Learning Languages of Social Media Platforms

​Surely, you already know the line ‘content is king’. So, YES! Knowing how to nail the quality of social media content is paramount to meet the needs of the majority users of the social media platforms. However, you may actually share a very good content and not get any good engagement on it. Why? There could be one reason: language.

As business owners, you need to understand how you need to communicate with your audiences from different platforms. When talking about social media marketing language, we are not going to talk about internet words and acronyms such as LOL, BRB, IRK, etc. Instead, we will talk about how you should format your content to tailor your campaign messages to attract maximum click through. Here is a look at different social media platforms and the kind of language you should use in each.

Facebook

​Do you want to reach the highest number of people with your marketing efforts? Turn to Facebook! How to communicate in Facebook:

1. Ask questions. Question posts sell because people are very eager to express their opinions. Also, the best questions would be the types that involve ‘which’, ‘would’, ‘who’ as opposed to those defined by “why”, and “how”.

2. Post photos. Photos are most engaging! Most people will comment, like, and share images more than they do text-based posts. Their performance is even better when you make the images self-explanatory. You can also create images using online image tools.

3. Use Emoticons. Remember when you chat with your friends? You surely have used almost all emoticons available. This is also effective in posting contents. Why? It breaks the tension or seriousness with your posts thus giving it a relaxed tone or showing a more human side.

4. Keep it short and simple (KISS). Beating around the bush is a NO, NO. People are always in a hurry to find out what you got to say and prolonging will not help.

5. Write catchy titles. You might have been victimized by click-bait titles on social media but they actually do the job and most people click to see what is going on! Just don’t be too aggressive or misleading.

Instagram

​Are you managing social media account for a restaurant or other businesses that requires images for customers to visualize what you offer? Well, you shouldn’t miss having an Instagram account. How to communicate in Instagram:

1. Edit your images. Try learning different tools available in Instagram or other sources to modify your image to fit your needs. Instead of just using a raw image edit it to feature your brand colors, typography, and others to make them compelling.

2. Use hashtags. They provide an avenue for your post to appear in other social media platforms such as twitter. Your target audience will also follow these hashtags and stay engaged with your brand activity.

3. Short and precise captions. A plain image or video is not enough. Write captions on what it’s all about making them more vivid to the readers.

Twitter

​Want to have quick first announcement of your new product or activity? Your clients may be proud to be the first to learn of your upcoming contest, event or a new product release. Do you want an initial contact with followers with the aim of redirecting them to your blog or website? Twitter is for you. How to communicate in Twitter:

1. Use hashtags. They can give your post visibility on trending topics. In fact, tweets with hashtags receive twice as much engagement than those without. One or two hashtags in your tweet is the best practice. 

2. Include visuals. Adding photos and/or videos to your tweet will also bring a lot more engagement. Again visuals triggers engagement.

3. Conversational tone and viral phrases. You don’t want to sound foreign to your target market so try to be as conversational as possible.

4. Give discounts or special offers. People love free stuff! Try adding an offer in your tweet along with your link and a hashtag related to your brand to get those clicks.

LinkedIn

​Do you aim to connect with like-minded people? Go for LinkedIn! It is a great platform for any startup to find and connect with possible B2B customers. Also it’s perfect to use this platform to build connections with other people in your field. How to communicate in LinkedIn:

1. Keep it short and simple (KISS) LinkedIn is a place of busy people and their time is very important. Thus, it’s important to keep it short and to the point.

2. Have a goal then choose content. Here it is very important to write content not just based on the audience but also on the goals you want to achieve. You don’t want to waste your time establishing something out of the goal.

3. Post once a day. You don’t want to bombard your target audience with too much information about your business. LinkedIn recommends having around 20 posts per month on your company page, which means roughly one post per week day.

Pinterest

​Is your business catering to a demographic of women? If so, you most probably need to use Pinterest. How to communicate in Pinterest:

1. Add descriptions to every pin. A pin is hard to understand without a caption. This is your chance to sneak in your brand name or products and services, so don’t miss it. 

2. Create different pinning boards. Try your best to cater to your different audiences. Not all people in your Pinterest audience are the same, so try to make a board for different tastes.Also, make sure to update all of them regularly.

3. Use hashtags. It’s easier to target audiences when using a good hashtag. Hashtags should be describing the pin and helping people find what they are looking for, and not just to get clicks.

​As the internet revolutionizes the way we live our lives, the most far-reaching is the impact it is having on the way we communicate. How we communicate online has a lasting impact on language and society. Now that you have a better understanding on how to get your message across your audience, whatever platform you choose, post regularly and make sure to engage with followers. Make sure to also know when to post on each of the social media sites.

To make sure that the language used on your social media pages are engaging and appropriate, you may get assistance from an expert social media marketer. Enjoy communicating with your audiences!