Copywriting. It’s something that every small business needs to do in order to market its products or services. However, we know not everyone is a gifted wielder of words. We understand how challenging writing can be – even our best writers battle an occasional bout of writer’s block! To help you get the creative writing juices flowing, we’re devoting an entire month to helping you write better copy for your small business marketing materials. We’re kicking things off this week by explaining how to craft must-read social media updates that will catch your customers’ attention.
Social media is an important component of your small business’s marketing strategy, but posting just to post won’t cut it. If people aren’t engaging with your updates then you’re wasting your time. Don’t devote resources to an unsuccessful social media campaign or clog up your customers’ newsfeeds with fluff. Instead, invest the time to develop social content that entertains, instructs and delights your audience. Here are our top tips on how to compose catchy and engaging posts that will get your followers to take notice.
1. Take an audience-focused approach.
How deeply do you understand the hopes, dreams, fears and interests of your core audience? Connecting on a psychological and emotional level with your readers is one of key tenets of copywriting, and it’s at the heart of a good marketing strategy. Use that understanding to craft on-brand messages that will inspire your audience, make them laugh or cry and become more deeply engaged with your small business. Evaluate your social content and ask, “Will this have an emotional or intellectual impact on my audience?”
2. Find the visual angle to your message.
Nowadays, 63% of social media is made up of images, and 32% is made up of video. Have you explored your brand’s visual storytelling opportunities? From pictures of your products to behind-the-scenes sneak peeks of your team at work, visually focused updates are an effective way to increase engagement. They also push the boundaries of how you conceptualize your messaging, and add diversity to your overall social content mix.
3. Use strong calls to action.
What outcome are you looking for with your social media updates? Think about using calls to action to clarify and communicate that outcome. Ask fans to pin, share or retweet content they find interesting. While not every update needs to include a call to action, employing them strategically helps your fans understand what they can do to support your small business.
4. Infuse updates with personality.
Are you sharing a quote that you find inspirational, a fact that’s relevant to your industry or a video that blew your mind? Take a moment to add a flash of insight to the post. Just a couple of words – from “This will make you smile.” to “Every engineer should see this!” – help create the social media experience you’re after. A bit of personality also helps your social network get a better understanding of your brand’s positioning.
Do you need help crafting social media updates that will dazzle your fans and followers? Contact us to find out how Mischa Communications’ social media services can help you build better relationships and get a greater ROI on your small business’ social initiatives.