As humans, we communicate for very specific reasons Social media has not changed the basics of human engagement – community, the levers of influence and how we share information. In fact, the opposite - social networks are fully based around human behavior. To really understand how to write compelling copy for social channels, it is important to understand how and why human beings share. H/T to Paul Adams and WOMMA.

1. Writing For Social
Media
Gemma Craven
EVP, Social@Ogilvy
@gemsie

2. Communications In A New
World

3. Technology is driving dramatic shifts

4. We have gone from communicating like this

5. To this

6. And soon, like this..

7. Yet while the places we communicate in may
have changed

8. The reasons why have not

9. So to understand copy writing for social media

10. “Our business is
infested with idiots who
try to impress by using
pretentious jargon”
We need to look at why people communicate

11. Why People Communicate

12. We talk to survive

13. Our motivations for sharing online are the same

14. We talk to form social bonds

15. Online conversations signal connectedness

16. We talk to help others

17. We talk to manage how others perceive us

18. 1. Craft a clear voice and persona for your brand
online
2. Create utility to drive sharing
3. Have a two way conversation
4. Remember no one likes self obsession
5. Be aware of the world around you
Key takeaways

19. What We Talk About

20. Tip #5
Ensure you have the right listening
Many of our discussion is about other people
infrastructure
20

21. We share feelings not facts

22. People share content that triggers the most
arousing emotions

23. We talk about the things around us

24. And we talk about brands in passing

25. Only 9% of conversations about brands are
online

26. 1. Build campaigns around content that generates
strong feelings
2. Ask people to talk about others
3. Use tools such as polls to drive lightweight
conversations about brands
4. If you want people to talk about your brand, put it
in their physical environment
Key takeaways

27. Who We Talk To

28. We like to think we speak to a wide group

29. We talk to the people closest to us

30. And at the center of our social network

31. Who is listening changes what we talk about

32. Who is listening changes what we talk about

33. 1. Put yourself in the shoes of the target you are
trying to reach
2. Build programs through connecting authentically
with the people closest to that target
3. Understand the audience you are connecting with
and their behaviors on the platform you are
reaching them on
Key takeaways

34. Sharing
information
makes life
easier, helps
grow bonds and
manage
reputation
We talk about
other people,
what’s around
us and content
that drives
strong feelings
We talk about
brands in
passing, often
driven by our
environment
We talk to the
same 5 to 10
people 80% of
the time
Recap: the guiding principles of why we talk

35. 10 Helpful Tips For Social
Media Writing

36. Understand the consumer’s use case
VW Smileage

37. Set up a Social Brand Voice
37

38. We are part of the US community and will
continue to support in many ways...
We are a company of people who live
and work in your community.
Each is committed....
BP America
Supports
Team USA
We have learned and
remain committed to the
safe and production
exploration of sustainable
energy sources
Meet the
Faces
of BP
Safety and
Innovation
to Find
Tomorrow’s
Energy
Sources
Our Enduring
Commitment
to the Gulf
While people’s
attention may have
moved on, we remain
in place, strengthening
the economic
and environmental
circumstances of the Gulf
of Mexico and its people
Create Content Pillars to define content focus

39. Tip #4
Use a Center of Excellence approach
Use social listening to inform relevant content
39
Image courtesy of the Altimeter Group

40. Planning
Discover
Discover BlackRock
business objectives
and all assets and
social brand
architecture
Creating
Establish
Stories
Create
Content
Define BlackRock’s
“ownable” topics and
story territories using
social data
Create content types
for BlackRock from
blog posts to videos
to infographics and
more
Distributing
Optimizing
Target
Publish
Amplify
Evaluate
Insights
Use data to target
content and engage
the right audiences
Aggregate relevant
content across
channels from many
sources
Use paid media and
partnerships to
extend reach of
BlackRock content
Review performance
against goals
Derive Insights and
apply to strategy and
content
Create a Conversation Engine to drive scale

41. Think about how copy differs across platforms

42. Tip #3
Content is key on today’s visual web
Don’t forget the power of the visual web

43. Use smart tools to help plan social copy

44. Tip #2
Measurement & analytics are no longer
Test and learn to determine how copy works
optional
44

45. WOMMA Influencer Framework
Work with different influentials to create copy

46. Always be learning: Red Bull

47. Always be learning: Coke

48. Always be learning: Netflix

49. Always be learning: Hunger Games

50. Thank You
Gemma Craven
@gemsie
www.linkedin.com/gemsiecraven