Special guest blogger, Julie Haworth of Lemon Drop Copywriting has some good social media content creation tips.
Social media is a fantastic resource for business. It offers a range of platforms for brands to connect and engage with their ideal clients. One of the most appealing aspects of using social media is that it can be free of charge. What’s not to like?
It’s not as simple as creating your social accounts, throwing some posts out there and running for the hills, however. Social media is a crowded place. There’s a whole lot of noise out there and you don’t have long to grab someone’s attention. How are you going to ensure that your brand stands out and attracts and engages a loyal audience of followers?
Use your authentic brand voice
Before you start posting social content for your brand, take the time to think about your brand voice. Your brand voice is the way in which your business uses words to convey personality, tone and core message. It’s the personality that your brand uses to connect with its target audience. It gives your customers a sense of your core values and who you really are as a business. Make sure that all the content you’re posting adheres to your authentic brand voice to help keep your message consistent.
If you wouldn’t say it, don’t write it
Those of you that know me will know that this is something I say ALL the time…’if you wouldn’t say it, don’t write it’. If you want your audience to connect and engage with you, you need to be authentic. That means using your own words, your own voice. If you read back your copy and think to yourself ‘I’d never say that’ don’t use those words. Simple.
Think carefully about where to post
When it comes to choosing which social platforms to post on, there are an awful lot of options out there for business owners. Think about who your ideal client is and where they’re hanging out. If you’re a creative or visual business, Instagram or Pinterest may well be the place for you. If your ideal client is likely to be corporate or business to business, LinkedIn could be a good match as it appeals to professionals and those in business and leadership roles. Facebook and Instagram are valuable platforms for product based businesses looking to use the shop function and promote special offers. With its strict limit on the number of characters you can use, Twitter offers a shorter, more concise form of content and the platform is often used by creatives and journalists.
Think carefully about when to post
Once again, this comes down to when your ideal client is likely to be online and scrolling through socials. If your target audience are mums with school age children, early mornings and evenings are often the best times to find them online. If you’re posting to LinkedIn, lunchtimes might be when you’re most likely to find your target audience scrolling through the feed whilst they break for lunch. Whenever you’re posting to socials, make sure that your content has been optimised for your chosen platform, that you’re making use of relevant hashtags and doing all that you can to favour that eternal mystery that is the algorithm.
Think about what to post
Coming up with ideas for original and engaging content on a regular basis can be a challenge for some businesses. It’s a good idea to spend some time content planning for your business and thinking carefully about what you want your posts to achieve. There are lots of content guides and planners out there for those that need a bit of help and guidance. Some brands prefer to outsource the production of their social media content to a copywriter to save them time and ensure that their social posts are having the required impact. If you need a few ideas to get you started why not share the story behind your business or offer your audience a glimpse behind the scenes? You could also share a testimonial or a blog post, run a competition or a giveaway, offer some helpful tips or answer some frequently asked questions.
Don’t post and ghost
Once you’ve posted your content to socials, make sure that you’re around to answer comments and questions from your audience. Don’t just ‘post and ghost’. There’s nothing more frustrating for your audience than hearing nothing back from you once they’ve taken the time to read your content and share a comment or ask a question. You need to be engaging with your audience and starting up a conversation. You can’t do that if you wait a few days before checking your socials again.
And finally…
Are you looking to be more proactive with your social content and build your brand’s presence? Working with a copywriter can help you to do just that.
