How Social Media Activity Can Benefit Writers

Due to the Internet, the way that people get information has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. Instead of calling someone we know or going to the library, the first place that we often go to learn how to do something, or to find products or services, is the Internet.  As more and more people have gained access to the Internet and started to use it on a daily basis—often as their only source of information when they need questions answered—a great deal of work has been created for copywriters. Today, millions of people in the United States, and hundreds of millions around the globe, use the Internet to access information.  Many of them, without even knowing it, depend on the work of copywriters to provide them with the information that they need.

More recently, the Internet has undergone a change as a result of the rising popularity of “Web 2.0” sites, which include online forums and social media sites. The name comes from the fact that these sites continued to grow during the “dot com crash.” Simply put, they facilitate communication between Internet users. Instead of presenting original content to users, these sites depend on the users to provide the content and often have little or no content provided by the company that runs the site. Wikipedia.org, YouTube.com, Craigslist.org, Facebook.com, and Twitter are well-known examples of Web 2.0 sites, but there are thousands of others.

The result is that more and more people are getting information from other Internet users through social media sites and forums.  Conversely, fewer people are getting information from traditional articles posted on informational sites.

What does this mean to you?

As a web copywriter, it is important for you to be aware of the shift in how people get information. Whether people are seeking information from professionally written articles or posts in a forum, companies still want to help educate consumers to ensure that people find out about their products and services. As a result, you can take advantage of Web 2.0 to build an even stronger career as a copywriter.

Web 2.0 presents a great opportunity. Traditionally, the work of copywriters has almost always been entirely anonymous. Once published, the copywriter had no apparent connection to, or claim to, what he or she had written. Social media sites and forums, however, require user registration, so companies can no longer separate you, the copywriter, from the work that you have done for them. Additionally, you can gain a following on Web 2.0 sites that makes you more valuable.

“Power users”, the most active users with the longest list of followers on social media sites and forums, are extremely influential in this realm. On the largest sites, they sometimes have millions of followers; more than one thousand followers is not uncommon on average-sized sites. They specialize in a particular area related to the community that they are active in online. On Yelp.com, for example, some power users specialize in writing about restaurants in a particular city or region. On Twitter, there are power users that specialize in sharing information about cutting-edge technology. When a user has thousands of followers, they are extremely valuable to companies and businesses that want to get information out to potential customers. Of course an employee of the company could register for a site and post something—but marketing professionals know that it will be far less effective than if a power user posts instead.

Companies are increasingly interested in finding ways to boost their images on Web 2.0 sites. Consumers have become so used to traditional marketing measures that present a flawless, polished company or product, that they are skeptical of them.  However, that skepticism is not so prevalent when consumers approach company and product opinions on Web 2.0 sites because the ideas, information, and opinions are coming from other individuals rather than marketing departments.

What are the benefits of becoming a Web 2.0 power user?

-Power users are extremely influential. When a power user posts something, thousands of people immediately see it; and many of those people forward it to others that might be interested. Not only is it a great feeling to have influence, but it increases the value of your work as a copywriter dramatically.

-Power users become experts. No one can be an expert in every field; but power users are people who have become experts in the field in which they are most active online. Instead of being a copywriter who writes about a wide range of topics, you can focus your career by gaining a depth of knowledge in a specific field. Followers will view you as an authority and will respect what you say.

-Power users are in demand. You can make more money in less time once you become a power user.  This is because it takes less time to write about something within your area of expertise and because you will be in demand as a known expert in the area.

-Power users develop a strong network. A network of dedicated followers and peers who respect you can result in friendships as well as business opportunities.

How do you become a power user?

-Start getting involved on a few sites specific to one or two areas of interest. Or look through a number of popular sites and select an area that you think you would enjoy spending time learning about. You can visit http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/web-2.0-websites for some ideas. It is usually a good idea to visit a site each day for a couple of weeks to become familiar with the type and quality of content being posted before you begin participating yourself.

