Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Social Media Writing Sin #3 – Keywording Instead of Writing

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Search150w113h If you've been reading this Content Mastery Guide blog for awhile, you know where I stand on search engine optimization (SEO). After all, this series is all about social media writing, and social media is all about building a network of people who enjoy reading and sharing your work with their networks.

Yet, I also know there is lots to be said for using SEO techniques to get your work into the hands of more people who need it.

While it's important to use the same language your ideal client might type into a search engine, SEO should never come at the expense of quality writing.

Trying to force particular keywords into a blog post or title can result in awkward (or just plain bad) writing – especially if you're trying to slip them in after the post is written.

Writing for the search engines, trying to get clicks or traffic at any cost, defeats the purpose of content marketing because you will repel your reader instead of attracting them. What is the gain of getting more clicks if people only leave again because you've failed to make a meaningful connection with your writing?

Warning: Indulging in this social media writing sin will diminish the quality of your content, and can make the writing process much more difficult and time-consuming for you. 

My Top Five Social Media Writing Sins – Revealed!

Social Media Writing Sin #2 – Misspelling and Mistyping

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It's no secret that I am committed to the quality of your content. And that includes the quality of your social media writing.

Your social media posts have a job to do – whether it's to attract new followers who share your way of thinking, deepen your relationships with your community, or invite people to take an action or click on a link.

Doh

Typos are embarrassing enough, whether they're caused by spelling errors, commonly misused words, or just a slip of the keys. Combined with grammatical errors or confusing sentence fragments, these writing issues can cause needless embarrassment, lost readers or damage to your reputation or credibility.

Social Media Writing Sin #1 – Texting Like a Teenager

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Texting-teens Yes, I know that it's difficult to say everything you want to say when social media platforms limit the length of your posts (on Twitter you've only got 140 characters!).

Yes, I know that you want to capture your up-to-the-minute musings via your mobile device – and that you're only using your thumbs to do it!

But you're still writing, and quality still counts.

Using texting-style abbreviations like UR or GR8 may save you space, but it comes at the expense of your credibility. If your ideal clients are teens, then go for it, but otherwise, I challenge you to write your messages using full words.

While some of the people I love and respect the most (you know who you are) use plenty of these abbreviations, they already had my love and respect. If my first impression of them had been what I saw on Twitter … who knows?

The upside? This self-editing and enforced brevity will help you focus your writing.

Bonus tips:

  • Abbreviations aren't the same as acronyms (e.g., LOL for laughing out loud or WAHM for work-at-home mother). Go ahead and use those, as long as you're sure your target audience knows the terminology. After all, do you really want your readers to need a dictionary to understand your message?
  • Swearing is something else that's best left to the "cool kids," unless it's truly who you want to be in your brand. Or check out how this blogger shared both "clean" and "sailor mouth" versions of her "Should I Work For Free?" chart.

Warning: Indulging in this social media writing sin can lessen your credibility and limit the effectiveness of your online writing.

Thanks to @AmyCourser for the link to the text messaging glossary!

My Top Five Social Media Writing Sins – Revealed!

Is what you type today going to hurt you tomorrow?

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As Chris Young pointed out in a recent post, the Internet never forgets, and what you do online today may hurt you tomorrow.

Over the next two weeks, I will be rolling out my list of the Top 5 Social Media Writing Sins. Indulging in any of these sins can lessen your credibility and limit the effectiveness of your online writing.

You could lose the respect of someone who was already warming up to you, or fail to capture the attention of a potentially ideal client.

If you're not seeing the results you want from social media, maybe your writing is to blame! Or maybe you've been hesitant to participate in social media because you're concerned about your reputation or your brand.

If you'd like to learn the ins and outs of writing for social media, check out this presentation:

How to Socialize Your Writing Without Losing Your Credibility

Here's what I'll cover on the call:

  • The Top 5 Social Media Writing Sins (a review)
  • Five social media writing principles that will improve your results and ease your mind
  • Online writing tools that will help you with social media

Branding Your Writing, Writing Your Brand

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"Imagine someone hiring you after falling in love with your writing style, only to find you entirely different in person!" – from Write Your Way to More Clients Online (Part One: Plan Mindfully)

On Thursday's call with choice, the magazine of professional coaching, Publisher Garry Schleifer was doing triple duty – he was my gracious host on the call, he was listening for writing tips for his own content marketing efforts, and he was managing the Facebook fan page where listeners were posting questions.

Pam Strand asked, "What are some tips for keeping [your] writing consistent with your brand?"

I shared that I had spoken earlier this week with a team who were redoing their website. It felt to them like they needed permission to move away from the crisp, professional and utterly generic language of their current site.

While I always encourage people to write with the same language your ideal client would use, it should be natural and authentic for you as well.

Maybe you are a member of your own target market, or maybe you're just looking to attract clients who are a natural fit. But how will you know if you speak the same language if you're trying to sound like someone you're not?

Writing prompt: To match your writing with your brand, consider what you want people to think of when they hear your name, or the name of your business. Look online for examples of others who write in that style. Then practice applying those techniques to your own unique ideas, topics and expertise.