This is a guest post by: Craig Robinson, an online writer for Qwaya – a facebook ad management tool. Besides writing about social media topics, Craig covers other trends within social media for Qwaya and he has studied social context and media-communication science.
Facebook is a lot of things to a lot of people, but one thing the site is not is a follower. This social networking colossus is all about leading the way. Sometimes this trendsetting, lead-dog approach taken by Facebook makes them the villain, with average users and businesspeople alike balking at the idea of proposed Timeline changes and the like. More often than not, however, people realize that following Facebook’s lead is a good thing. Take the status update for example as just one answer to the question, why is social media important?
Now, Facebook wasn’t the first site to allow you to write a status update. But they also didn’t simply follow a trend. A status update on Facebook is a different monster entirely. In the makeup of a solid page post, the status update is the individual tagline (or slogan or advertisement, if you’d prefer) that alerts people, intrigues people, and ultimately draws traffic to your content.
For the proper construction of a compelling, traffic-inducing post, and why it’s important to social media, there’s some great literature out there, like the piece on making sure Facebook users find your fish. For status updates in particular, though, let’s take a look at how to construct this ever-important piece of content.
Tips for Writing Winning Status Updates on Facebook
1: Be Short and Succinct
What can you say in fewer than 225 characters? More than a Twitter post, that’s for sure. But just think about how succinctly you can get your message out there without droning on and on about something. View your Facebook status update in the same vein as an email marketer’s subject line. Not only does the status update need to be unique and compelling and able to grab attention, but it needs to be a single line that conveys the tone of the subsequent email.
Technically, your status updates can be substantially longer. But according to Facebook’s statistics, 225 characters is the proverbial sweet spot, earning the biggest number of Likes and ultimately garnering the most views. Why is this important? It’s simple: People can actually read what the entire status is about before deciding whether to check out the entirety of the post, and they can do it quickly.
2: Get Personal with Your Updates
Facebook didn’t become the world’s most popular social networking site by users taking a strict businesslike approach to posting. No. It’s quite the opposite. Facebook is so popular because it’s so personal. So don’t be afraid to get a little personal in your status updates, even on a business page. Updates that deal with personal issues earn comments at more than 2 ½ times the normal rate.
Getting “personal” with a business page may include status updates dealing with new photos from an event, big news about a new product or feature, new locations, new green-energy-based cuts, etc. Even though this is your business, you can still be very personal here.
3: Think about the Buzz!
One of the key aspects to focus on with a Facebook status update is the buzz factor. This is more or less a feeling of urgency and exclusivity you want to instill in a reader. It doesn’t mean you have to post a sales-like update; it just means you should think about creating some buzz in your update. Think about an update that creates excitement while offering a little bit of intrigue. It’s a teaser, in a sense, with the entire post needing to be read to explain everything.
If you’re able to develop some intrigue in a status update, you can start to create buzz amongst those who see your update. The end result may be more users looking forward to your status updates, knowing that there’s something good waiting should they bite.
4: Be a Problem-Solver
Offering actual advice and solving the problem of your niche is something that every businessperson needs to consider in their marketing. But it’s also something that works very well in a status update. Part of the perfect Facebook post is ensuring that your material addresses the needs of your base. And with a status update that offers advice, provides a solution to a problem, etc, you are meeting these needs.
Overall, status updates that offer advice end up being shared over 500% more than updates that don’t give any advice. That’s definitely something to chew on and get you thinking more about why is social media important.
5: Remember Every Post Needs One
This isn’t a tip per se; it’s more of a reminder. But it’s just as important as anything else you’ve read here, and that’s that every single post you construct needs a status update! It’s something that isn’t going to take you a lot of time. Once you get into the habit of making status updates, it will become second nature and just part of the process.
Why is social media important, especially when it comes to status updates? Facebook doesn’t have to be difficult to figure out. Putting together compelling, pertinent posts can increase your presence tremendously, and ensuring that you have a status update with every post will help you in these efforts.
