With so many businesses vying for attention on social media, creating powerfully authentic content has become the cornerstone of every successful social campaign.
Making your content stand out with your target audience takes a little work, but it’s possible to do it with the right techniques and training. We’ve compiled our top 10 tips for writing powerfully authentic social media content. Take a look, then get busy writing (or revamping) your own social media content. It’ll pay off in the long run!
- Create a Monthly Content Calendar: Start by creating a monthly social media content calendar. Having a social media calendar in place each month gives you the opportunity to map out what you want to say throughout the month, as well as when you want to say it. This will be the roadmap you use throughout the month to ensure that you’re delivering consistent, appropriate messaging in a manner that makes sense to your audience.
- Get to Know Your Audience: This is critical to creating authentic social media content. If you don’t know who you’re talking to, you’re likely to miss the mark. Decide up front who your audience is. Is it prospects? New customers? Customers who’ve been around for 1 year or more? Figure this out ahead of time so your social media posts will hit their target.
- Be Professional: Nothing turns people off more quickly than poorly written content, bad grammar, rude humor, or the excessive use of commas. Be professional at all times in your communications on social media. It’s okay to be real and let some of your personality show through. But remember who you’re talking to.
- Write the Way You Speak: One of the best ways to project authenticity is to write the way you speak. Use words your audience understands. Don’t use company or industry jargon, slang or acronyms. Many businesses fall into this trap, and it’s one of the quickest ways to turn your audience off. If they can’t follow your message, they’re gone.
- Engage! Engage! Engage! Interacting with your target audience through social media is key to connecting with them. Ask questions to get a conversation going. Take a poll and see what kinds of responses you get. Invite your audience members to talk not only to you but to each other. Open communication is one of the best ways to show you have nothing to hide.
- Tell a Story: If your business has a great story to tell, tell it on social media. Tell your audience how you got started in the business. Tell them what you’re trying to accomplish. Especially let them know if you have any philanthropic organizations that you support with a percentage of your sales each year. Telling your story gives customers insight into who you are and helps create that feeling that they know you just a little better.
- Apologize When Necessary: No business is perfect. Mistakes happen. When they do, meet them head on. Apologize if necessary. Make it right with your customers. Social media is a great tool for doing this. Businesses that handle mistakes proactively actually build loyalty among their customers.* Businesses that try to hide them breed discontent.
- Don’t Sell, Sell, Sell: Companies that are constantly selling a product or service end up losing in the long run. No one likes a pushy salesperson, and engaging in that behavior on social media is no different than doing it in person. Build a solid, positive relationship with your customers, and they’ll call when they’re ready to buy.
- Provide Value: Go out of your way to provide extra value to your customers. Publish or post links to articles that might be helpful to them when making a purchase decision. Add how-to videos to your website. Offering extra value at no additional cost is another way to impress and build loyalty among your target audience.
- Express Gratitude: Always remember that you’re in business because your customers have chosen to do business with you. Be humble and express gratitude from time to time. Respond to positive testimonials from customers. People appreciate being appreciated.
Creating powerfully authentic social media content is critical to business success. If you need help creating an authentic online presence through social media, digital marketing agencies like Organically can help. Contact us to learn more or take our 1 minute assessment to find out how we can help you grow your business.
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