What is the perfect way to communicate information about your language school on social media? Today more than ever, marketing in the digital world is critical. A key aspect of digital marketing involves compelling copy on social media channels.
In this post, I’ll share with you my tips for writing great content that will be perfect for your social media channels.
I came up with the following rules of thumb in order to ensure that your copy on social media is as engaging and as compelling as possible. I will also share some proven examples of how to use these tips to create better social media content.
Rule #1: Write for Your Audience Not for a Search Engine or Social Media Platform (the goal is to get TRAFFIC, not Likes)
Social media channels are simply a place where your message can be sent. The people who use them are not your customers or clients, they are your audience. They may also be individuals you want to reach out to with the promotion of your language school.
This means you should think of social media channels as advertisements, not as websites where people land after searching for something. As in traditional advertising, the purpose of social media marketing is to gain attention and then convert that attention into engagement and purchases.
Rule #2: Use Your Unique Voice
You have a voice, don’t try to imitate what others are saying. Use it. It’s your brand.
How do you do that? By using a conversational tone. Think of how you speak with your friends and family members (a great conversation starter is listening for specific words and phrases when you talk about something). Try to find the same words that you use naturally in your own conversations when writing social media content, enough repetition will give them an identity of their own.
Use personal experiences as examples and anecdotes to make your message more relatable and interesting.
Rule #3: Include Actionable Words
Using actionable words is the secret tip to writing good copy. I’m sure you’ve heard that most people don’t take action when (s)he reads something. The problem is that if there is no call to action, the content is about nothing. Your copy will be considered an empty text.
The brain has a hard time distinguishing if the information is persuasive or not when it’s written in a passive voice. Passive voice makes you sound apathetic and detached from what you’re saying — not exactly qualities you want in a marketing professional! Since complete sentences in English are in the active voice by default, it’s important to find ways to make your sentences more active within your messages.
This is where the “how-to” action words can come in handy. The best example I’ve used is the following one from my blog post that has had the most success:
- “How to…learn a language with your kids” (taken from my article on this subject)
- “How to…find a job teaching English abroad” (taken from my article on this subject)
- And, here are some other actionable words that you could use if you’re looking for something else in your message:
- Find out more about our programs, and how to apply.
- Don’t miss out on our upcoming deals, and how to take advantage of them.
- For more information about {TOPIC}, and how you can start doing it yourself.
You could also try the Grammarly premium plugin to automatically highlight passive sentences and suggest better alternatives. This is a great tool for finding these kinds of errors and making sure that your copy gets corrected before posting it on any social media account.
Rule #4: Use Questions to Engage Your Audience
Questions are a great way to draw attention to your words. They engage the reader by promoting an answer. The more compelling, the better.
They also encourage social engagement because it’s natural for people to want to respond with their own answers. It’s a fact that in social media, you will find that most of your followers on Instagram or members of your Facebook groups will be looking for ways they can participate and give their two cents in the conversation.
Use questions that are related to your business directly or indirectly. Even if you’re not sure about the answer, you’ll still be able to promote yourself and make your followers think of you when they come across the answer.
Rule #5: Be Smart About Numbers
Numbers are powerful. They can help you get more attention to your message, but they can also do the opposite if used in the wrong way. That’s why I consider them a powerful tool for social media marketing. But as with any kind of weapon, it has to be handled carefully.
People love numbers because it makes everything seem more specific and real than just talking about generalizations and possibilities. But, the more specific your numbers are, the more believable (and trustful) they become.
It’s hard to believe something if there is something that makes you doubt it. This goes back to Rule #1: Write for Your Audience Not for a Search Engine or Social Media Platform.
The first thing your audience wants to know when they read something is if they can trust you. If the message is too general, people feel like it’s not sufficient enough to go ahead with whatever it is that you’re suggesting in that post.
But if your messages are quite specific, such as “10 things every…must know to be successful”, people will start trusting your words more and are more likely to take action on them. When it comes to social media marketing, using numbers in your content can also help you rank better on social media by creating unique content that is more likely to be shared on the network.
Takeaway: I hope these tips will help you with your next piece of written content. Just remember, write for your audience not for your social media platform. Target your message toward a specific audience, and they will appreciate the effort you put into it.