Images and videos are often touted as the kings of social media content marketing because of their ability to influence the minds of consumers. Although our brains aren’t too fond of words, copywriting should always remain an essential component in your social media strategy because of how well it complements the former. The role of copywriting is to convince your audience to act on what they saw, and hence must be well written to convince them to make a purchase!
Every word counts
It’s easy to get carried away while writing and lose track of your purpose, which is to deliver your message in the most digestible way possible. Therefore, always make sure that you make every word and count by removing any unnecessary information that does not help you convey what your product or brand encompasses. Effective copywriting brings across the most information with the least words. Keeping your copy concise makes it a lighter read, which enables your audience to better retain information that will motivate them towards conversion.
Headlines should be purposeful
It’s a busy world we live in, and nobody has time to read everything they come across online. Therefore, having an attention-grabbing headline that stands out from other copies simply increases the chance of getting yours read! An impactful headline should sum up your copy in a short and sweet fashion. You should also include keywords for search engine optimisation!
The title of this blog ‘A Guide to Effective Social Media Copywriting’ is a good example of an effective headline. From this, you can tell that this blog provides useful tips on social media copywriting. Also, keywords such as ‘effective’, ‘social media and ‘copywriting’ can help aspiring copywriters or other interested readers find this blog on search engines easily.
Don’t sound like a salesman
But isn’t the purpose of writing a copy to generate sales? There’s no doubt your end goal should be to convince your audience to buy from you but don’t be hard selling! One glaring error that many businesses make is to flood their audience with technicalities such as product specifications, material composition and even manufacturing information (leave that in the product description!)
However, consumers mostly make purchase decisions based on how certain brands make them feel, and not how impressive their products sound! Therefore, your copy should illustrate how your product can help relieve existing pains and create gains for your audience.
For example, insulated drink ware company CORKCICLE emphasizes how the Commuter Cup brings convenience in their customers’ lives by making drinking while commuting easier. Technical Information on features and insulating capabilities are left on the product page on the website.
Words come with a voice and yours should vary according to your brand
Copywriting isn’t an easy feat because it requires the ability to write in multiple voices, depending on who your target audience is. For example, the language used to advertise a brand selling skateboards need to be fun and enthusiastic since its customers tend to be adventurous and thrill-seeking. On the flip side, advertisements for a consulting firm need to sound professional since it is targeted at businesses.
Regardless of who your target audience might be, a general rule of thumb would be to avoid using flowery language in favour of common words that we tend to communicate with daily. Using flamboyant words can be tempting because of their supposed impact, but ‘everyday language’ is more relatable and thus resonates better with your customers!
Use emojis!
A simple yet effective trick that instantly makes your writing more appealing is by adding emojis! Emojis enhances the visual presentation of your copy the same way paragraphing does, spacing out your content into phases such that it doesn’t feel like a huge chunk of words. Relevant emojis help make your copy fun and easy to read!
Always include a Call-To-Action (CTA)
Finally, the cherry on top of every copy! Having a clear Call-To-Action is necessary because it drives your audience into taking action – which in this case is to make a purchase! What’s the point in all that persuasion if you end up not securing the deal? Include CTAs like ‘Buy Now’ or any other actions you wish for your audience to take. You can even include hyperlinks to direct them to the desired page to complete the action.
Final Thoughts
Copywriting requires mastery of language that can surely be improved through practice. Reading copies of other brands in similar industries can also help you decide on the most suitable tone for your social media content. Having said that, writing style differs from person to person and you must discover your unique way of writing!
Bluehive Consulting is listed on the global creative marketplace. We help businesses with the copywriting of their website and social media content to create lasting impacts on consumers and drive them towards conversion. Need help with copywriting? Get in touch with our team at projects@bluehiveasia.com to find out more!