10 Tips to Help You Write Killer Social Media Content That Everyone Will Share

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Who would you rather spend time with?

1. Mary – She goes on and on about the same boring topic, although you’re not interested.
2. Brian – He is witty, funny, and knowledgeable, and can carry an intelligent conversation.

Not a tough choice, right?

Now, imagine that Mary and Brian are, in fact, two different brands trying to engage with you on social media. With which one are you most likely to interact?

It’s odd that most small businesses are creating very “Mary-like” social media content. Not only that their posts are dull and sales-driven, but they share the same type of content on every social media platform. There seems to be a misconception that by sharing one post on different social media channels, your small company is “being active” on social media. That couldn’t’ be further from the truth.

At the core, every marketer’s goal is to foster and maintain engagement on social media. However, many are simply boring their followers, and they don’t even notice that no one is listening.

To make sure you are not among them, follow these tips that will help you write killer social media content.

• 3 Awesome Tips for Writing Killer Twitter Content

It goes without saying that Twitter messages should be short, simple and straight to the point. But what other tips should you follow to ensure your content gets noticed?

1. Add Images to Increase Engagement

Your content might be great, but if you don’t add images, you are going to lose out on engagement. According to one Buffer study, cited by coschedule.com, sharing images on Twitter increases retweets by 150%. Images can help you grab the attention of your followers and communicate complex messages to your followers.

2. Keep Things Friendly and Conversational

Keep in mind that as boring as one subject might sound, there’s no such thing as a truly boring one. There will always be people interested in what you have to say and thats because we all have very different interests. So, keeping things friendly and conversational is a great way to get more engagement on Twitter.

3. Use Hashtags to Boost Engagement on Desired Topics

With the amount of content published on Twitter every minute of the day, people will easily scroll by your posts. Hashtags are a great way to get more engagement on desired topics. They are a great way to get users to join a conversation and boost interaction.

• 3 Awesome Tips for Writing Killer Facebook Content

How about Facebook? How can you get people to share your content and increase engagement?

4. The Ingredients of a Perfect Facebook Post

How great would it be to know that the post you share on Facebook will get the maximum amount of likes, share, and comments? As it turns out, there is a way. Kevan Lee from Buffer found an excellent recipe that can help you write the best Facebook content possible.

According to him, a perfect Facebook post looks like this:

• Is brief – about 40 characters;
• Is a link;
• Is published at non-peak hours
• Is part of a cohesive content creation schedule
• Is newsworthy and timely;

Don’t be afraid to mix up content a little. Follow the “Shaquille O’Neal” rule of publishing Facebook content: 80% of posts should be entertaining, 15% should be informative, and 5% should be sales-driven.

5. Tell a Story

Telling stories is another great way to engage with fans on Facebook. With over 15 million likes and several thousand shares per post, the Facebook page of Humans of New York is a great example. Brandon Stanton, the author of the page, began to take photographs of people on the streets of New York. He posted the photos on Facebook together with a few words from the people he photographed.

6. Use Videos to Increase Engagement

Back in 2014, Mark Zuckerberg claimed that soon a lot of the content people share will be video. He was right. Nowadays, with over 4 billion video streams daily, Facebook has established itself as a powerful force. So, it goes without saying that publishing video content on Facebook is a great way to boost engagement.

• 2 Awesome Tips for Writing Killer LinkedIn Content

LinkedIn is a great channel to connect with industry leaders and insiders. But, are there any tips that can help you write awesome social media content on LinkedIn. Here are a few:

7. Tailor Your Message

LinkedIn has a different audience, so you need to make sure you tailor you message to their needs and interests. People usually search for professional content on LinkedIn, so make sure your posts are well thought and deeply researched.

8. Keep It Short

There has been a long-standing debate over what is better – long form or short form content. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. While longer content does prove to be better for blogs, shorter is better for LinkedIn. Since the audience you are reaching on LinkedIn is more business-oriented, it’s important to give them something quick and interesting to read.

• 2 Awesome Tips for Writing Killer Instagram Content

Since its launch just five years ago, Instagram has become one of the world’s most successful social networking services. So, how can you write stellar content on Instagram? Here are some tricks:

9. Intrigue Your Audience

Humans have a deeply curious nature. Curiosity has been the driving force behind our greatest discoveries and the fuel that fed our desire to make sense of the world. Creative small business owners know how to use Instagram’s captions to create intriguing stories that trigger curiosity and boost social media engagement.

10. Describe a Mental Image

Relate to the five senses to transport your audience to the scene you are describing. Help them imagine how things smell, sound, taste and touch. Describe how the protagonist of your photo looked, acted and talked. Don’t simply tell your audience what is going on. Show them.

Following these tips is a great way to write stellar social media content and boost engagement. And, remember, if your niche is serious, it doesn’t mean you should post boring content. Adapt your message to appeal to each social platform and don’t be afraid to mix things up.