Blog Post #3: Four Steps to Writing Better on Social Media #MillikinSMW17

This blog post will answer the following question: “Why should I learn how to write well on social media?” This post will be formatted as a how-to post.

So you want to learn to write better on social media? These five steps will help you to write better online.

Step 1: Identify Your Area of Expertise and Your Target Audience

There’s already a whole lot of content online. Anything that you contribute should be adding to what already exists, not repeating what exists elsewhere. Hopefully you’ve already found your area of expertise.

Once you’ve found your area of expertise, think about who needs help in that area. Figure out what websites those people are using to get information (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). Create an account on those websites. Come up with a credible and professional username. Your username should be interesting and appealing to your target audience. In The Art of Social Media, Guy Kawaski provides several other great tips on creating a top-notch profile.

Step 2: Create Your Content with Your Target Audience in Mind

Now comes the fun part. Write about your area of expertise. While writing, it may be beneficial to imagine you are writing to your audience, according to Ann Handley in Everybody Writes.

Find the best way to write for your target audience. Handley outlines several different writing styles that may be effective, including: how-to, question and answer, or explainer. Think of the best way to convey your knowledge and write in that style. This will make your content more understandable and relatable for your target audience.

Step 3: Edit Your Content

It is imperative that you take the extra time to fine tune your content. A lack of spelling and grammatical errors will prove that you are a trustworthy source of knowledge. You also might want to have a friend or colleague proof read your content.

Be sure your writing uses language that your target audience will be able to understand. Don’t use too much slang or jargon or else your target audience might get confused.

Step 4: Share Your Content

Now that your content is perfected, it’s time to share it with the world. Publish your content on the right platform(s) and your target audience will see it.

After reading through these four simple steps, hopefully you have a better idea of how to write and why writing well is important. Good luck creating great content!