Social media can be a little tricky, and the ever-changing algorithms of social media can make it seem even more complex. While investing time into your social media strategy, you want to make sure that you are constantly generating high engagement rates. Sometimes, content can come across to your followers as unappealing, therefore hurting your engagement. Creating a strategy allows you to ensure that you optimize your social media content. Here are a few tips to follow to help you in writing your content.
Research & Experiment!
The starting point to any great social media post is knowing your brand, audience, what platforms you are using, and understanding the message/product you are marketing to others. Great social media content should always be equal parts promotion and engagement, further providing information that will captivate your audience, pull them in, and influence them to believe in what you are trying to sell/market. It’s critical for them to feel a sense of value in following your account.
Plan ahead and conduct your research first and foremost! Before beginning, have a clear mindset on your goal(s). What do you want to come from this? Will this better your business or product? Additionally, be an expert on your audience as they are the ones you are marketing towards. Research your audience to the fullest by knowing their demographic, opinions & interest, geographic location, what they are searching for, etc. For your content to be successful, you want to market directly to them while staying authentic to your brand to solidify relevant & loyal followers.
Be Consistent throughout all your content.
The easiest way to create engagement is to have a consistent brand voice. Do your research to discover how your audience is communicating and use that voice to connect with them. Make sure that your voice is consistent throughout every piece of content you create. Having consistency allows your audience to build trust in your brand and connect with you emotionally.
“Consistent Actions Create Consistent Results” – Christine Kane
Be Personal and Authentic
Give your audience a reason to connect with your brand. People choose brands based on emotion. They want to feel something when they buy your product or service. Use your content to connect with your target audience and make them feel as though your product is their only option in that category. Take the below as an example:
- Harley Davidson sells a lifestyle, not a bike.
- Apple sells simplicity, not electronics.
- Tesla sells convenience and eco-friendliness, not a car.
- Roofers sell safety and security, not roofs.
Keep your Content Short & Simple
There is much to say about what you are marketing, but keeping it short and simple is essential in writing your social media content. This is because people love shortcuts and crave instant gratification. Most of the time, your audience will only read the first sentence or two and watch the first few seconds of a marketing video. Therefore, keep your headlines short and witty to captivate the audience’s attention. Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman details in his book entitled Thinking Fast and Slow, “The human brain uses shortcuts to navigate the myriad and complex functions it performs on a daily basis. Humans prefer shortcuts as a result of these cognitive quirks.” Keep this in mind while writing your content to give your audience a shortcut version so that you do not lose their attention before conveying your message. Once you’ve achieved this, your business will have a higher chance of that audience member coming back to your account to learn more & perhaps retaining a new loyal customer.
Always Include a CTA!
Some might ask, what is a CTA? This stands for a Call-to-Action and is utilized in marketing to refer to what your audience or reader needs to do next. Some examples of CTAs are:
i.e. – Read More, Buy Now, Swipe Up, Click Here, Subscribe
Be mindful that which CTA your business decides to include within their marketing strategy depends on its effectiveness with your product or service. For instance:
i.e. – An informative Ad or video might have a “Swipe Up” CTA if you want to learn more about their product/service.
i.e.- A charity campaign might incorporate a “Donate Now” or “Call Now” CTA to directly link your audience with the donation center so that they can instantly donate.
How do you write a Call to Action? Much like writing your content, set a goal before selecting a call to action. What’s your brand’s purpose? Are you campaigning to gain subscribers? Are you attempting to increase your sales? Once you’ve pinpointed your goal(s), then decide how best to convey that across your platform directly to your audience. You want to peak their enthusiasm, and ways to do so are adding certain adjectives like “Free” or numbers like “50% off Now”. CTA takeaways are: be clear, concise, strong, informative, short, and always speak directly to your audience. You are now on your way to creating successful social media marketing content!
Not sure where to start with writing your social media content? Give us a call today and see how we can help you!