7 Simple Tips for Social Media Copywriting

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March 19, 2020
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Effective social media copywriting is essential for almost any business to be successful in today’s world. If you’re reading this, you know there’s at least a grain of truth in that—but marketing experts agree that there’s more than just a grain. In fact, 97% of marketers use social media to reach their target audiences.

Why Social Media Copywriting is So Important

Social media used to be the domain of the young, but social media use has spread throughout all demographics, all around the world. According to HubSpot, more than 2.77 billion people across the globe use social media today.

With so many people on social media, you might think it would be easy to find your audience. But your competitors are on social media too, and without some seriously solid social media copywriting, your business will be lost in the crowd.

7 Ways to Up Your Social Media Copywriting Game

Following these tips will help you produce more effective social media posts and see more of the results you want from them.

1. Clarify Your Unique Selling Proposition

Before you write anything, you have to define what makes you different from your competition. That difference is called a unique selling proposition, or USP.

If you sell a physical product, maybe it’s your prices, manufacturing methods, materials, or sustainability factor that set you apart. If you provide a service, how does it help your customers, and how does it help in a way that’s different from similar services that others provide?

Determine your USP and sum it up in one sentence. Then, make sure that every piece of social media copywriting you create ties back to your USP.

2. Understand the Social Media Platforms

Most people are on multiple platforms, and most users—at least those in the U.S.—visit their favorite social media sites multiple times a day.

(Image credit: Pew Research Facebook Users Survey 2019)

Each platform has a different style, which means posts need to be written differently for each one. Here’s a quick look at three of the top players:

Facebook

Facebook is all about conversations, and your social media copywriting for this platform should encourage readers to interact with both you and other users.

People buy from people and companies they trust and respect, so show potential customers who you are and why you can be trusted. Ask people questions, and answer the ones they have for you.

Include pics and short videos that show off what you provide and how it’s different from everything else out there. One small business, f, shows how to post an effective, short video that draws in customers.

Instagram

Instagram focuses on what’s happening in the moment, and it’s all about pictures. Take pics of your product out in the world.

Take pics of people (yourself or your staff) as they create your product. Take pics of people enjoying themselves with your product or while experiencing your service. Then, emphasize those pics with short, punchy copy that highlights the emotion your product or service is meant to evoke.

Instagram is where hashtags rule—you can use up to 11, but make sure they’re relevant and timely.

Twitter

Emotion-evoking photos and short text bursts that emphasize those emotions are key when it comes to Twitter, as well as using trending hashtags that relate to the product, service, emotions, problems, or solutions you’re presenting.

Keep in mind that the most clicked on and shared tweets are entertaining. For Twitter, three is the magic number for hashtags, and you can include up to four pics with a Tweet.

3. Create a Dynamic Headline

A dynamic headline makes people want to read what follows. To write such a headline you’ll want to use powerful words that draw people in—words that create curiosity, a sense of urgency, or a strong emotion.

Spend some time considering which words will make the most impact, and then craft powerful headlines for your social media posts.

<div class="tip">Headlines don't just come in one shape or size. Try these different types of headlines in your copywriting to vary your content.</div>

4. Address the Problem that Your Product Solves

People spend money on the things that solve a problem for them.

Sometimes the problem is major. Sometimes it’s as small as wanting something to give them a smile and brighten their day. It doesn’t matter how big or small the problem is, the fact is that there’s something the person wants to change, and they’ll buy what helps them do it.

In your social media copywriting, you want to address the customer’s problem and how it affects them, then tell them how you solve that problem.

5. Use Active Verbs

Action leads to impact, and that’s exactly what you want from your social media copywriting. Let’s take a look at two statements. Which one is more powerful?

  • The class is taught by Mr. Smith, with humor and gusto. (passive)
  • Mr. Smith teaches the class with humor and gusto. (active)

Even though the difference may seem subtle, active verbs make a much greater impact on the reader.

6. Leverage FOMO

The fear of missing out, or FOMO, is a strong incentive for many people.

If you’ve given your readers a reason to trust you and to want what you have to offer, you’ll still need to push some of them to act. Some people will need you to create a sense of urgency, scarcity, or exclusivity before they’ll do anything.

Keep in mind that if you lean on this too hard, you’ll push some people away. But those who you’ve already convinced are going to act anyway, and those who need a nudge in the right direction are going to jump on your bandwagon.

7. Have a Clear Call to Action, or CTA

It’s imperative that every social media post has a clear CTA. Why? Because you want readers to interact with your post in some way.

You may want them to answer a question, share their experience, share your post, go to your website, or take the next step into your marketing funnel. Whatever it is, you need to be clear about it.

Conclusion

Effective social media copywriting doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow these 7 simple tips for social media copywriting and see your posts gain more traction, reach more of your audience, and garner the results you want to see.

This article was written by Compose.ly writer Barbra Harper.

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