Page 58 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

Telling your story through social media 47

We see social media used alongside, sometimes in place of, tradi-
tional leaflets or mailing. Words even take centre stage in the fast-
growing messaging via video. Every message has been (or should
have been) finely crafted by that business. Being social offers the
opportunity (and expectation) to talk not just about brand, prod-
ucts and services but also to introduce personalities: the people
behind the brand. There’s more opportunity for storytelling that
resonates and a huge demand for customized messages to elicit buy-
in or positive reaction. The word power skills system shown in
Chapter 2 is immensely valuable, as the challenge (and the exciting
part) is how to get your words heard through the noise. How to
adapt, to keep up with the trends – and even create them.
English has such an advantage, being used extensively across
multiple platforms. But if English isn’t your company’s first lan-
guage or that of your social media writers, remember points earlier
in the book. Words that are right for your home market may not
work abroad, even where English is the common language.
As an example, let’s look at this wording on sportswear brand
Adidas’ global website:

Go get better, share your skills, compare yourself with the best and
challenge your friends.

It uses very clear wording, easily understandable on first reading.
Let’s contrast this with wording used on their Adidas India website:

Criticism and self-doubt can paralyze the most talented athletes. Only
a rare breed converts the stones thrown at them into milestones…

The language is rather more poetic and thought provoking. It re-
quires a more sophisticated understanding of the English used.
Coca-Cola is one of the most recognized global brands and it
too adapts the English it uses across the world. So although we see
the social media hashtag #PerfectCoke globally, some countries
won’t necessarily understand #SwelterStopper used for ice-cool
Coke or #SarapNgFirst – ‘the first time taste of the #PerfectCoke
experience’. This latter example purposefully features Tagalog
English to resonate with their target youth market in the Philippines.