Does Social Media Copy Matter?

When it comes to social media marketing, much of the power lies in eye-grabbing visuals and compelling short videos. From the color scheme of your graphics to the facial expressions of your models, there’s no denying that visuals instantly carry out your brand message.

But beneath the visuals, there’s another space for your brand to shine: your copy.

Your copywriting style is an extension of your brand voice. It’s where you have the opportunity to explain your photo, add meaning, or simply liven things up with an amusing joke. It’s where you can bring your message home and get your audience to take action.

So how can you ensure your copy is striking a chord?

Use the right language

Are you speaking to teens about a cool new product? Or educating doctors on an innovative new procedure? These audiences are obviously vastly different and the language you use should be different as well. Pinpointing who will be receiving your message can help you hone in on tone, language, post length and emoji use.

Avoid appearing inauthentic by rolling up your sleeves and doing a little research before diving in.

Balance education with entertainment

Social platforms offer an effective way to provide bite-sized pieces of information about what makes you  stand out from the competition. By including an impressive claim or throwing in a sought-after benefit, a consumer might be swayed to seek out more information or – better yet – make a purchase.

The challenge here is walking the fine line between education with entertainment. Focus too much on entertainment and the consumer won’t take action. Use it too much for education and they’ll keep on scrolling.

Find a way to give them the entertainment benefit while throwing in a product benefit and you’ve struck copy gold.

Consider your audience segments

The person visiting your page might be a loyal customer looking for updates on your brand. Or they could be a passerby that stumbled on your page from somewhere else. Either way, you are likely to be writing copy for different audience segments at different times.

Make sure you know the audience breakdown as well as the needs of each audience segment and create a plan for how to give them the right information at the right time to see your intended result.

For instance, informative copy can address the beginning of the journey when they’re just looking around for what product will suit their needs most. Copy that differentiates your product from the competition or announces a two-day sale may grab the attention of someone later in the journey, pushing them towards conversion.

Whatever the message, make sure it’s straightforward and easily spotted by someone merely skimming their feed.

Take the time to get creative 

Copywriting can help your post stand out when the graphic isn’t enough – if you take the time to get a little creative. Spice things up by directly engaging your audience, offering a useful tip, or simply sharing a witty way of interpreting your photo.

When in doubt, consider what would capture YOUR attention as a consumer. The focus should always be on what your audience finds valuable, not what you want to convince them is important.

The bottom line

Social media copy does matter. It offers a chance to go beyond the visual story of your brand and include messaging that entertains, educates, and gets your audience buzzing with excitement.

Have a question about how to create click-worthy copy? Leave it below!