13 Copywriting Skills Social Media Managers Need to Be Successful

In this blog post we will go over 13 Copywriting Skills Social Media Managers Need to Be Successful

Social media is an effective way to grow a brand, generate leads and boost sales.

But, just having a presence on social isn’t enough to cut through the noise and climb to the top.

As a social media manager, you need to create a buzz and give people a reason to follow your client over the competition.

One way to do this is with clever, creative copywriting.

Customers will always choose a brand that has an impactful social presence.

And this doesn’t just mean constantly hard-selling a product.

Consumers don’t come online to be sold to, they come to be ‘social’ and want to be entertained.

Even if your client has the best product in the world, it may tank if there isn’t an effective social media strategy in place putting customer needs first.

Read on to learn the essential copywriting skills social media managers need to be successful.

What is Copywriting for Social Media?

Brilliant copywriting is why certain social media posts go viral.

Memes are a prime example, where the copywriter has taken a normal image and added funny, emotional, nostalgic or ironic copy to it that gets people into a sharing frenzy.

Copywriting for social media is focused on getting engagement on posted content.

The purpose is to boost brand awareness and funnel leads onto an email list, purchase a product or click through to a website.

Common actions brands want people to take include:

• Like and comment on posts
• Share or retweet content
• Click through to a sales page or website
• Follow the brand
• Mention the brand
• Use branded hashtags

One important point to remember is that not all follows are equal.

Yes, more is good, but if they’re not engaged and interested in what the brand has to sell, they won’t ever become a paying customer.

The goal of social media marketing is to build an engaged community that has a positive brand experience.

By building the right online community, your brand will become top of mind and a leader in the industry.

Why are Social Media Copywriting Skills Important?

There are many benefits to mastering social media copywriting.

As a social media manager, it’s your job to create and manage different brand campaigns.

The better you are at this, the happier your clients will be and the more interest you’ll get from new clients wanting to work with you.

Excellent social media copywriting can:

Funnel Leads and Sales

To drive leads and sales, social media copy needs to be special.

If you build the right skills, you’ll drive thousands of pounds of new revenue for a business.

And when a business is making money, you’ll be making money along with them.

Improve Productivity

Poor social media campaigns not only waste money, but waste the time of everyone involved.

Great social media copy improves business productivity and keeps the business moving forwards.

Enhance Brand Reputation

Every business in the world lives and dies by its reputation.

Online copy, including social media content, website copy, sales pages, articles and press releases all need to add to a brand’s reputation.

Clever social media marketing campaigns get a brand known for the right things.

Shows You as an Expert

It can be hard starting as a social media manager when you don’t have many success stories behind you.

By learning the right skills and putting them to work, you’ll start to become an authority in the social media world.

Keeps Your Clients Happy

If your client is happy, you can be happy.

Social media managers thrive on referrals and once you get those great reviews, you can enjoy always having a constant flow of new clients.

When Do You Need Social Media Copywriting Skills?

Social media copywriting skills are required by social media managers, business owners and entrepreneurs wanting to market successfully online.

Essentially, great social media copywriting skills build businesses and keep them ahead of the competition.

Here are some common places social media copywriting skills are needed:

Client Campaigns

As a social media manager, clients will rely on you to look after their daily social media needs.

Work includes researching competitors, creating brand campaigns, replying to comments on posts and driving new leads to the business.

Building Your Own Social Accounts

Social media has grown to become a place to make connections, get clients and market your business.

By posting helpful and informative content, you can build your authority as a social media manager.

Starting a New Business

If you’re starting a new online business, social media is where you can promote it to the world.

For instance, if you start selling on Etsy, Instagram and Pinterest are top visual platforms to promote your products.

13 Copywriting Skills All Social Media Managers Need

1. Define Your Social Media Goal

If you don’t define your goal, it’s likely your message will get lost in translation.

Define your brand’s social media goal before any content goes live.

Are you looking for more likes and shares? Does your client want more click-throughs to a sales page?

Or if you want feedback on a new product, using questions in your copy will help.

2. Involve Your Audience in the Conversation

When readers feel involved in the conversation, they’re more likely to engage with your copy.

If a post talks to you directly, instead of in the third person, you’re more likely to pay attention.

However, this doesn’t mean you can never write in the third person. Great stories are another way to engage an audience if it relates to them in some way.

3. Encourage Audience Engagement

Encouraging engagement is another essential copywriting skill all social media managers should be using.

Sometimes you need to ask a direct question to encourage comments, likes and shares.

If you want feedback on a product, use copy like ‘’Tell us your story’’ or ‘’How did this make you feel?’’ To get sales, use active words like ‘’Get Yours’’, ‘’Click here’’ or ‘’Buy now while stocks last.’’