-Post regularly. Power users become influential on social media sites by being responsive to questions posted by other users, and by posting original, informative content on a regular basis. Avoid posting redundant or obvious information that will not be very helpful. In order to become a power user, it is essential that other users respect the information that you post—this will never happen if your posts aren’t helpful. Think about whether what you post has “takeaway value”—is it something that you would forward to a friend, or is it just another post saying the same thing that has been said many times before?

-Share relevant content (links) from other users and other related sites. Others like it when you draw attention to the content that they have posted, and if someone has said it better somewhere else, there is no need to write new content. This is a good way to provide a high volume of useful posts, and it makes it clear that you aren’t self-centered and only focused on promoting your own content.

-Be friendly. Providing good content and posting often won’t help you if you’re unpleasant to other users. People develop followers by being well-liked. Go out of your way to help people with any problems that they are posting about, and be encouraging and complimentary to peers that are posting quality content.

-Ask questions, especially when you first start out.  When you are on the road to becoming an expert and a power user—you may have a lot of questions. Ask them! This is a good way to meet people with similar interests and to begin developing your network.

-Engage in conversations. Sometimes you don’t have the answer to a question that’s being asked, or the question has already been answered, but you do have something to say. Go ahead and say it. People like to contribute to conversations about subjects of interest. Engaging other Web 2.0 users in conversation is a great way to make friends and to attract followers.

-Seek out other users who have similar interests and become friends with them. Don’t send friend requests left and right in a mad attempt to rack up a large number of followers. It’s usually obvious when someone does that, and users don’t respect it. Instead, once you have posted useful content each day for a week or two, seek out users who are posting on similar subject matter. Follow them, request that they be your friends, and pay attention to what they post—you can learn from them.

Why Web 2.0 is such a big deal, and will continue to be

Web 2.0 has resulted in a dramatic change in the marketing world; as a copywriter, you have the opportunity to take advantage of this change. Because of social media sites, marketing and PR staff at companies can no longer control the images of their companies as well as they have in the past.  If a potential customer does a web search on a product or company, he or she is as likely to end up reading about it on Wikipedia.org or some other informational Web 2.0 site as on the official site of the company.

Unlike Web 1.0, this environment bears little resemblance to the traditional forms of marketing that existed prior to Web 2.0. Instead of being a one-way message, marketing is an ongoing online conversation between consumers and potential consumers. In a split second, an opinion can be transmitted to thousands of people, all of whom can respond and continue to relay the opinion. Companies can’t control this environment, but they can have an impact on it by participating in the conversation.

All major companies are now developing Web 2.0 marketing plans to respond to the new online marketing environment.  One of the key components is to engage Web 2.0 users where they feel comfortable rather than trying to get them to visit company or product web sites or blogs. This can be done be establishing a company myspace.com or Facebook.com profile, but it can also be done by hiring copywriters who are power users in forums related to the company’s product or service. As such a copywriter, you can help your Web 2.0 friends and followers to find products and services that they will like while simultaneously making money. Your followers can become the online fans of the companies that hire you because of your influence.

There are more Web 2.0 sites springing up all the time, and there is a reason because people harbor a need to feel connected with others.  We love sharing our thoughts, ideas, and knowledge. This isn’t going to change. The Internet has evolved to provide a means for people to be in almost constant conversation with each other about almost any topic you can think of. Ultimately, though, people want high-quality information from experts—not random opinions and misguided information. If you can position yourself as an expert who provides high-quality content (which you have already been doing as a copywriter), then you can benefit from the new Web 2.0 environment and expand your career.

For marketing departments at major companies, Web 2.0 may be a “problem” that needs to be solved; but for you, as a copywriter, it is an opportunity that you don’t want to miss! You can, and should, be a partial solution for the problem that PR directors have with Web 2.0 – simply position yourself as a power user on popular social media sites.

The web environment is not going to revert back to the days of static web pages with strictly controlled content. Companies are being forced to change in order to maintain a strong market position in a Web 2.0 world.  The copywriters who acknowledge the opportunities presented by Web 2.0 are going to be able to make more money in less time with less effort. Follow the steps presented in this article and you can be on the cutting edge of this new marketing movement!