“In the beginning was the word…”
Not only since the Gospel of John people know about the immense role of language. Cleverly used, words offer an almost endless potential to effectively convey content and emotions. This potential must be exploited in social media content. Because as unusual as marketing measures are now, as visually stunning and sensational as they are – the basis for this is always language. Or, to quote Wilhelm von Humboldt:
Language is the key to the world.
What does this mean for you? Every single word of your social media content belongs on the scales. Because writing social media texts, with your fancy keyboard that you personalized, is by no means as casual and succinct as it appears on the channels. It is filing, shortening, trying, and rearranging. In this way, you get to the heart of your message. To help you do this better in the future, we give you 6 valuable tips that will provide your social media content with stronger texts.
The requirements for social media content
Well, the Bible quote may be somewhat misleading: At the beginning, there is not necessarily the Word. At least not the texted post. In the beginning, there are more words in the form of a strategy. Because without the right strategy, even the best Facebook posts on your social media channels will fizzle out. What you have to consider, we have already explained to you here. Therefore, nothing more should be said at this point than: You need a strategy before you start with the content!
Which is also not the point
Clear case, social media are strongly visual. Hardly any post can do without a picture, video, or further link. Undoubtedly, a well-thought-out visuality should be part of your strategy. Strong images and animations can help your social media content soar. But we have already explained this in more detail elsewhere. That’s why it’s not about that, but only about one thing: the texts.
Why good texts are so important
Actually, this should be self-explanatory: Texts are the ones that present your brand message and your company on your social media channels. Almost all social networks are based on text, although it takes on a different status depending on the platform. It is important not to be fooled by the relaxed setting of social media: Good texts for social media content are a lot of work!
The importance of the texts becomes clear through a thought game: Imagine your social media channels without text. Only pictures are still available. How would you present your brand now? Difficult, isn’t it?! It’s the interplay of text and visuals that makes up your social media content. And the texts should receive at least as much attention as the illustrations.
Often the attention of your community is limited. You have only a few words to convince. Your content will face fierce competition in your community’s newsfeed. When scrolling through, posts that do not ignite immediately are quickly overlooked. Reason enough, therefore, to oil the old typewriter again and hit the keys properly.
Here are our 6 tips:
1. Short and sweet
You should always write briefly, concisely, and to the point. In social networks, there is no room for complex formulations and unusual sentence constructions. Instead, you should use short sentences that clearly convey your message. Avoids passive constructions, and writes actively and directly. Also, your posts should never be too long. 3–5 lines are usually enough. If there are more, it should definitely be clear in the first 2-3 sentences what it is about. A catchy headline can also help. This is the only way to get users to click on “more” and read the entire text.
2. Loose and light
Social media texts should always be easy to consume. You are welcome to choose a relaxed tone than is the case on the website or in other areas of the company. After all, social media is less formal but more commonplace. It is important that you always maintain a uniform tonality that suits your company. After all, your identity should always be clearly present in daily social media communication.
3. Varied
If you just want to be funny, you will get bored at some point. Whoever is only informative loses the enthusiasm of the community at some point. As with the various contribution formats, the following applies when it comes to text: It’s all about variety! Use different approaches, and be versatile! So you can keep your community in the long term.
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4. Informative or entertaining
Every social media text or post should have a clear goal. A simple help is a question: Is my post entertaining or informative? One of the two should at least be true. Because a post that neither entertains nor informs is empty in terms of content. And your community is more likely to forgive you for a too-dry post or a stupid saying too much than emptiness.
5. Call To Action
What is particularly important on your social media channels is the reactions of your community. After all, you want to enter into dialogue with her and the Facebook algorithm rewards posts with a high, high-quality interaction rate. In turn, comments and shares are more valuable than likes or smiles.
For you, your community will be especially talkative if you ask them to be. Encourage your followers to comment by asking them a question at the end of posts or charmingly provoking an answer. Let them tell their own stories and actively involve them. A well-placed call-to-action can often increase the interaction rate. You will see: Your followers want to talk to you and get involved.
6. Trust is good…
… Control is better. Yes, okay, now it’s enough with the truisms. But if you take social media content lightly, because it’s “just a few posts”, you will quickly notice that the community sees it differently. Therefore: Double check every post, check it for spelling, and put it on the gold scale. Or, as we say within the agency: Always four-eyed – a neologism for always at least two people looking over posts.
Important questions to ask yourself
- Who is my target audience?
- How does this target group communicate?
- How does their language suit my company?
- What purpose does my post serve?
- Is it informative or entertaining?
- Is the length appropriate?
- Can I shorten the post?
- Is the post so long that a catchy headline is necessary?
- Does the post encourage discussion or participation?
- Do I have a call to action?
Ready to take off!
If you stick to the tips given, you’ll be well on your way to optimizing your content. Of course, as always, you have to try it out. Some mail series or types may work particularly well in your industry, while others don’t. There is no patent remedy for this, experience is needed. That’s why you should prepare well, but at some point, you should really get started. This is the only way to get a real feel for what your social media content should look like.