Are you guilty of posting random pictures and bland captions on social media? If your pictures are just product shots and your social media captions are just announcing sales or promotions, is it any wonder that posting always gets pushed to the bottom of your to-do list? If you don’t even want to post it, why would anyone else want to read it or follow you at all?

Don’t despair. There is a way to break this vicious cycle! In this post, we are going to completely revolutionize your approach to social media! You’ll learn how to make your social media captions conversational and I’ve even included a sample social media calendar for you to download and start using immediately. Are you ready for that??? OK, let’s get started!

First, what is the secret to writing great social media captions?

OK, so here it is. This is the secret:

Your CAPTIONS should focus on CONVERSATIONS, not CONVERSIONS.

Yes, I know you might be thinking – but, Amber – the whole point of marketing is to make sales conversions and attract new business. And you’re right! You are. But social media – at its core – is social. And no one wants to follow a nameless, generic account that just posts products and promotions. That’s especially true for small business accounts!

There is a reason that your customers are choosing to buy from YOU and not the other big corporations who sell similar products or services. And that reason is that they are attracted to something specifically about YOU, your story, your location, your customer service, or your business philosophy. There is something special or unique about you and your products/services. And that’s why customers buy from you. People do business with people they like and buy products from companies that resonate with them on a personal level.

So, I ask you this: Why are your social media posts so IMPERSONAL?

As a small business owner, YOU are the most important part of your brand. YOU ARE YOUR BRAND’S SECRET SAUCE. And your social media should reflect your voice and your personality.

So, let’s take a look at your existing social media posts. Are there pictures of you? I’m not talking about selfies, but pictures of you – at work, on vacation, doing what you love or spending time with people that you love. If you have staff or employees, are they on your feed in any way? How do you decide what to post? Are you just posting for the sake of posting? Do your pictures look cohesive and fit in with your brand? Do you think that your social media feed looks and feels like “you?”

And now for the big, important question: what about the captions? What are you saying in your captions? This is your opportunity to communicate with your ideal customer. Do your captions tell your story or help your audience get to know you? Are they engaging? Do people leave comments in response to what you say?

I hear from so many small business owners that finding photos or figuring out what image to post is a breeze compared to coming up with captions! If you don’t have a strategy in place, you can be left crying with frustration and struggling with what to write in your captions. So the question is…what should you be posting in your social media captions?

The key to great social media content is to create meaningful, two-way conversations with your audience through your captions.

People follow people. And what do people do? They TALK. Every caption you post is an opportunity to converse with your ideal client. Imagine that you are actually speaking (in person) to one of your clients or customers. If you were meeting them for the first time, how would you introduce yourself and your business? Would you just blurt out what you’re selling and then turn around and walk away? I hope not!

There’s a natural give and take in conversations – they go both ways. And they usually cover a wide range of topics – both professional and personal. How many conversations have you had where you start off talking about business – and then somehow you end up talking about your last vacation or a great book you read recently? That’s the normal ebb and flow of conversation, and your social media content should reflect a similar rhythm.

What you should be including in your social media captions

OK, so now you know that the key to great captions is to make them conversational. How do you do that, though? Here are some ideas for conversational captions that will revolutionize your social media feeds!

Show your face!

I know this is hard for some SBOs, but it really is important to show your face on your social media. This is how your audience will identify and connect with you as more than just a generic brand. Pair photos and short videos of yourself with captions that give an idea of who you are and what you value. What and who are the most important people/things in your life? Why did you start your business? Let your audience get to know YOU as the person behind the brand.

Show the business of business

Your audience wants to see behind the curtain. They want to know what you’re working on. Include some behind-the-scenes pictures with captions that talk about what you’re up to. Share a sneak peek of a new product or project that you’re working on. Give your audience updates – just like you give your girlfriends life updates over weekend brunch!

Talk about your products

You DO want to make sales, and that means talking about your products. But instead of simply saying that you offer a service or have a product for sale – talk about it like you are giving a recommendation to a friend. Why would your good friend benefit from using this particular product/service? Imagine that one of your best friends came to you with a problem and you knew of something that would help her. Use your captions to write about the solution just like you would tell her about it.

Share your origin story

If you truly want to connect with your audience and make an impression, share your story. Talk about why you created your business and what drives you to get out of bed every morning. Share stories that help you connect on an emotional level with your customers. It’s important to share your WHY and reveal the motivations for why you do what you do.

Address your customer’s pain points

What are the pain points and main concerns of your ideal customer, and how do you or your product help alleviate them? The best businesses and products fix problems. Talking about the problem and how you and your business fixes that problem and makes the lives of your customers easier is one of the most effective sales tactics. It also shows your audience that you know what they need and what they struggle with – and that’s a strong emotional connection!

Get to know your audience!

Don’t make the mistake of always talking about yourself. You should also strive to engage your audience and get them talking! Asking questions is a great way to do this, and I’ve written about it in my post, Questions to Ask on Social Media to Increase Engagement. I’ve even included a free list of 27 Questions you can start using in your captions right away!

Provide value

Making conversation is great – but it shouldn’t be idle and meaningless. The best conversational captions offer value. There are so many ways to do that! You can teach your audience to do something, give them a tip or shortcut related to your business, or demo your product. Or, you can inspire them with quotes or highlight other businesses that your ideal customer would also be interested in. Another idea is to provide facts or statistics to help them better understand your industry. The list goes on and on. Provide value and become a trusted source of information for your customer and you will win their loyalty and their sales.

Get your SAMPLE Social Media Calendar here!

OK, to recap… We’ve covered the secret to great social media captions and I’ve given you ideas for how to transform your posts into conversational content that will engage your ideal customer and win their loyalty. Now it’s up to you to take these ideas and implement them into your social media calendar. To help, I’ve created a simple social media calendar to get you started!

Opt in below to get your SAMPLE Social Media Calendar for Conversational Captions.