Wixercise: Brush up on Your Social Media Posting Skills
Posting on social media is something many people do daily without a second thought. But when it comes to writing for social media on behalf of a brand or business, it’s an entirely different skill set. Below are some social media tips, plus three exercises to improve your social media writing by using keywords, writing for different audiences and coming up with tweets.
These are quick ways to spark your creativity and get your mind in a productive place. I’ll offer some social media tips using example companies, but feel free to use the actual company you write for — or an example of your own. This is to help you, so there’s no pressure to complete all three. Just do the ones that apply to you. They don’t have to be perfect; let yourself be creative and have some fun.
01. Using keywords in posts
You can help potential new followers find you on social media by using keywords in your posts. The challenge is to include them in a conversational way. Readers can tell when keywords are forced into text, especially on social media where the language is generally more casual. For this exercise, I’ve given you three sample businesses and a list of keywords to include. For each business, write a post for Facebook, a tweet, and an Instagram caption.
Feel free to write more than one for each. This is about getting your juices flowing and jump-starting your creativity.
Business 1: Online Marketing Firm
Millennial Marketing is a social media marketing startup that targets small businesses in Denver, CO. Write a post to accompany an article about Facebook and Twitter analytics.
Facebook keywords:
Millennial Marketing
Social Media
Facebook Analytics
Denver
Twitter and Instagram keywords:
@MillennialMarketing
Business 2: Fiction Author
Katie Smith is a new author who just published her first novel, Laptop Love, a romance between a free-wheeling magazine editor and a buttoned-up IT person. Her target audience is 30 to 60-year-old women. She’s going on a book tour soon, so these posts should be focused on her upcoming reading in Seattle.
Facebook keywords:
Laptop Love
Seattle
Katie Smith
Free Reading
Twitter and Instagram keywords:
@KatieSmith
Business 3: Yoga Studio
Yin and Yoga is a small chain of yoga studios in California. They offer group classes, private lessons, and they sell merch. The clientele is 20 to 40-year-olds in Los Angeles and San Diego. Write a post for a flash sale they’re having on group classes.
Facebook keywords:
Yin and Yoga Studio
Yoga Classes
Discount
Exercise
Twitter and Instagram keywords:
@YinandYoga
Facebook keywords:
Millennial Marketing
Social Media
Facebook Analytics
Denver
02. Writing for different audiences
A social media post is the beginning of a conversation with your audience, so it’s important to speak in a way that feels familiar and welcoming to them. For this exercise, use one of the Facebook posts you wrote in the first exercise, or use one of your own. Then, change the language to make it suitable for other audiences.
Try to think of a persona — an example person in your audience — and write just for them. A working parent, for example, could be Pam from Idaho. Think of what is important to her, such as time management, cutting expenses or spending evenings with her family. Then, keep Pam in mind as you craft a post. Get the idea?
Try these:
Recent College Graduates
Small Business Owners
People in Urban Areas
People in Rural Areas
Retirees
Working Parents
03. Twitter prompts
It can be hard to think of something that’s brief but impactful to tweet out. You want to keep up with your content calendar, but avoid sharing useless fluff. The following are prompts to help overcome a “tweeter’s block.”
Share your best productivity tips.
Create a poll.
Ask followers a question.
Share a fact about your industry.
Crack a joke, share a funny image or meme.
Answer the question, “What’s inspiring me right now?”
Compile a list of hashtags you want to use and write tweets for each.
Regardless of whether or not you end up posting this content, these social media tips and exercises will help you flex your social media writing muscles, and hopefully provide some #postspiration.
Share your work!
Show us what came up with by posting your work with the hashtags #Wixercises and #WixContent
Want more practice?
Check out our Wixercise on how to write newsletters that everyone wants to read!
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Maggie Stamets, Writer at Wix
