Social media content may seem insignificant to B2B organizations. Selling to businesses takes a lot more than a few funny videos on YouTube and some celebrity retweets.
But social is valuable to both B2Bs and B2Cs if it’s done correctly; because it places your content in front of potential clients and their contacts. The problem most B2Bs identify with social content is that it doesn’t suit business-oriented writing. Social media content is meant to be short and sharp and most business writing is jargon heavy and long.
That does hold true on one level, but B2B social media content can be effective. You just need to take a razor to it.
Teasing & Creative Intros
The biggest culprit in creating long B2B content tends to be the intro. Writers often feel compelled to set the scene at the beginning of every blog, Google+ post or tweet. The idea is usually to identify the context to less qualified readers.
The best advice you can get on writing is to dump the intro. Take your last piece of writing and cut the first paragraph/line/word. Re-read it and if it still makes sense keep the cut. The best way to illustrate this is to have you take another look at my opening paragraph on this post. Imagine it was missing and start the post at the word ‘social’. It’s better isn’t it?
Long, Long, Long Sentences and Commas
The same goes for sentences. Keep them short. Make a point and move on. The shorter they are, the easier they are to read. Of course, you can’t reduce every sentence to its bare bones. Some need time and space to communicate the message. A good rule of thumb is to replace every comma with a full stop and see what you can cut. It’s probably more than you think.
Redundant Words/Sentences/Paragraphs
It will depend on the social channel you’re using, but it’s always important to spot redundant content. If you’ve said it once, you’ve said it. There’s no need to repeat yourself or add extra adjectives. Short, sharp messages are much more effective than beautiful, expositive, emotional and detailed points. Like the intro; if you can cut it, you should.
Creating Context and References
Another common issue in B2B communication is the need for context. Businesses live on facts, so you want to include as much reference material as possible. But nothing kills a strong point than having to explain a research source. Especially in a short social post. Let points stand on their own; you can qualify in comments if required.
Links Speak a Thousand Words
Or, you could link to the resource. People like links. They love feeling like there’s a deep reservoir of information under the content. So feed that desire, add links to your blogs and point to other info in tweets or LinkedIn posts.
Just Like Images
Images are a particularly good space saver on Twitter, but you can use them for any kind of social media content. Rather than trying to describe a situation or summarize something you read, add a photo. It makes for a better user experience and a sharper message.
Examples
You may have noticed I didn’t use many examples in this post. That’s because they take up space and most of the time you don’t need them. You know what I mean and hopefully the examples I did use and the illustrative style of some sections helped you to trust the suggestions I’ve offered.
Of course, I could be wrong. Is this post too short or too sharp? Did you get the message? Did you believe in it? Please let me know in the comments. Like all social media content, you can be as brief as you like.
Does your Social Media content need to be sharpened up? Contact SiliconCloud today for a free Social Media Evaluation.
