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Consider the platform when writing messages for social

Consider the platform when writing messages for social image

Updated: Jun 2

Consider the platform when writing messages for social image

The idea for this piece came about after speaking with a marketing professional who told me their company posts the exact same message across its four or five social media platforms. Why? The message fits within Twitter’s 140 character limit, using #Hootsuite to schedule – this was written in 2017, before Twitter’s character limit increased to 280 a year later.

I believe that each social channel has a unique set of expectations, based not just on a company’s brand, but on the platform itself. People know to expect a more formal and business-like tone with LinkedIn, whereas Twitter’s personality is informal and spontaneous – messages for one are carefully thought out, as if pitching to a customer and with the other, people write as they talk.

Most people see the sense in scheduling social media messages with a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer and while it may be easy to blast a single message across social platforms, matching a message to the one you are on is recommended.

The more I engage with people via various channels, the more it matters to me that the content I share has a relevant message. Target audiences deserve our attention and thought – I don’t want to disrupt their day if I don’t care.

On social media platforms, just as in real life, I spend time nurturing relationships I wish to cultivate. If people feel I’m not making an effort when talking to them, they’ll immediately form a negative attitude that will detract from a relationship ever forming.

Not all of my engagement is organic. Due to the nature of Twitter’s need to be fed larger volumes of content than with other sites, I use a tool which releases quotes daily to help generate fresh content. My initial reaction was ‘these are so cheesy’. However during the 30 day trial the reaction from #Twittersphere surprised me, they are liked by many and are shared. In 2021, I no longer use this automation tool.

I started using social media daily in 2015 and the advice a mentor gave to me was that social media should be about connecting with people, not collecting people. I now network online more than at a real event, like most. With both I want to have two-way conversations because quality over quantity is what works best.

Do you approach the various social media platforms you are on differently?

Do you write the same on Twitter, as you would on LinkedIn, as you would on Instagram, and on other platforms?

Leave a comment in the Comments section below, would love to hear what you do.

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