At a loss with social media? Our experts use actual posts from businesses to illustrate their best tips.

The Expert : Patrick Allmond

• Owner of Focus Digital Marketing Agency
• Frequent ASI Show education speaker
• allaboutfocus.com

EFFECTIVE

1. The great thing about this post is how simple it is. Production was a snap and there was little investment in time and money.
2. The photo offers an instant tie to current events — in this case, the latest Jurassic World movie.
3. It got great results: 61 Likes and 1,500 organic (unpaid) reach.

1. This was a great way to present something new. The element of surprise is very effective. Taco Bell's combination of unique video posts, humorous fan interactions and fan donated content are what all brands should wish for.
2. Bonus points for offering early access for being a fan.
3. The amount of free online advertising was enormous: 5,900 fan reactions, 3,600 comments and 2,728 user shares.

INEFFECTIVE

1. A brand should never celebrate a racial, religious or tragedy-centered event by posting a related sale.
2. There was little to no interaction from the brand in response to the negative comments. At the very least this post should have been deleted (it's still up) and replaced with a video apology from the store owner. The apology would have been a chance for the brand to mend fences with consumers.

1. This post offers zero value to the consumer. It is all about the brand, and nothing but a desperate grab at interaction. Savvy social media consumers are becoming sensitive to these types of interactions and getting turned off by brands that attempt them.
2. It has no visuals, which is a major missed opportunity to draw followers. Videos are the top way to increase engagement, and images are second. When you link to offsite images, be sure to do it with your Instagram account. Since Facebook bought Instagram, the "weight" of photos from there will be higher than that of other offsite images.

PRO TIP! Go beyond typical product pics. This brand could educate the consumer about the entire coffee production lifecycle from bean to cup. There could also be in-house or online classes showing people how to make a great cup of coffee and how they do other things in-house.