Copywriting for Social Media and Blogs

How will I benefit?

This course will help you create the best copy for different social media sites and tools with a basis solely around the power of well-written blogs.

We will look at social networking sites including Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and smaller niche networks that can work well for you.

We will examine other social media content opportunities from photosharing, videos and UGC to recommendation, bookmarking and review sites.

By the end of the day you will have built up your personal list of social media and blogging do’s and don’ts and have the confidence to create effective social media and blogging copy campaigns.

Who should attend?

Anyone who needs to write or evaluate social media copy and who is interested in blogging as a marketing or personal communication tool. You could be a marketing executive, manager or copywriter looking to expand your experience.

Programme outline

Introduction/recap on writing for digital channels

• Where blogging and social media sit in the marketers arsenal
• How do they affect SEO?
• Why do they need to be written in a different way to websites and print copy?
• Brief intro/recap on digital usability and your audience/brand

Blogging: What makes a great blog?

• What is a blog?
• Dialogue, not a conversation
• Top 5 content rules for a great blog
• Top 5 cardinal sins for a great blog
• Where to find blogs, where to promote blogs, existing blog examples
• Get to it: Finding and exploring blogs in your market

Individual Exercise: Create a new blog in Wordpress

• What else is out there?
• Name your blog and create a template
• Write your first posts
• Add images and video

Taking the blog further

• Links/blogrolls/tag clouds etc
• Dealing with comments
• Stimulating comment
• Get to it: updating your blogs, stimulating comment

Social Media - think strategically, not tactically

• What is it you want to achieve?
• Recap the potential benefits
• Where is your audience?
• What are they doing and what do they expect?
• How will you measure success?

The key players: Facebook and twitter et al

• What do they each offer
• What do their users expect
• How could they work for you
• Key competitors
• What do you need to think of from a writing point of view?
• Get to it: Social media rogues gallery

Using social media for search

• How does that work?
• The importance of your words and phrases when other people are searching
• Making the most of the #tag/RT/lists

Getting the tone right

• Top 5 things to remember when writing for social media
• Get to it: writing for different social media scenarios

Dealing with comments and feedback

• commenting and dealing with comment – tone, phrasing, reaction
• Get to it: comment scenarios

Group Summary of the day:

• Create a personal list of digital do’s and don’ts
• Identify future training requirements

Course tutor

Becky Bocchetti is a digital marketing and content strategy consultant, journalist and web editor with a broad and unique cross-media experience.

She specialises in training marketing, commercial and editorial teams on a variety of topics including Writing for Digital, Search Engine Optimisation, Commercial Digital Content, Digital Advertising, Blogging, Community, Cross-Media Content and Social Media.

"...the 90 minutes I had with Becky this morning was possibly the most constructive conversation I've had .... in 11 years. Have been implementing the things she talked through and we're already seeing a growth in traffic!"

Online news editor, consumer publisher

Having started in account management for a direct marketing agency, she then took up an Editorial Traineeship at IPC magazines. This led to the role of Features and Beauty Editor for the now Cosmo Bride which attracted her first online position in 1999 as Editor of weddingguideuk.com.

The site was awarded the Yell UK award for best community site in 2000. Becky then helped facilitate its acquisition by confetti.com.

Her next move was to Vodafone and Vivendi Universal's groundbreaking multimedia venture, Vizzavi, as European Channel Manager for Women and Lifestyle.

Here she oversaw the content strategy and integration for six country managers and played an integral part in launching the new EU-standard interactive platform for Italy.

Becky then turned to broadcasting as interactive producer for BBC Radio 2, incorporating community sites, Children in Need and the flagship Jeremy Vine show. All this whilst freelancing at London Zoo where her plans for a dramatic redesign and relaunch provided ZSL's first e-commerce experience and the award for Tourism Website of the Year 2006, Enjoy England Awards for Excellence.

Throughout her career, Becky has simultaneously worked as a digital specialist helping individuals and teams get the most out of their digital resources and requirements whilst working as a journalist writing for leading magazines, newspapers and broadcasters.

She now uses her unique experience consulting with a range of media owners, marketeers and websites.

Becky is also one of the speakers for the IDM Certificate in Direct and Digital Marketing.