Today I was scrolling through the New York Times and an article caught my eye. The article, No the Best Doesn’t Win, is about the Simple Secret to Success, and had to do with simplification (no big surprise there!). In the article, Shira Ovide explains that “It just works” are magic words. In a discussion about Zoom, Ms. Ovide explains that video meetings don’t seem like rocket science, but it’s hard to make something seem easy.
Remember Google Hangouts?
Despite doing about a year of Google Hangouts, it was never easy. First, you needed to log into Google Plus (remember Google Plus?). Then there were the minutes of searching for the Google Hangout. Once you got a hangout going, it was fun. But you’d have to close down everything else because it was such a memory hog. And very often it just didn’t work. Maybe Google heard our pleas, because recently they released Google Meet.
Social Media is the Same Way
You want your social media posts to be easy for your audience. Easy to read, easy to follow, and easy on the eyes. Give them a simple choice as a Call to Action. Do you agree? Yes or no? are both simple examples of calls to action. Don’t make them read ten thousand words before they get to the point, because you will lose them. Social media posts should be easy. Give them a short quote to entice them to read further. And maybe tell them why they’d want to read more. By the way, you might like How to Create a Wonderful Blog Post in an Hour. Yes, it’s possible to make a simple post in an hour.
Our Attention Spans Are Shorter
Back in the day, you could post nearly anything and people would read it. But now? The interwebs are crowded with blog posts, Twitter feeds, Facebook posts, and articles all over. Videos can’t be too long unless they’re very compelling. And articles can’t be too long, either. Unless you have an interesting story, or a humorous point of view, most people won’t read all the way to the end. They scan.
We’re Visual, Too
Any graphics that accompany an article, blog post, or social media post need to be simple and enhance your article. They don’t need to be too literal, but they do need to have something that compels your reader to want to know more. Here’s an article you might like: What Happens When You Hire a Professional Blogger.
Are Your Social Media Posts Simple–Yes or No?
Let me know in the comments! (And did you see what I did there?)
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