Think of the social media editorial line as the true backbone of your digital communication.
It is therefore absolutely necessary to define it upstream so that your digital communication is coherent and, above all, to avoid harmful mistakes.
By following this principle, you will be able to communicate effectively through social networks and thus more easily reach your core audience.
Definition of an editorial line for social media
This is a framework you must define for your communications, and particularly for the digital marketing you will use on social networks. Indeed, you have your own goals and to achieve them you put in place a specific marketing process. By dissecting your strategy, you establish long-term rules that allow you to harmonize all of your content.
When your editorial team or marketing team gets involved, they will systematically rely on the initial document to communicate.
Consequently, several elements must be included in your editorial line:
- Set your marketing objectives.
- Define your prospects.
- Be clear about the message you convey and your values.
- Set up an editorial publishing calendar.
- Define the role of each participant.
- Outline form and content, emphasizing tone.
By meeting these different criteria, your editorial line will become an essential tool in your digital strategy.
How and why define your target audience?
When using social networks, you want to communicate about your brand while building a community. You must therefore focus on your prospects to determine their expectations and, of course, be able to meet them. This is what we call the target, and for that you define personas corresponding to typical profiles of potential customers.
Take into account age, gender, occupation, interests, living environment, purchasing behaviors and income to define a persona. Of course, you can create as many fictional characters as you like.
Defining objectives
If you want to set up an editorial line on social networks, it’s probably because you have many expectations from these platforms. So ask yourself about the purpose of your presence, but also about the approach you want to take. Communication is radically different if your aim is customer retention versus trying to raise awareness of your brand.
Don’t hesitate to put KPIs in place to measure the effectiveness of the actions you take. For performance, don’t rely solely on follower or like counts. It’s better to focus on concrete objectives, for example engagement rate.
Moreover, performance indicators are not exclusively digital. If you center your communication around a specific event, you can measure the number of customers present thanks to your digital marketing.
Adapt your editorial line to social media
If you’re starting your digital marketing, it’s preferable to focus on a single social network. With experience, you can expand your reach to other types of users across other social platforms.
- If your goal is to build awareness, don’t hesitate to use Facebook — with its 2 billion users the potential is enormous.
- If, however, converting prospects remains a major challenge, Instagram will be better suited for showcasing your products. Its audience is generally young, between 18 and 34 years old.
- If prospecting is done B2B, LinkedIn is unquestionably the best platform, especially if you plan to communicate with higher socio-professional categories (CSP+).
- For customer retention, Twitter will meet your needs, and it’s no coincidence that many companies use it to run their after-sales/customer service.
Define your editorial style
When we talk about editorial style on social networks, it means defining the tone of your communication, the topics you address and the formats of your posts. You have plenty of choices, but it’s important to keep in mind that each network has its own specificities. That’s why a different strategy should be considered if you want to launch on multiple platforms.
Regarding tone, you could choose an offbeat, professional, or even humorous approach. The important thing is to stand out with a voice that breaks the mold.
But don't forget to consistently choose formats appropriate to your target audience and your activity. If your field lends itself to it, you could for example offer educational content in the form of videos or infographics.
In any case, it is essential to define in advance the topics you could cover to generate engagement through your community. If you lack inspiration, don't hesitate to draw on current events.
Establishing an editorial calendar
A flawless editorial line on social media inevitably requires putting a specific calendar in place. With it you plan all your posts across any type of social network. For your business, it's a considerable time-saver and it will also help you avoid repetition.
Upfront you create various pieces of content and then schedule them manually or using specific tools. For example, Buffer or Hootsuite.
Posting frequency is also very important. But once again, adaptability remains the watchword depending on the social networks you use.
- On Facebook, one post per day is the maximum, with a minimum of three posts per week. But don’t forget to adjust times and days according to your target audience.
- On Instagram, post between two and five times per week.
- If you’re active on Twitter, you could post several times per day, but remember that a tweet’s lifespan is short.
- On LinkedIn, expert content is king — in this case favor quality over quantity, with one or two posts per week.
Which editorial line should you implement for social media?
Be careful how you adapt your editorial line to the social networks you use.
For example, Instagram is a medium that favors visuals such as video and images. Thanks to the platform, you can build awareness and give your brand greater visibility. You can also contact influencers to set up relevant partnerships.
As for Facebook, it's an essential social network, particularly among young people. You can build a community of regular users. But to stand out, don't hesitate to use the many tools at your disposal such as Marketplace, polls, or videos.
Regarding Twitter, the social network requires some learning, which is why it's useful to work with a Community Manager. But if you approach it the right way with an adapted editorial line, you'll build customer loyalty while promoting your brand.
Finally, Snapchat is another essential social network among young people. But keep in mind that it is only usable on mobile. The platform focuses exclusively on video and images, and if you master the network's codes, it's an excellent communication channel.
Why is establishing an editorial line on social media an excellent way to stand out?
By taking the necessary time to set up an editorial line, you ensure coherence in your communication. You convey an immediately recognizable brand image regardless of the communication channel you use.
Consistently, your customers and prospects will find the same universe, the same characteristics and the same language. But to achieve such a result, it is imperative to define a clear and precise editorial line.
That is why the editorial line is a major strategic element in your communication to attract the right people. If users follow you on social networks, it's because they want to be part of your community by identifying with your values. This increases the chances they'll visit your website and ultimately make a purchase.
Our tip for maintaining a consistent editorial line on social media
You now know the importance of the editorial line for social networks. So when writing posts for social media, don't hesitate to trust the platform Redacteur.com. Indeed, you will have access to thousands of professional writers able to manage your social media posts. Of course, the writing will follow the editorial line you have defined.
