How to Create Social Media Posts That Get Noticed

Some small businesses are all but ready to give up on social media marketing—with good reason. It's frustrating to watch post after carefully prepared post go unnoticed by legions of (un)adoring fans. But we're convinced that social media promotion can play an important role in marketing campaigns—and it doesn't have to take all day. Related: How to achieve brand consistency on social media If some of your posts have gone unnoticed, you're not alone. We've had our fair share of flops. Like this one: Maybe people who are nervous presenters are also nervous retweeters? Or this one: Our only Facebook "like" for this blatant (but beautiful) piece of propaganda came from David Stauffer, our own creative director. Still, we've enjoyed some relative success. Ever seen a post with more shares than likes, like this one? Since getting real results from social media can feel like such a gamble, many businesses shy away from it in favor of more traditional marketing techniques. Is social media worth it? No matter how you look at it, maintaining a positive presence on social media is an uphill battle, especially for small businesses who don't have the resources to devote one or more full-time employees just to social media. So, what's the secret? Success comes from a combination of factors, including the quality of the content itself, the underlying marketing strategies (think: giveaways and crowdsourcing), the product and timing. When these factors do work together, social media can change the very fabric of a company's marketing strategy. For instance, t-shirt maker Sevenly donates $7 to charity for every shirt sold. Each week, the company teams up with a different charity and designs a unique t-shirt to match. Their posts on social media tend to be well-shared, since individuals who can't afford to donate can help the cause by simply sharing the post: The point is that social media content will only be as effective as your business model and marketing strategy empower it to be. Once you have that strategy in place, supporting and implementing it on social media is actually the easy (and fun) part. Here's how you can create awesome content for your social media sites in just minutes. Step 1: Pick a template After logging in to Lucidpress, click the drop-down arrow next to +Document to view our free templates. Click Social media, then pick the template that corresponds with the social media site you'll be posting to (this ensures that the image has the correct dimensions). Alternatively, you can save time by creating a single document, then linking back to it in each of your posts. I'll be building my content from this Facebook post template: Step 2: Customize In this step, switch out the template's content with your own. Then, adjust effects, fonts & positioning to get the perfect layout. Since I want to emphasize my product's creative capacities, I'm going to make a meme about the power of imagination. First, I double-click to replace the text with my own. I test out several fonts before selecting Hill House. Next, I delete the background photo. After dragging and dropping an image I found on Pixabay onto the canvas, I right-click it and select Send to back so it doesn't cover my text. Finally, I add a text box on the bottom right to include our brand. Now it's ready: Step 3: Publish & share How to share & publish your documents in Lucidpress Before you can share your document on social media, you'll need to publish it with a unique URL. Click Share in the top-right corner, then click Publish under the On the web tab. Finally, go to the On social media tab to share your brand-new content on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn. Type a short, custom description for each post you make. If you're not sure how to adapt your post's text for each site, consult this now-famous comparison of social media sites: And that's it! You'll be creating and sharing social media posts like a pro—without spending hours in complicated design software. Ready to make your own social media posts? These free templates are a great starting point.