Rethinking character counts and blanket posts for your business social media
Most of us spend time on at least one social media platform for business reasons. And while we might be adept at consuming the information we scroll through, it’s not always obvious why one particular post captures our attention, or how the same message differs across multiple social media platforms.
It is essential not to blanket your social media channels with the exact same message; you run the risk of followers scrolling right on past you. Some information is better shared on certain platforms—your business’ Facebook page should offer something different than your Instagram account and LinkedIn profile, for example.
Let’s compare the following posts from Edmonton’s Ocheller Homes:
On their Facebook page, Ocheller offers up photos and floor layouts of what is for sale with specs and photo galleries featuring their work. A pointed and short message with photos draws in the audience.
On Twitter, language like “Drum roll please…” and “Did you hear?” catch the attention of potential homebuyers. Ocheller is a builder in the newer community of #Blatchford. A call to action, such as “Learn how you can get involved here,” is accompanied by a photo or video.
On Linked In, Ocheller is a place where individuals owning or working in the company might leave a first impression of who is behind the brand. On the company page, Ocheller might be more included to share information, such as news of the industry or an article about homebuilding in Edmonton, positioning them as the expert.
Instagram, as anyone who is on the platform knows, is more photo centric, and a company like Ocheller might zoom in on a project in progress or that has just been completed, or show off materials they are using in their homes, as in this post : “Our interior finishes focus on using natural, Canadian-made materials that represent the highest standard of quality our nation can offer.”
Another important piece of information before you start writing effective captions is to know, not only how many characters you are allowed to post, but the ideal number that will get your audience to engage.
Facebook character max is huge, 63, 206. But according to Facebook expert Jeff Bullas and marketing company HubSpot, post lengths “between 1 and 40 characters received 86% more engagement than longer posts.”
On Twitter, users once got 140 characters, but are allowed up to 240 . This character count doesn’t include gifs, videos and images, but does include mentions and links. According to Fanbooster article , “The Ultimate guide to Social Media Post Lengths in 2020,” “Buddy Media’s data shows tweets between 71 and 100 characters get the most engagement…Specifically, these tweets are 17% more likely to be retweeted or otherwise engaged with.”
LinkedIn character count for 2020 is up to 700 for company pages, and 1,300 for individual accounts. According to Fanbooster , “LinkedIn will cut off your posts with “See more” at 140 characters.”
Currently, Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters, with 30 hashtags. Keeping your captions under 125 characters is recommended.
Next up? Now that we know how long we get to go, but what goes into the writing of a catchy social media caption for business?