Looking Back At Social Media So Far In 2013

For those who run some form of online business, social media is probably a significant part of your overall marketing strategy. Understanding the current trends for social media 2013 can go a long way towards embracing those that work and avoiding those that are tanking.

Top Tips To Writing Engaging Social Media Posts

How To Write Interesting Posts for Social Media.

Social media has changed the way that we communicate, and it has changed this quickly.  It was not that long ago that the main way of communicating (other than having face to face conversations, although this is a dying method too) was to write letters to each other, using a post box, pens, ink, hands to write with and a lot of time in between, not to mention relying on a mail force that were not 100% reliable.

Nowadays we talk over much larger distances, and to much larger audiences.  In the past we would talk to people face-to-face that were around us, and for most of us that would rarely mean more than 5 people.  Letters would be written, and they too would only be read by one or a handful of people.  Now when we wrote on social media, our posts can be read by hundreds of people, from around the globe, instantaneously.

This is the main thing to remember – anyone, anywhere can read what we write on social media now.  It is no longer a private conversation only vaguely remembered in a few people’s minds, but a conversation for all to read, and that will never fade as a memory, but rather will be held on the Internet and saved on Facebook servers for the rest of time!

Bearing all this in mind, here are 10 things you can do to write more interesting posts:

1.     Social media is a conversation of sorts, but is also a publishing place.  We are all authors now.  Remember that you want to present yourself as a published author, as your posts will linger for eternity.

2.     You can have flippant conversations, but would you call someone and tell them that your local shop did not have your preferred flavor of toothpaste?  Only write what, at the bare minimum, you deem interesting enough to tell to a friend, using language.  People forget that social media is not your own brain, where thoughts do not need to be filtered into ‘interesting’ and ‘uninteresting’. 

3.     Your posts are public and anyone who is your friend, and your friends’ friend a lot of the time, will see them.  On some social media sites everyone can see your posts.  This means that parents, police, employers etc. can see your posts.  Try to represent yourself as you would like to be, do not get sucked into writing tripe for the sake of it, or writing deeply personal messages.

4.     Try to be funny/interesting/stimulating/intellectual.  Try to be interesting at the very least – would you read/engage with your post?  This is the most simple question you can ask yourself.  Many people forget to check that they are being interesting, and have very low engagement on their posts, and this can make them feel unpopular, as well as looking stupid to other people.

5.     When writing on controversial topics, such as religion, sexuality, politics or race, think about what you are writing carefully.  There is nothing wrong with having a point of view, in fact it is more interesting, but nothing comes across worse on social media as uninformed and ignorant points of view to do with delicate subjects.  Remember, if someone argues with you, it is okay to change your point of view for the right reasons, and this will make you look like an intelligent person, rather than an idiot.

6.     There is no nuance in print – if you are writing sarcastically or to poke fun, then make sure your words show that.  Without the tone of language, it can be very difficult to show exactly what you mean.

7.     Using interesting pictures to illustrate your point can increase how interesting your post is.  As they say ‘a picture tells a thousand words’, but it tells it in an instant.  Pictures can be very funny too, and increase engagement with your posts tenfold.

8.     Ask interesting questions in your posts, and you will see that people engage more with your posts and your wall may become a hot bed for interesting conversations and increase your popularity.

9.     Try to spell things correctly and use the correct grammar, it will give you more gravitas, and people will not be able to call you out for being stupid.

1.  Read your posts out to yourself before you post, this way you will hear what other people will hear in their head.  Sometimes when something is written down you cannot hear how silly it sounds, it is only when it is said out loud that the true meaning is revealed.

If you do these things you may find that you become far more popular online, as you start interesting conversations, are not offensive without reason, and always entertain and facilitate new thoughts.  Enjoy your new Likes!

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