Business Writing for Social Media

Social networking is something that many smaller businesses are attempting in today’s technological world. In order to take full advantage of all that social media has to offer to businesses, first you need to understand how to properly write for and manage your social networking.

Step 1. Decide which social networks you want to concentrate on. As a general rule of thumb, if you want wide spread of marketing, you should attempt to have a presence in the “big 4” of social media. Facebook is good for any business to create awareness of special deals and offers, while Twitter is great to promote new ideas that your company is generating. Google+ and LinkedIn work well for business-to-business contacts and communication. For more information on which social media outlet is best for your company, this article can help you take the plunge.

Step 2. Stay aware, and active on the sites you choose to participate. Determine how much time and resources you want to spend on social networking. If your post doesn’t get “likes” or “shares” right away, try revamping with a better title or picture in order to generate interest. Don’t be afraid to take a post down and repost it after editing a week later. Seeing something several times is what makes social media such a great marketing tool. Someone may not pay much attention to your post, but after seeing a friend “like” or “share” it, they may give it a second look.

Step 3. Website design. If your company has a website  be aware of the layout and if it doesn’t, this should be the first thing you consider doing. Make sure your company logo is at the top, and keep the most current and interesting articles or posts on the front page.

Adding the “share” or “like” buttons near the content will allow people to easily tell their peers about an article they read and enjoyed.

The key to social networking is simplicity.

Posts should be quick and easy to read and even easier to share with others.

A few key elements of writing for social media to remember:

• Don’t be overly “social” on the more formal and businesslike sites (LinkedIn and Google+), and in the same respect, try to avoid being too formal on the more casual sites (Facebook and Twitter). Be aware of the audience, so that your posts can be written in a way that appeals to those who will read them. Posting about your personal daily life on LinkedIn can be a big turn off for other businesses, the same way that legal jargon won’t grab anyone’s attention on Facebook.
• Involvement is key. Make sure you are taking time, even if it is only a few minutes each day, to catch up on current events that are affecting people in your type of business. Check what your competition is posting about on their websites or social networks. Staying current and relevant is important with social networking, because something that can be a major deal one day may be ancient history the next.
• Writing and communication skills do matter. If your website updates are long and boring, or poorly written, no one will pay them any attention. Consider hiring someone as a social media manager who will stay up-to-date on current issues and who has an interesting and even witty writing voice. Blog posts, status updates and current articles should all be professional and interesting, no matter the topic.
• Don’t post too often, or too little. Seeing daily updates from a company can get annoying to the average consumer. While repetition is important, be careful not to take it too far. In the same respect, make sure you are describing your content thoroughly enough to get your point across.
• Make it pop! Since social media has become such a commonly used outlet, the average person sees hundreds of ads and posts in any given day. Add a picture or a funny saying, grabbing someone’s attention is an essential part of standing out as a successful social media user.

By Katie Sapp, Industry Writer