The best way to get free traffic to your business from social media is by using, and engaging, in different social media platforms. Places like Facebook and Twitter are your two top tools where your potential customers are hanging out and spending all their time.

Consider this:

What do YOU click on?

Why do YOU click?

People usually click because of the headline or the image.

The purpose of the headline in advertising, whether it is Google AdWords or a big page spread in a Times Magazine, is to get you to read the ad. So your first order of business is to write a compelling headline.

Especially on the social networks you want to steal traffic from.

Downside of Social Media Advertising

Craftiness is required because you have to find ways ‘steal’ their attention. People usually aren’t on their Twitter or Facebook because they are trying to find things to buy.

The first thing to do is to write a headline compelling enough to pull them in. Next step is to follow up (in the same short little tweet) with a bribe or curiosity that will be interesting enough to them to click through to your funnel entry point.

Think of this initial process as the social status update designed for the click.

Try to say something of interest to your followers. If you have done your list building right and have segmented your list well, your followers will be VERY interested in what you are offering them.

With Twitter you have 140 characters to get someone to take action. The first few words (your headline) need to stand apart from the rest of the noise. You can also post images to capture some extra real estate.

One of the best ways to get headline ideas is to see what is trending.

Check out UpWorthy – they have great headlines that compel curiosity clicks. Is there anything there you can adapt to your business? Check out this cool headline creator of theirs 🙂

The best copywriters of past and present are the ones who can produce an emotional response from a few words.

For example Mark Twain. He said that the”

difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Getting Readers to Click

Decide what type of emotional response you want and choose your words. Use words that produce vivid images or feelings of action. Words like:

Boost
Empower
Energize
Cruel
Pointless
Had enough?
Conspiracy…

Investigate the News

See who is trending in the top authority sites. What headlines are they using?

Sites like Alltop.com and Shocking.uk.

Over 5 times as many people read the headline as the content, according to David Ogilvy (one of the best known and most successful copywriters of our time).

TEST EVERYTHING
As always you want to test everything – sometimes it might just be the time of day that was wrong. Even a proven and winning headline won’t do much good at the wrong time of day.

IMPORTANT CTA
Your headlines should also have calls to action. The more verbs you have the better. Ask the reader to do something like “download”. Something that will inspire them to [click]. Help your own stuff go viral by requesting a share or retweet. You can bribe them to do this.

On both Facebook and Twitter you want to use compelling imagery too.

Every time you post you also need to track what headlines are trending with your people. If one seems to be taking off then you can add more media. Like write a blog post, or video, or podcast on the same topic. You might be surprised to find what your followers want. Whatever it is – give it to them.

The Best Headlines for Business Social Media Posts

Top performing headlines have to do a good job of the following:
1. It must “call-out” your targeted audience almost by name. We are all self-centred humans and think we are the most important people on this planet. Because of that our brains are completely geared to seek out everything that WE find interesting and filter out the rest.

With a targeted audience you can easily speak to their interests with your headline like “Lose 7 lbs in 5 days Using this Unknown Trick!”

2. Attention grabbers. Using words that will immediately pull their eyeballs to your headline. “A Body You can Be Proud of”

3. Be specific with your words. Generality’s don’t work near as well as specific. Instead of saying “Make More Money in Your Spare Time” – be very specific like “How I Made $17,531.27 in 31 days With This one Tool”

4. Answer the question at the forefront of your readers mind which is: “So what?” – Make sure there is a promise that delivers something your audience wants. Something they really care about! For example; “Cut Your Exercise Time in Half and Save 50% Today – 60 Day No-Risk Guarantee!”

5. Curiosity might kill the cat but that doesn’t keep people away. Gawkers can’t help themselves. If the headline generates enough curiosity – a person HAS TO click! The UpWorthy crew has it right. The basics to a winning curiosity is to reveal the missing link between what your reader knows and what they don’t (but should) know. “The Key to Making REAL Money with a Start-up is This…”

Different Genre’s of Headlines

1. Goals – Tell people you can help them to be prettier, richer, healthier, thinner, or perform better (ie: sex, golf, sales). Anytime you might be stuck for an idea just go to the grocery store and scan the headlines of the Tabloid Magazines.

2. Fix a Problem – Anything that a person has identified as a “problem” they have. Head lice, bed bugs, personal injury, debt, overweight, clogged toilet, or bankruptcy. Deliver a solution to the common things your business can offer, that keep people up at night. You WILL get your clicks.

3. Give them a Break – Jokes, cute cats, funny videos, or silly people. This is what people love to click on and share. Remember one of the big reasons why people are on social media has nothing to do with buying your stuff. They are there to take a break from their day. Give them something that will do that but still puts them in your funnel. “Click Here to Take the ‘Make Me a Millionaire’ Test”

4. Breaking News – People love announcements, and they especially love gossip. Gossip, by its very nature, is primed for sharing. The most powerful part of gossip is people WANT to be among the first to know and the first to tell others.

“Caught in the Act!”

“This Just in…”