Effective communication on social media requires proper planning and execution. You cannot just fire off random missives on Twitter or Facebook and hope that to connect with your audience, because you won’t. You have to communicate your brand’s values and its voice in order to draw the attention of potential customers.
Here are some basic rules for creating engaging messages on social media courtesy of Nolan Wilson, content development manager at WhiteSpace and contributor to PR News' Writer's Guidebook Vol. 1:
- Be real. People appreciate real conversation, so be human and communicate with a genuine voice.
- Offer a unique perspective. Social media is an extremely crowded field, so you need to stand out in order to be noticed. Establish yourself as a "go-to" resource and try to offer something no one else has.
- Messaging must match the channel. Your communications should reflect the platform. What is acceptable on Facebook might not be for LinkedIn. Know the limitations of the platform you are using, and choose the platform that is most widely used by your audience.
- Visuals enhance your communications. Social media is a visual experience. Images and videos are everywhere on social. People are much more likely to engage with content if it has a visual element than just a straight text post.
- Give people a reason to engage. Make your content informative and entertaining and people will share it. Start a conversation with them and they will keep coming back.
- Make content timely. Timely and relevant content leads to higher levels of engagement. Stay on top of current events and be aware of what is motivating your audience.
For more information about writing for social media, join us for the PR News Writing Boot Camp in Chicago on November 19.
Follow Richard Brownell: @RickBrownell