Content writing for social media seems to be a big thing today, especially in building a brand online. From promoting a cause to securing an online fan base, the content plays a critical role. But the ever-changing social media algorithm matched with the fast-phased social media users makes it a lot harder to come up with compelling material.
It would entail time, effort, and even money just to hit the likes and shares that you are aiming for. But without a properly planned content, all your investments would be of no value.
Sure you can use every writing tool available online, like wordcounttool.com, albeit those will only be helpful if matched with clear your goals.
In this post, we will share with you the best practices in writing social media content that will help you build a competitive brand online.
Know Your Audience
If you want to write compelling material, then you should know your audience first. Writing while you have your readers in mind will help you adapt to the style that is relevant for them.
If possible, know the demographics of your followers. If you know, for example, the age group of your target readers, then you’ll be able to speak to them effectively.
Speak Like an Expert
You’ll only be able to write material that relates to your audience if you know what you are writing about. Flowery words would be of no use if you’re not getting into the meat of what your readers want to know.
You need to research the topic you want to write about. If you want to write about a product, for instance, familiarize yourself with its specs. This way, you would be able to confidently come up with accurate content.
Observe a Proper Voice
Writing for social media is far way different from doing it for an actual website. Writing for a website needs a professional and formal tone, whereas work done for online media needs a casual voice. You need not do a technical tone, what you need is something your readers can understand.
Remember that the reading habit of users is highly affected by emotion. If you are writing as if you are speaking to your audience, then your material will surely resonate with them.
Also, remember to keep a consistent voice throughout your social media material and posts. Infuse your brand or personality in your interactions on social platforms. This would help your audience connect with your posts emotionally and identify them as yours.
Observe Proper Grammar Usage
This is a basic rule. Although creating content for social media is not as formal as other kinds of content online, it is still essential to write in a way that conforms to the basic rules of grammar usage. We all know how impatient users are. If your write up doesn’t make sense to your readers, it will be easier for them to scroll down and leave your post.
If you are not confident with your grammar and want to check if you are writing properly, there’s a bunch of tools online that can help you.
Keep it Clear and Concise
Writing long sentences is a taboo when it comes to online media. Just like what I have just done. Instead, I could have just said:
“Writing long sentences is a taboo in writing for social media.”
When creating, most of us are guilty of filling our sentences with unnecessary words. We think that long sentences would impress our readers, but it would not. More often, it will only confuse them and make them lose interest in your content.
The same goes for this type of material. If you want better engagement, you should write clearly and concisely. Remove fillers that complicate what you want to say.
Add Graphics
Most users like visuals. Images, graphics, and videos are of great help if you want to attract more audience to your content. Not only they are more engaging, but they also tend to tell stories quicker than words alone. They can even stand alone and still garner good engagement.
Next time you decide to post, accompany it with striking graphics that would best outline what you want to say.
Optimize Your Content
Optimizing your posts seems to be a very technical task. But learning just how to do it is a good investment to grow your reach on social media. Try to do search engine optimization (SEO) by adding in your content keywords that people are searching for online. This would help your webpage rank in search engines and have better engagement. Though it may take time to do this, it will surely benefit you in the long run.
