This is a guest post by Sonja Hegman, an NYC social media and copy writing specialist. You can view Sonja’s work and contact her at www.sonjahegman.com.
Bad writing frustrates me. Lately, while watching movies especially, my inner monologue goes something like, “Man, I could’ve written something so much better than this.” Do you ever have that thought? Chances are, you can distinguish good dialogue from bad dialogue. That’s why some television shows make it and some don’t. Now, take that dialogue tool and apply it to business. Can you tell good business writing from horrendous business writing?
I’ve seen hundreds of business press releases in my time and, generally, they’re all the same: BORING. In my past life as a reporter, my inbox was bombarded by at least 50 press releases each week. Someone was having a fundraiser. Someone else was holding a ribbon cutting ceremony. Most times, I’d read the first sentence of said press releases and toss them. It was all drivel. Plus, I had to cover the “crime” in a town of 3,000. The drunks weren’t going to write about themselves.
People tend to underestimate the power of good writing. For business owners, it’s easy to think, “I can’t afford to hire a writer,” or “My (insert relative) was a good writer in school. They should be able to this.” That is not necessarily true. With social media now at the forefront, it’s even more essential to have someone contracted with you who can write well. Why? You need someone to make your company look first-class.
While many writers have a niche — business, fashion, politics — writers exist who are Jack- and Jill’s-of-all-trades. They can write your correspondence, your blog and letters and still have the know-how to get you attention on Twitter. Yet many businesses don’t see this as value. Or maybe they do, but aren’t willing to pay for it. Writing is a skill like anything else and an excellent writer can make or break your company.
Recently, 7-Eleven had a bit of a debacle regarding Mental Health Month. They are fortunate that a worldwide event occurred on the same day or more people would’ve taken notice. This would be a BAD example of social media use. First, why would 7-Eleven post something about Mental Health Month unless they did something to support it? I don’t know if they do, but from the context of the Facebook post it would seem unlikely.
So, what’s a good example? Here’s a photographer from my home state of Wisconsin. Jessica, obviously, posts photography related things: Photos from weddings she’s shot, outcomes from new client meetings, and she asks questions. For example, “What did you think of Kate Middleton’s wedding gown?” This is perfect to get a discussion going on her page because everyone has an opinion on fashion. She wouldn’t post that her local gas station has a new Slurpee flavor. Take note, gas stations of the world.
How does this affect you? Well, you don’t want the 7-Eleven scenario to happen to your company, do you? For all we know, 7-Eleven has an intern doing their social media. Don’t get me wrong, interns are fantastic, but with social media and other things of import, you need someone with more experience than with their own Facebook page.
So, how do find this elusive writer? It’s not too difficult. Just like any other position for which you’d hire, make a job posting. Then, ask for examples of the candidate’s work. This could be anything from a personal blog, articles they’ve written, or even their own Twitter account. If they’ve managed social media accounts for other companies, ask for the links. Then, ask what they’ve done for these clients. For example, maybe they grew a client’s Twitter followers from 800 to 2,000 in a month’s time. This proves they know what they’re doing. Or if you need someone to write your press releases, ask if they have examples, and so on. Most writers have a plethora of clips so don’t be afraid to ask for them.
As evidenced in the last couple of years, social media is the new key for business. It makes it personal. You don’t want your company to fall behind or look like a fool because of a mistake from your summer intern.
About Sonja Hegman
