As more and more businesses wake up to the importance of a vibrant social media presence, it has become more and more competitive to catch a user’s attention on any given platform. Whether you’re on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or any other social media platform, you’re striving to stand out among so many other brands.
Even if you’re the best at what you do, none of it is going to matter if your content isn’t good. And a huge part of .
I know, I know…you’re probably stressing out to read that because you hate writing. It feels like such a chore, especially when there’s so much else that’s demanding your attention. But writing matters when it comes to creating social media posts.
Think about it this way: In general, a picture is worth a thousand words; on social media, a picture is what gets people to stop scrolling, but the copy is what communicates the actual value. If your message isn’t clearly communicated and resonant, then you’ve missed your chance to engage somebody.
What to Write About
Writing will serve as the basis of your . If you’re looking for content ideas, start with ideas that you want to communicate and what you want your followers to know about you…
Your Why: Why do you do what you do? What prompted the idea behind your business, and how has that vision developed over the years? In what ways do you have to remind yourself of your why every single day?
Your Audience: How do you, as the business owner, relate to your customers? What do you know about their life and problems, and how do you expect your product or service will alleviate those?
Your Development: What is changing in the world that demands change in your industry or business? How are you meeting the demands of a world that’s different today than it was last month or last year?
Your Reward: What highlights do you enjoy by doing what you do? This is similar to your why, but not exactly the same — your why should be about pre-planned choices and setting goals; your reward should be about the unexpected surprises and perks that you discover along the way.
By considering each of these questions, you’ll find you have plenty of great topics to cover when it comes to writing. Having something relevant and interesting to say is half the job. Now it’s time to
Components of Good Copy
Have you ever read something that’s just clunky, exhausting, boring, or for whatever reason just not something you want to read? What qualities does good writing have that will keep your follower going from one sentence to the next?
In general, keep your copy easy to read. When something feels like a chore to read, it’s often because it is a chore. Big words and complex sentences force a reader to do a lot of mental lifting when they’re trying to get through a paragraph.
Instead, focus on…
Simplicity: Write at a middle school reading level by using smaller words and simpler sentence structures.
Skimability: Not everyone is reading in-depth when they’re online. Don’t be afraid to break up your text with subheads, bullet points, and lists. These make your copy easy to skim for people who have short attention spans or who are just short on time.
Personality: Don’t be aloof. People want to read something that has personality. Maintain a casual voice, and refer to yourself in the first person (“I” or “we”) instead of making reference to “the company.” Focus on the reader and draw them into what you’re saying by referring directly to them with “you.”
Informative: Do your research. People like to learn and they like specifics. Copy that indulges in vagueness tends to come across as unreliable. Instead, provide a few basic facts to demonstrate you know your stuff.
Write With Purpose
Finally, it’s important to remember that everything you write should have some kind of purpose. What do you want people to get out of it? More importantly, what specific actions do you want them to take after they read it? Start building to this point in the very beginning by addressing problems you know your reader has and sympathizing with them. Then you introduce your information before leaving the ball in their court — tell them to visit a landing page, subscribe to your newsletter, give you a call, or take some other type of action.
Remember that good writing isn’t about being pushy or overly salesy. It shouldn’t feel stiff or formal. Characteristics like these will turn your readers off and make them distrust your brand. It’s about connecting with them in a human way and demonstrating the value you have to offer.
Finally, don’t forget to pay attention to detail. Sloppiness, such as bad punctuation or frequent misspellings, can reflect poorly on your brand and make you look unprofessional. Always read over anything you write two or three times, and get objective feedback from someone you trust for suggestions on how you can improve it.
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