We all know by now that social media presence is important for your business, whether you offer products or services. And we often talk about how visual content is key to building your online presence; what kind of images you need to be posting, and the optimal length of your videos. Yet, we sometimes forget about another important aspect of content: text (or better still, copywriting).
What is Copywriting?
Not to be confused with
Copyright, which is a totally different subject (legal trademarks), Copywriting is the craft or skill of writing persuasive messages that prompt readers to take action, whether it’s to purchase an item or idea, or other marketing goals such as subscribing to a newsletter, clicking a button, or liking a social media page or post.
A copywriter may work on different marketing objectives, such as helping to create billboards, printed advertisements, direct mail, emails, and other materials. However, social media posts are the ones that are rapidly growing in popularity.
This being said, there are a few things every copywriter should keep in mind when creating content.
Key Components of Any Post.
There are three main components that any post should have to make it more compelling:
- Hook: this means writing something that grabs someone´s attention. It is often something surprising or fun. You can start with a question (“Did you know…?”), or making a statement about your content that will get others to wonder about your post (“You don´t want to miss this”, “Check out the fourth tip”).
- Rhythm: writing in short sentences with a pause can be very effective in advertising, but make sure to vary the length of your sentences, and think about the emotions you´re trying to evoke. For example, suspense needs to be punctuated and sharp.
- Call to action: if you manage to have a person read your post, it is crucial that you tell him or her what the next step is. When doing so, don´t hesitate, just directly state what you want them to do (“Click here”, “Subscribe to my newsletter”, “Like and share”).
Copywriting tips
Aside from the key components, a post could use a little more tweaking. Here are some additional tips to consider when creating content and captions.
- Alliterations: according to the COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary, an alliteration is “the use in speech or writing of several words close together which all begin with the same letter or sound”. This will help with the rhythm aspect of your caption.
- Facts & Opinions: using facts will reinforce whatever you are selling or the argument you are making, so the reader will be more likely to believe you. However, you can also give an opinion, which will create authority.
- Statistics: using statistics appeals to the rational part of the human brain, making it more likely that your message will be internalized and believed.
- Repetition: you can repeat ideas, sounds, concepts or words, this way people will remember what you said. Just make sure you don´t do it too much, otherwise your readers could get disinterested.
- The rule of three: the human brain processes groups of three, way easier than larger groups. Just think about the three musketeers or famous slogans such as “Just do it” or “I´m loving it”. You can apply this rule to something else other than a slogan, like an idea or phrases to drive your message home.
As you can see, copywriting on social media is not as easy as many people think, especially considering that it’s just one part of content creation. At
Miss Ink, we get it, and we are here to help you. Whether you need an ongoing blog writer or a fully planned social media content marketing strategy (yes, including copywriting), our team is here to make the content process easy and effective. Call (305) 537-6465 today to see how we can help you.
