Category Archives: Social Media

Twitter: Links, Headlines, Keywords, and Hashtags

Links to external websites are some of the most retweeted content. Hashtags link to similar topics within Twitter, so they’re a great way to gain followers and join conversations.

Links

Tweets with links are retweeted more than those without. Since your client will supply any links that you include, you don’t have much control there. But you can decide where to place that link. 25% of the way through your tweet is the best place. This position gives you room for a brief introduction to the link, but doesn’t bury the link too low in your tweet.

Headlines

Your headline is what you write with the link you provide. Copyblogger recommends following the four U’s for great headlines:

1. Be USEFUL to the reader
2. Provide her with a sense of URGENCY
3. Convey the idea that the main benefit is somehow UNIQUE
4. Do all of the above in an ULTRA-SPECIFIC way.

As with blog titles and opening lines, numbers, promises, questions, and keywords all make attractive headlines.

Keywords

In a tweet, all your words are key. If you’ve got keywords that you’re targeting, your whole tweet should focus around them.

Keywords are what interested followers will notice as they scroll through their Twitter stream. You can leave your keywords as normal text, or you can make them hashtags…

Hashtags

Hashtags start with the # sign, and are followed by a keyword or topic.

#contentmarketing

#grammar

Clicking on a hashtag leads you to other tweets that use the same hashtag. Making your keywords a hashtag helps more people find your tweets.

You can include a hashtag in a sentence, or just tack it on at the end of your tweet.

Example: Improve your #writing with #CrowdContentUniversity.

Example: Improve your writing with Stellar University. #contentmarketing

One or two hashtags are the hashtag sweetspot. Any more and you look spammy.

Learn More:

• Copyblogger: Twitter Headlines
• 10 Most Clickable Twitter Headlines
• Twitter: How to Choose a Hashtag

Twitter: Tone

Like all online writing, tweets are usually conversational, positive, and have a dash of humor.

Now you’ve got the added challenge of keeping yourself under 140 characters. When your writing is so short, every word — every letter — counts.

What are the best practices for twitter tone? Let’s take a look!

1. Follow the Brand Voice

Your client will tell you the tone that they want, but what does “informative” or “fun” mean to them?  Take a look at their previous tweets to find their style.

Just like a logo, voice identifies a company, so consistency is important.

2. Stay Super Short

140 characters is super short, right? Nope. Using all 140 characters is like writing a twitter essay.

70-100 characters is the most-read tweet length. Twitter is the prime place to hone your editing skills; cut every word you don’t need, and shorten the remaining words.

Short tweets are not only read more, they’re also easier to retweet.

3. Be Purposeful

To stay concise, each tweet needs a purpose. Do you want readers to answer a question, laugh, buy your product?

You only have room for one purpose per tweet, so identify your goal and focus all your words on it.

Rule with Verbs

Speaking of eliminating words, which ones should you ditch and which should you keep? Adverbs and adjectives are the first to go. Instead, strengthen your verbs.

Weak and wordy: It rained heavily today.

Strong and short: It poured today.

4. Ask Questions

Readers are selfish. They’re supporting you by reading your tweets, but if those tweets are all about you (or your client), they’ll stop.

Asking questions moves attention from you to your readers. Questions engage readers, and they generate response and retweets — perfect for publicity.

5. Create a Call to Action

Calls to action (what you want your reader to do) are important in all online writing. Since tweets are so short, your call to action might be the whole tweet, such as asking a question.

Saying, “Please Retweet” is a popular Twitter call to action. When readers retweet, your tweet shows up to their followers, so your content reaches a wider audience.

You’ll seem egoistic if you always ask for retweeting, but don’t be shy either.

Learn More:

• Forbes: 31 Twitter Tips
• Business to Community: A-Z Twitter Tips

Facebook: Voice

As a writer, you represent your client on Facebook. Your content’s tone is their company’s voice, and that’s a big responsibility. Here are four tips for achieving a likeable Facebook voice.

1. Develop Your Voice

If your client already has an established voice, make sure that your posts imitate that style. If they’re a new company, or new to Facebook, always check what tone they want.

Professional? Relaxed? Funny?

2. Know Your Audience

The best way to find your voice is by knowing your audience. Who are you targeting and how do they speak?

Your language will change if you’re writing for people in their 60s or their 20s, for businesses or families.

3. Stay Positive

No matter what voice you choose, stay positive. Negative posts are unpopular and for good reason.

Your readers don’t care if you lost revenue last month or just stubbed your toe. They want to be inspired by you, not depressed. If you’ve got negative news, be creative about how to change it into something positive.

Rainy weather doesn’t have to ruin your summer vacation. Comment with a picture of your wet adventures.

Despite this advice, never make light of tragedies.

4. Provide a Call to Action

Once you’ve provided some inspiration, give a call to action (tell your reader what to do). In the example above, the call to action is “comment”.

“Like”, “share”, and “comment” are the most common Facebook calls to action, but you can give any call you want.

Example: In preparation for the marathon, we’re selling running shirts and water bottles at 40% off. Buy yours today!

Example: Are you coming to our blogging workshop this Tuesday? Join our event and see if your friends are going.

Learn More:

• Forbes: Online Personas
• Shopify: Product Descriptions That Sell
• Kissmetrics: Product Descriptions That Sell

Facebook: Content

You’ve found your voice. Great! But you need more than the perfect voice to attract followers; you need content.

Here are six suggestions for your next Facebook post.

1. Ask Questions

Social media is just that — a social platform. If you don’t interact with people on it, you’re using it wrong. Asking questions is an almost certain way to create follower engagement.

Questions come in many forms

• yes or no
• open ended
• polls
• contests
• fill in the blank

Find the right balance of questions to other types of posts so that you neither exhaust nor bore your reader.

2. Share Quotes and Facts

Quotes and facts seem authoritative, so they interest readers and lend credibility to your business. If you’re including a link (see below), post an interesting quote or statistic from the website along with it. If you post a quote all by itself, tell readers to “like if they agree” or “tell us what you think in the comments”.

3. Link Where You Want to Go

You’re unlikely to have much control over putting links in your posts since you client will choose what links she wants (if any). Make sure that you include some writing with your link, whether it’s a quote from the article or your own commentary.

4. Attract Visually

When you scroll through your Facebook feed, what catches your attention? Your friends’ status updates or their new profile pictures? Humans are visual creatures so we’re naturally attracted to images. You don’t have control over what photos you post on Facebook, but you do get to write the commentary. Since followers are more likely to read a post with a picture, make sure you give a clear call to action.

5. Be Topical

Facebook moves quickly, so seem timely and informed by relating your postings to current affairs or holidays. As always, write for your target audience. Will they understand your football reference? Have they seen that new movie? Do they celebrate Christmas?

6. Keep It Short

No matter what you decide to post, keep it short. Although Facebook doesn’t have the same character limits as Twitter, you should aim for the same length of posts — around 100 characters.

Learn More:

• Facebook for Business: 10 Tips
• Media on Facebook: 12 Best Practices
• We Are Social Media: 10 Tips to Write Engaging Facebook Posts
• PR Daily: 10 Ways to Write the Most Effective Facebook Posts