4. Trigger Emotions with Your Copy

To get a reaction from your audience, don’t just talk about how great a product is, but focus on how it can solve a problem.

A great copywriting tip is to use the P-A-S (problem-agitate-solution) framework.

This means finding out what your audience’s pain points are, agitating the problem and showing how your product has the answers.

Do a little ‘social listening’, where you analyze the conversations and trends on social media in your niche, to see what people ask questions about.

5. Instill FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

No one likes to think they’re missing out! FOMO is a strong motivator that can be used to get your audience to take action. Skilled social media copy grabs attention and makes the consumer take action. You can do this by using:

• Talk about a product only being available for a limited amount of time.
• Put a cap on the number of products you have for purchase.
• Offer the consumer ‘first dibs’ on a new product or service.

6. Balance Sales, Information and Entertainment

The basic rule of selling online is to not oversell. Consumers don’t want to be barraged all day with hard sells and will know if a brand isn’t being authentic.

An easy way to avoid being too salesy is to use a phrase like ‘’Learn more’’ instead. This lets consumers know you are a brand that is trying to offer value and not just drive sales.

7. Let Your Audience Know What to Do Next

A huge mistake often made with social media copy is not adding a CTA (call to action). Consumers like being directed on what to do next and it will give you more clicks and engagement.

If you want someone to purchase, write ‘’Add to cart’’ or ‘’Buy now.’’ To get website click through’s, write ‘’Learn more’’ or ‘’Read more’’.

8. Use the Right Tone for Your Audience

Social media copy should be written in the active voice. Use words such as ‘’Buy’’, ‘’Get’’ or ‘’Click’’. And always think about what tone of voice will resonate with your audience.

If you’re writing a post for a baby brand, the tone of voice will be very different to that of a macho supplement brand.

Mothers use very different language to the muscled up guy in the gym and a brand voice needs to reflect this.

9. Be Mindful of the Caption Length

Another point to remember with social media copywriting is that the majority of scrollers won’t read more than the headline.

This is why time needs to be taken to make it clear and persuasive.

Think about the intention of your post.

Do you want a reader to take a specific action or is it simply to show brand personality?

A CTA (call to action) is a great way to let the reader what you want them to do.

Another option is to detail a struggle or anecdote that readers can relate to.

10. Use Engaging Visuals

According to statistics, social content performs 41.5% better if it contains infographics and illustrations.

Tweets with visual content deliver 18% more click-through’s and 84% of consumers agree that watching promotional videos convinced them to buy a service or product.

Social media posts with visuals are also way more likely to get shared. Make sure your visuals align with your brand and the message of the post.

Staying on top of current trends is another way to make your brand stand out.

As a social media manager, you should always be thinking how you can relate content to popular culture that your viewers would be interested in.

11. Be Selective with Hashtags

If used wisely, hashtags can be instrumental in getting your brand more visible on social media.

Always research any hashtag you intend to use, so you don’t accidentally get associated with something negative.

Pay attention to what other rival brands and influencers are using in your niche.

One or two hashtags should suffice on Twitter and for Instagram 10 – 30 hashtags are acceptable.

Always research the general guidelines for each social media platform, so you don’t come across as spammy.

And, don’t be afraid to get creative by using your own branded hashtags. Inspiring and actionable hashtags do well that get readers to take an action.

12. Help Your Audience to Learn

Social media is a place to make connections, be entertained, get updated about current affairs and learn.

LinkedIn users especially, use the platform to find work, make connections and read abouta what’s going on in their industry.

Your social media content campaigns should reflect this by sharing industry news, statistics and interesting quotes from professional leaders and influencers.

13. Grammar and Spell-Checks

Always take the time to review your social media copy before it gets released to the masses.

Grammar and spelling errors portray a brand negatively and can have a lasting effect.

One successful entrepreneur concluded that a single spelling mistake could cut online sales by half. When building your social media campaigns, keep your copy free from errors.

This includes social media updates, statuses, social bios, sales letters, emails and website copy.

If you struggle, use free editing tools such as Grammarly and the Hemingway editor.

Last Thoughts On Copywriting 

Whether you are a social media manager or are thinking about transitioning into this line of work, great copywriting skills are needed to get ahead.

Every brand you work with will have similar goals, including building brand recognition, driving leads and sales or getting more followers.

Great copy cuts through the noise and engages readers effectively.

Bad copy risks getting no attention at all, or the wrong type of attention, that could harm a brand.

Always remember to align your copy with the brand goal.

The content you produce for a lead campaign will be different from that of an awareness campaign.

And know when to use short-form or long-form copy. Depending on your target audience’s behaviour, you need to strike a balance and know when to use each for maximum effectiveness.

This is where social listening becomes helpful. Knowing what followers want and when they want it, gives essential insight for success.