What did you say?

You know that you want to have a clear message when you use social media, but how do you do that?  It isn’t as difficult as you might imagine even if you aren’t a master marketer.

As you are creating your posts for social media ask yourself, “what will my customers take away from this post?,” before you press the send button.  Put yourself in the shoes, or better yet, minds, of your followers and super fans.  Is your message sharing a service? Answering a question? Engaging your reader?

Once you have it written and have those questions answered, get some help.  Every good writer knows that it is essential to have another set of eyes look at your work before it goes out into the world. Conduct a miniature sampling of unbiased colleagues, friends, and maybe even your significant other to give it a look. Ask them to share what they felt and thought about when they saw/read the posting.

What pictures are you including with your message? Does it send out the same message? Is it interesting? Is your audience going to make the connection? Make sure that the images support what you are trying to say or what kind of response you are trying to get from your followers.

Having a plan with your messaging is essential, but equally important is making sure you adapt your messaging to fit the needs and wants of your audience. If your fans are asking questions and generating topics, tailor your messages a bit to keep them coming back for more!

On the flip-side, try to keep the tone and style going in the same direction so that you can develop a brand where “everyone knows your name.”  If casual and comical suits your business and audience then interject that same style into each of your messages. 

While a consistent message is important, avoiding a boring message is equally essential. Try to provide something  new and engaging that keeps your audience in tune.

Creating consistent messaging is something that you're going to be great at.  Be mindful of the content that your favorite businesses put out there on social media, see what they're doing. You can always use them for inspiration, yah? It can help you turn the science of social media messaging into your art.