By Brandi McGrath Kong and Melanie Quinones, Sertoma Staff
 

Most Sertoma clubs now have some kind of presence on social media, most likely on the popular Facebook platform. However, fewer clubs are certain about what goes into making that presence a strong one. 

Melanie Quinones, Sertoma’s content coordinator, addressed the topic in a brand-new training designed exclusively for Sertoma members.  Here are six best practices she shared to help our clubs create the “perfect” post on Facebook:

• Keep text short, clear and concise. Aim for 40 characters or less when possible.
   
• Accompany text posts with a video or photo and a link. This helps increase your audience reach.
   
• Keep the most important details in the first 1-2 sentences of longer posts. Most people will look at a post for less than three seconds.
   
• Make sure your posts are timely and newsworthy. Information should be current and not too far in the past or future.
   
• Aim to get clear photos of real people and real events. Action photos are especially great, so try to get shots that go beyond the typical check presentations or smiling posed groups. Avoid stock photos when you can, though they are often better than nothing.
   
• Tag members and other organizations when applicable to help you show up on their feeds and those of other users that follow them. Hashtags, like #Sertoma, can have a similar effect, especially when people perform searches on social media.

For additional advice on curating your club’s social media presence, check out Melanie’s full training, The Makings of a Great Post.