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"This post originally appeared on the\u00A0Buffer blog.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSocial media is a crowded place. You need every competitive advantage possible to stand out.\r\n\r\nLuckily, giving your social media posts a little something extra doesn\u2019t have to mean to a lot of extra work for you.\r\n\r\nIn this post, we\u2019ll go over some simple tricks and best practices of social media formatting to help you create unique, stand-out posts on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest, along with some tools to help you create memorable blog tidbits worth sharing.\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s get started!\r\nStand out on Twitter\r\nOffering just 140 characters and a very\u00A0short shelf life, Twitter may be the most challenging medium to stand out on.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHere are a few ways to make the most of your tweets.\r\n\r\nSymbols and emoticons\r\n\r\nAdding symbols like \u2665\u2729\u266C\u2661\u25BA\u266A\u263A\u266B to your tweets isn\u2019t just fun \u2013 it\u00A0can also\u00A0make your tweets shorter and easier to read. The Wall Street Journal even uses Twitter symbols\u00A0to add bar charts to its tweets.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTo get started using the more than\u00A0109,000 symbols available, head over to our\u00A0Ultimate Guide to Adding Cool Symbols to Your Tweets.\r\n\r\nKeep it short\r\n\r\nTweets get more traction when there\u2019s a little room to spare \u2013 shoot for\u00A0120-130 characters.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAdd value with photos\r\n\r\nBuffer\u2019s research on Twitter posts with photos versus without indicates that\u00A0photo posts vastly outperform\u00A0non-photo posts in terms of both clicks and shares.\r\n\r\nTweets with images received 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites and 150% more retweets.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAnd according to HubSpot research, photo posts bring in\u00A055% more leads, as well.\r\n\r\n\r\nNext: Stand out on Facebook\r\nStand out on Facebook\r\nWith Facebook\u2019s\u00A0recent algorithm changes\u00A0meaning less exposure for brands, most of us can use all the help we can get making posts stand out here. Here are some tactics to try.\r\n\r\nCreative emoticons\r\n\r\nThey\u2019re not always so professional, but they sure are fun. Emoticons can spice up a status update \u2013 here\u2019s a list from\u00A0Jess3\u00A0of some popular ones and how to make them.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nContrary to the footnote at the bottom of the graphic, these images actually do work in status updates \u2013 even for brand pages.\r\n\r\nShorter is better\r\n\r\nBlitzLocal looked\u00A0at close to 120 billion Facebook impressions and discovered some interesting facts about lengths of posts. The researchers concluded:\r\n\u201CLonger posts tend to perform poorly. The ideal interaction being driven by posts is between 100 to 119 characters. Questions tend to drive interaction up by 10 to 20 percent.\u201D\r\n\r\n\r\nPin posts\r\n\r\nFor crucial info, current offers or simply a post you really want to be seen, try pinning. A\u00A0pinned post\u00A0is an update that you manually select to stay at the top of your Timeline even as you add other posts to your page.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHighlight posts\r\n\r\nA similar option is highlighting. A\u00A0highlighted post\u00A0expands across your page, taking up both columns. Highlight a horizontal photo to draw attention to it on your page.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEdit headline and summary text\r\n\r\nOne of the greatest things about posting to Facebook is how many of the fields are totally customizable. Use this flexibility to highlight the most shareable elements of your content.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPro tip: You can do all of this if you\u2019re Buffering a post to Facebook, too (and gets lots more photo thumbnail choices)!\r\n\r\nSize photos correctly\r\n\r\nBecause Facebook will automatically resize images that don\u2019t match its specifications, size and aspect ratio of photos are super important.\r\n\r\nThe aspect ratio is very specific:\u00A0image widths need to be 1.91 times the height. This will mean the image scales perfectly in both the desktop News Feed and on mobile.\r\n\r\nImages are now larger when shown in the News Feed, so keeping the aspect ratio right will make sure your images look great wherever the user sees them.\r\n\r\nRecommended image sizes have also changed for Facebook\u2019s desktop News Feed and mobile views. For the News Feed, Facebook recommends\u00A0thumbnail images of 400\u00D7209 pixels. Images that are smaller than these dimensions will be\u00A0resized to either 154\u00D7154 or 90\u00D790 pixels.\r\n\r\nOn mobile, Facebook\u2019s recommended image size is 560\u00D7292. Images smaller than this will be resized to 100\u00D7100 pixels.\r\n\r\nThis handy graphic from\u00A0Jon Loomer\u00A0shows the right sizes:\r\n\r\n\r\nNext: Stand out on Google+\r\nStand out on Google+\r\nGoogle+ offers some very specific elements different from other social networks that can help you stand out. Here\u2019s a guide to them.\r\n\r\nPrioritize rich visuals\r\n\r\nA quick glance over at Google+ will show you that it\u2019s an incredibly visual social network.\r\n\r\nMake the most of this by posting useful, interesting or engaging images at full size (not the thumbnail that comes with a link) like so:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe network also takes some posts and gives them priority placement in a user\u2019s feed.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHow can you make that your post?\u00A0According to Google, \u201Ca variety of factors determine what becomes an enhanced post in your stream but we try to surface content and people that we think you wouldn\u2019t want to miss.\u201D\r\n\r\nBut you can up your chances by posing lots of high-resolution photos and video.\r\n\r\nPro tip: Install Buffer\u2019s\u00A0browser extension\u00A0and right click on an image to add it full-size to your Google+ queue:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUseful, eye-catching GIFs\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s hard NOT to have animated GIFs catch your eye, and Google+ is one of the few social networks that celebrates them.\r\n\r\nGoogle even uses animated GIFs as tutorials when they introduce new features and highlights great ones, like this one from New York Fashion Week.