02 Mar
There are more than 3.6 billion people who use social media. And if you are managing a business or a brand, using some of the biggest social media platforms is logical considering your potential reach. And in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, there was a drastic upward movement of people who spent their time online. This was an opportunity for businesses to promote their brand and services. But getting organic traction on social media takes more than ‘scroll-stopping’ images. You need to learn the basics of social media copywriting to maximize what these platforms can do to your business. And since we have a number of social media giants, let’s discuss the best approaches for each of them.
When we talk about advertising or promoting brands online, most of us think of huge images that can stop users from scrolling. While that can be true, a good social media copywriting is as powerful too.
Social Media Copywriting Guidelines
Before we go to more specific tips, let’s round up the basic copywriting guidelines you need to consider for social media.
Keep it Short
Since you only have limited space for social media copywriting, you have to use it wisely. Be straight to the point and be clear with what your products or services offer. Skip all the flowery words for other content.
Remember, you only have a few seconds to make your audience stop and look at your posts. If you are not able to capture their attention, expect that they will be scrolling non-stop.
Simplify Words
Maybe you’ve won impressive literature awards back in the day. Sorry for breaking this to you, but copywriting for social media isn’t the same. The simpler your words are, the better. Take note that we are battling against time. Most likely, your audience won’t have the luxury of time to figure out your Shakespeare-inspired copy.
In addition to that, the audience on social media is mostly young people who do not enjoy complicated words. Just get to the point, and that should do the job.
Add Hashtag
Back then, hashtags were used on Twitter. But even other platforms are using it today. With hashtags, it works as if you are categorizing your post, making it easier for a person to identify what it is all about.
Likewise, those who are searching for a particular topic, brand, or service could easily filter their feed just by typing or clicking hashtags. Having said that, you need to know what hashtags to use and how you can take advantage of them. Here are some quick tips.
- Check the trending hashtags which are readily available on most platforms.
- Study what influencers and market leaders currently use.
- Create one for your brand that is catchy yet easy to remember.
Avoid Being Too Salesy
One of the major turn-offs when doing social media copywriting is that it’s too obvious that you are selling. Some people would go as far as using all caps in an attempt to get attention. Unfortunately, this style has been out for quite some time, and so we encourage you to avoid it.
How to Increase Organic Traffic with Social Media Copywriting?
Apart from the guidelines above, we recommend that you post your most updated content on your social media accounts. People love to read something fresh, and if they see that your website has new blog posts or content, they would naturally check it out. Be on the lookout for trending news about your industry as well and base your copy on these.
You can also use popular quotes that are relevant. This could organically increase your number of likes, comments, and shares.
Copywriting for Facebook
Let’s begin with Facebook as it is the apparent leader in the social media universe with more than 1B users daily.
There’s a staggering number of Facebook users who would just scroll through your posts. With this, your approach must be straightforward. Use sentences that are easy to grasp and will only require the least possible cognitive load.
A short-form copy works best. But in case you have to write a long-form copy, make sure that your first sentence is an extremely powerful statement that will make the reader pause.
Copywriting for Instagram
Research shows that there are more than 95 million photos uploaded on Instagram. And with that, you might think that posting jaw-dropping photos should do the trick if you want to increase organic traffic. That could be true. But if you have a great copy that complements well with your image, the result could be dramatic.
For Instagram, experts recommend that you write one to three sentences. Anything longer than that can be a turnoff. You can also start your copy with a positive question that is answerable by yes or no. And if you are to use hashtags, place it organically within your copy instead of stacking it all at the end.
Copywriting for Twitter
If you are promoting an article from your website on Twitter, experts suggest that you include a compelling quote from the write-up. This is the best approach as you only have a limited space to write your social media copy.
Copywriting for LinkedIn
As we all know, LinkedIn is a hub for professionals. So refining your caption and sounding more professional should do the trick.
However, even if LinkedIn is for professionals, people want to see emojis too! A surprising fact that stunned marketers and copywriters. When writing a long social media copy for the platform, you can use bullets or emojis to make your post easier to digest. And lastly, highlight data or figures as most people on LinkedIn embrace facts.
Best Samples of Social Media Copywriting
Here are a few samples of social media copywriting that have impressed the market. Take these as your inspiration.
Lush Cosmetics on Instagram
Social media copywriting isn’t limited to ads or sponsored posts. In the case of Lush Cosmetics, they created a compelling one in their bio. Instead of just writing what they specifically offer, they took it a notch by sharing their core mission – to save the planet through cosmetic revolution.
You can do the same if your brand is supporting a powerful cause. That could also increase your traction.
Adidas on Twitter
When doing social media copywriting, you don’t have to sell your products or services all the time. Again, that could cause a backlash.
You need to create posts similar to what Adidas did on their Twitter account. They wanted to share their commitment to their followers, and it’s a smooth way of directing them to their landing page.
Adobe on Linkedin
The copywriting done by Adobe is perfect for LinkedIn as a professional platform. You can see real data and how it affects businesses. This is what the market wants to see. They are not after flowery and sales pitch, but rather business insights that they could use for their business growth.
Conclusion
As there is already tough competition online between brands, you must take into consideration all materials that will be published on your social media accounts. This includes both the images and the social media copy.
While you may have already identified your demographics, you still need to understand the best practices for each social media platform. That’s how you can get quality organic traffic, which essentially could help your business thrive.
