7 Simple Tips For Improving Your Social Media Writing

​Do you want to improve your social media writing?

Do you want to avoid staring at your screen wandering what to post and how to say it well? 

Most importantly, do you want to get it done fast?

​Look no further, here are 7 simple tips for improving your social media writing, so the next time you are online, you will get the job done on time and effectively.

1. Keep your language clear and to the point

Get to the point fast when writing your posts, do not use fancy language, people tend to scan and if your message, tone, and voice does not resonate with them, they are gone.

Keep your messages short and punchy, eliminate filler words such as “I think” and most importantly use an active voice – this helps your readers quickly digest what you are saying and take action.

For example:  
Learn more about our new product and how it can help you lose weight 10 times faster.

You could say instead: Lose weight 10x faster with our new product. Learn more here.

Also be sure to double check your grammar and spelling. A really helpful tool you can use is www.grammarly.com – I know my grammar is not always on point so I’ve installed it on my system.

2 Stay away pushy sales talk:

Have you ever encountered a pushy sales person on the phone or in a store that makes you just want to run away?

Don’t be that person.

Instead, put your audience needs first, talk about them, ask questions about what they want, and most importantly say “you” more than you say “me” or “us”.

Show you care and be genuine about it, everyone can spot a phony.

3. Know who you are talking to:  

Not sure exactly who you are talking to, or have a broad audience? Narrow it down to talking to one single person.
 
Imagine your perfect customer, give them a name, gender, age, job, hobbies etc. Once you bring this person to life – your writing will come to life.
 
Here is a great and easy to use buyer persona template you can use to create an outline of your ideal customer: http://www.makemypersona.com/ 

4. Write for the platform you are on:  

First of all you do not have to be on every social media platform, figure out which one is best for your brand and focus your efforts there. The tone, language and technical restrictions will vary for each one, so be sure to adjust accordingly.
 
Here is a quick summary for the top 3:
 
Facebook – great for website referral traffic, has a good mix of entertainment and news, think of the last time a friend started a sentence with “I saw on Facebook…” and of course you believed the validity of the info right?
 
Currently I am seeing a strong push towards video content with Facebook Live - give it a try.
 
If you are focused on writing blog posts. Facebook is a great option for sharing. 
 
Writing tip: keep posts short and sharp, avoid promotional links – their algorithm does not like words like “Buy, Free, Now, Sign up here”. These words will get you moved down the news feed fast!
 
Twitter – retweeting and curation are big with this platform, good to use for sharing your blog posts, or web content. However try to avoid directly reusing the article headline as your post, interpret the article and share your opinion.
 
Tell your story with a picture, and use less words, let’s face it a picture does say a 1000 words.
 
Make good use #hashtags, limit it to 2 or 3, there is nothing more annoying than seeing a tweet filled with ####. 
 
Writing tip – keep it to 140 characters as we know, however Twitter has doubled its’ character limit to 280 but this is only allowed to a small group for testing.
 
LinkedIn – is a professional network so keep it clean and always show some personality.
 
Use clear and concise language, but not too much industry lingo that will distract your audience.  Always stay professional and share content that you know your readers will appreciate – such as industry information and updates.
 
Writing tip - Use the space given to summarize the top-line points of your share, your busy professional will thank you.
 
5. Write to share: 

Your readers will share your stuff only if they find it truly valuable, so try writing posts that clearly convey how they will benefit from reading it. Make sure you deliver on this promise.
 
They also want to look smart and be in the know as if they are the “only” one who found your clever post – write posts or link to ones that reflect a sense of discovery.
 
You can also share information about a cause you support and believe in. This gives your readers an opportunity to connect with you on a more personal level and show support through their comments, likes or shares. Everyone likes to feel like they belong so why not through a good cause.
 
6. Ensure your images relate to the copy:

This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen some pictures posted that has nothing to do with the copy, so ensure whatever you post the image clearly ties into the message.

Don’t post cute cat images if you are selling dog food!

Also, try using a good mix of media to really show case your brand. Types you can use include videos, still images with overlays, webinars, podcasts etc.

​7. Shorten links:

​If you have a great long link to post, use www.bitly.com or www.tinyurl.com to shorten those links.  It makes for a cleaner looking page and post.

I hope you found these tips helpful and go on give it a try for your next post. ​Please let me know if you have any questions - feel free to email anytime. Thanks for reading.

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