Many experienced marketers and businesses think they get a free pass on sentence structure, proper grammar, and even spelling when posting or sharing content on social media. 

Yes, social media is a medium in which a casual, relaxed voice and tone are acceptable. After all, no one will really notice any mistakes, right? Appearing human will make you more personable and relatable, right?

Not quite. 

What it will do is make you appear lazy, careless, and irresponsible. Do you really want your customer base thinking of your company as anything less than professional and succinct? 

In this article, we will explain why your social media writing style is important, and what you can do to beef it up to ensure that your content is always on brand, and on point. 

Marketing is Communication

At its most fundamental level, marketing is nothing more than effective, persuasive communication. At its most successful, social media marketing messages not only resonate with the desired customer base but encourage users and visitors to take a specific action.

Flawless Writing is Paramount

Through all our experience and endeavors in content writing, what has best prepared us for success in marketing is working with various businesses, learning their desired voice and tone, their challenges and pain points, and then crafting a compelling story that ties all these characteristics together.

However, in our experience, you can say all the right things, but unless your sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling are impeccable, no one is going to trust you as a thought leader or look to you as an authority in your specific niche.

Does this mean you can’t use abbreviations, acronyms, or occasional incomplete sentences for dramatic effect? Absolutely not. Adhering too strictly to usage rules and restrictions ignores the fluidity of language. 

Don’t Overlook Style

Though you may not be aware of it, your writing style is the way you choose to communicate with the world. In life, everything from the clothes you wear to your preference in hobbies, to your mannerisms and the way you speak or write sends a message to others about who you are. The same goes for your marketing and branding efforts. 

Setting a purposeful style and tone in your social media posts cultivates a powerful message to your potential customers about who you are. The style you choose is just as important as the ideas you communicate, if not more so.

We know that too often people forget to determine the style of writing that speaks the language of their clientele. After all, effective social media marketing is nothing if not casual and personal. 

You can still use common vernacular, especially the kind that your target market demographic uses. Just be sure that it still has that professional voice to maintain your position as an authority on the subject.

When making stylistic choices, carefully consider everything about a piece of marketing content from the reader’s perspective, including the choice of vocabulary, the writer’s voice, and the level of formality. Be sure to also look at the text format: paragraph and sentence structure, right down to the best font to fit the piece.

Know Your Audience

A smart content marketing strategist will get to know their target market demographic to learn everything they can about them, including how they communicate, their interests, reading and education levels, their chosen vernacular and buzz words, and the type of content they engage with.

The key here is to find that fine line of matching your style to your intended audience while maintaining an air of authenticity, and then walk it confidently. 

Reach Emotions through Personal Connection

To effectively reel in that customer and convince him or her that they need your product, service, or information, you need to appeal to more than just the rational mind; facts, figures, and stats will only get you so far. What really seals the deal is tugging on their heartstrings. 

In fact, a Harvard study on emotion and decision making reveals that our emotions are much more involved in the decision-making process than logical conclusions.

Give Your Social Media Some Style

Effective writing is attention-grabbing, engaging, and inspiring. When it comes to communicating effectively, impeccable grammar and format matter, but to make a genuine connection with your audience, you need to prove your authenticity as “one of them.†Tell stories. Make jokes. Get their emotions involved. 

Think about the kind of writing style you employ in your social media. What could you do to bridge the gap between readers and customers? Ask yourself these questions: 

• Is the writing technically flawless? 

• Does it speak directly to your target market? 

• Could it be better? 

• Do you want some help with that? 

If you need help with crafting content or determining your “voiceâ€, contact us today to learn how we can help.