL SHOW A MOBILE PHONE LIKE A DATING APP, WITH “YOUR PROFILE ISN’T ACCESSIBLE” as text.
• #65 There's been quite the debate about whether TikTok is being used as a search engine. Adrienne actually did a focus group about it with Gen Z’s and her key takeaways are fascinating.
• #66 I’ve linked to it within my slides, but crucially, she discovered that Gen Z are using TikTok as a search engine because it shows results faster than Google, the algorithm knows them well and they prefer learning through video.
• #67 Whether you agree social platforms are search engines or not (and for the record, I’m on the “it is a search engine team”), treating social media like a search engine can really help you discover what your audience wants from you.
• #68 Plus social media platforms are already behaving like search engines anyway, so you may as well get on board. Twitter has already implemented a new policy to limit visibility of, and sometimes even permanently ban, accounts who post duplicated tweets. This includes “identical or near-identical content tweeted by an individual account or many accounts.” and I suspect this is just the beginning of social platforms behaving like search engines. So, what can you do to help your content become easier to find?
• #69 Research popular keywords by using your platforms as a search engine yourself. What other accounts are coming up, and what keywords are they using? Who are your followers following? It’s all useful information to help you with your social strategy.
• #70 Take avoiding duplicated content to a whole new level and write original, unique content for each platform you post on, and don’t post it on every platform on the same day if it’s not a key announcement. Not only will the social algorithms thank you, but your users won’t see the same thing over and over again on your platforms, so they’re more likely to follow you across everything, rather than picking one platform.
• #71 Adapt the content you create for the platform you’re posting it on. Yes, it’s a ball-ache to re-size every time but it’s worth it., Thanks to Instagram’s insistence that all videos are categorised as reels, even though you can upload horizontal videos, it pushes it to a portrait size, so it doesn’t look as good, and if it doesn’t look good, it probably won’t get the engagement you hoped for. Same for image sizes, adapt them for each platform accordingly so it looks as good as possible, otherwise you’re wasting your time creating it the first place. Canva actually has a really good resizing tool if you don’t use it already and aren’t a Photoshop wizz, which has saved me time and energy on many occasions.
• #72 And when it comes to video content, make it suitable for each platform, and I’m not just talking about the sizing. If you’re currently posting your TikTok content on Instagram too, stop immediately. Not only are there licensing issues around audio on Instagram that don’t exist on TikTok, but Instagram’s algorithm HATES TikToks on their reels, and will push your content further down, so it’ll be unfindable amongst the noise.
• #73 IMAGE WILL SHOW A MOBILE PHONE LIKE A DATING APP, WITH “YOUR PROFILE ISN’T ACCESSIBLE” as text.
• #74 For those of you who aren’t obsessed with Catfish The TV Show and the film like I am, a catfish is when someone pretends to be somebody they aren’t on social media. The term came about when Nev Schulman ended up the subject of his own documentary, having found out the woman he was flirting with online wasn’t who she claimed to be. If you haven’t seen it, or the TV show, I’d recommend it.
• #75 On social media, it’s easy to pretend to be something you aren’t, but if you’re trying to sell specific brand values but have no evidence to back it up, then your audience will spot your catfishing ways a mile off and not only retreat, but actively avoid you and tell others to do the same. – and you can’t really blame them if you’ve left them feeling conned.
• #76 The best example I can use to demonstrate this is Pride Month. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march, and organisations changed their logos overnight to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. This is an important month for spreading love is love messaging, awareness, education and inclusion, but it sadly gets exploited by companies with no thought to the community they could be helping.
• #77 The day after Pride Month is over, the logos tend to return to their usual colour schemes and all mention of donating to LGBTQ+ communities are done for another year. We should be allies all-year round, so why do this for just a month? I actually used to work on an account which keeps the rainbow colours within their logos all year round and regularly work with LGBTQ+ charities, and it’s something they’re regularly praised for. Every year brands are criticised for adopting this month-long policy, and it’s clearly upsetting a lot of people, and yet nothing changes. Why not be that change?
• #78 I’d really recommend Ian Helm’s talk from the last BrightonSEO, as they go into more depth in how you can create inclusive campaigns all year round.
• #79 IMAGE WILL SHOW A MOBILE PHONE LIKE A DATING APP, WITH “YOUR PROFILE ISN’T ACCESSIBLE” as text.
• #80 Sometimes you can do everything right and your audience will still not engage with you – and that’s simply because they aren’t the right audience for you and that’s ok. So don’t chase uninterested audiences for too long, or you could end up alienating existing fans and lose their following too.
• #81 So, in conclusion to wrap things up…if you want to find love for your social media platforms….
• #82 you need to be accessible and inclusive
• #83 A good listener and communicator
• #84 Be yourself in creative ways
• #85 And don’t focus on the heartbreak you encounter along the way
• #86 Thank you!