\r\n\r\nSlightly longer posts\r\n\r\nResearch by Quintly shows that the average Google+ post\u00A0peaks at 156 characters, or 2-3 sentences.\r\n\r\n This is in line with the general philosophy of Google+ as a place for more in-depth, thoughtful discussions. (Google+ allows you to share up to 100,000 characters.)\r\n\r\nTake advantage of the extra space to explain a concept, pull out a stat or otherwise provide a valuable tidbit to pull the reader in.\r\n\r\nFormat for better readability\r\n\r\nGoogle+ also offers more formatting options than the other social networks, including the ability to bold, italicize and strikethrough. Use these options to\u00A0create headlines\u00A0and more for your posts so they\u2019re easier for readers (and Google!) to discover.\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s a quick\u00A0guide from Social Media Examiner:  Lower Thirds in Hangouts\r\n\r\nIf you participate in Google+ Hangouts, make sure you get as much out of them as possible by using the branding possibilities of Lower Thirds.\r\n\r\nThis allows you to add your name, title and other information so it can be seen by everyone on the Hangout.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s a\u00A0guide to putting it to use\u00A0from Alisa Meredith, pictured above.\r\n\r\nNext: Stand out on LinkedIn \r\nStand out on LinkedIn\r\nLinkedIn provides multiple posting opportunities, including from a personal page and from a company page.\u00A0We\u2019ll touch on both with a few stand-out tips.\r\n\r\nPost often\r\n\r\nThis first step might seem a bit obvious, but many people still think of LinkedIn as a place to keep up your professional resume when in fact frequent sharing can make a big difference.\r\n\r\nAccording to LinkedIn research, users who share articles or content with their LinkedIn network at least once a week are\u00A0nearly 10 times more likely\u00A0to be contacted by a recruiter for new opportunities than people who don\u2019t share with their network.\r\n\r\nShare links and photos\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s\u00A0what types of content stand out\u00A0most when it comes to LinkedIn posts.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAs with Facebook, aspect ratio is important when posting a photo to LinkedIn. Photos within a post will be resized to\u00A0180 x 110, so start with that width to height aspect in order to make sure your image looks its best.\r\n\r\nAnd much like Facebook, most fields of a post are customizable, so make them network-specific and catchy!\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCompany posts also have an additional option to upload a custom photo different that one of the options LinkedIn automatically pulls in.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLinkedIn works well with most photos, but be careful when posting long visuals like infographics. Often it can be better for readability to take a screenshot of a portion for your update instead of posting the whole thing.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nMax out company page visual real estate\r\n\r\nFor a LinkedIn company page, there are a lot of opportunities for great visuals. Here are the\u00A0dimensions to know:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDon\u2019t forget to make the most of your visual real estate. HubSpot offers up some tips on maximizing it in this quick slideshow.\r\n \r\nNext: Stand out on Pinterest\r\n\r\nStand out on Pinterest\r\nFor Pinterest, we\u2019ll focus on image size and type to help your pins stand out.\r\n\r\nEmploy rich pins\r\n\r\nIf you haven\u2019t already, be sure to explore\u00A0rich pins, a way of adding additional, useful info to pins.\u00A0Types include:\r\n\r\n\tArticle\u00A0pins, which include the headline, author, story description and link\r\n\r\n\r\n\tProduct\u00A0pins, which include real-time pricing, availability and where to buy\r\n\r\n\r\n\tRecipe\u00A0pins, which include ingredients, cooking times and serving info\r\n\r\n\r\n\tMovie\u00A0pins, which include ratings, cast members and reviews\r\n\r\n\r\n\tPlace\u00A0pins, which include an address, phone number and map\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUse taller images for more repins\r\n\r\nSocial media scientist Dan Zarrella researched\u00A0what works best on Pinterest\u00A0and found that the taller an image is, the more likely it is to be repinned:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTry animated GIFs\r\n\r\nIt hasn\u2019t been too long ago that\u00A0Pinterest added animated GIFs\u00A0as a new option, so there\u2019s still time to stand out with these \u2013 as this attention-grabbing image shows.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNext: Make your blog post stand out\r\nMake your blog post stand out\r\nAdd more shareable elements into any blog post with these tools and tricks.\r\n\r\nMake facts and stats quickly tweetable\r\n\r\nIf you work in marketing, chances are you\u2019ve seen HubSpot\u2019s blog posts shared a lot. One cool way they accomplish that is by making it easy to share stats as seen below.\r\n\r\nYou can employ this tactic, too. Use a tool like\u00A0Click to Tweet\u00A0to create pre-populated tweets with the message you want to be shared. Here\u2019s how it works:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEmbed social media posts\r\n\r\nBring the power of social media sharing right onto your blog by\u00A0embedding Twitter,\u00A0Facebook\u00A0orGoogle+ posts\u00A0into your blog post. Viewers can engage with embedded posts by following users, liking or commenting on posts and watching video posts.\r\n\r\nEven better: Those who don\u2019t already like or follow you will have the option to do so without leaving the page, meaning embedded posts can potentially help boost your fan count across social networks.\r\n\r\nConsider\u00A0replacing screenshots with embedded posts\u00A0so that users can engage with your examples.\r\n\r\nPinterest boards are a little trickier to embed, but it can be done. Here\u2019s a\u00A0full guide from Ginny Soskey\u00A0and a look at her adorable example board.\r\n\r\nMake unique, shareable images\r\n\r\nVisuals like quote photos and infographics are irresistibly shareable, and there are plenty of tools out there to help you make them quickly and easily \u2013 like Recite, pictured here.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nStart making your own (and find lots more useful visual tools) with our roundup of\u00A014 Great Tools to Create Engaging Infographics and Images for your Social Media Posts.\r\n\r\nTop image credit: Shutterstock/Africa Studio"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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