What exactly are the four rules of social context? I know I didn’t know them until I read Bryan Kramer’s book Shareology: How Sharing is Powering the Human Economy. This book is a must read as it helps gain an understanding of how we as human’s are sharing more than ever. As a content marketer, I am constantly looking for new ways to improve my skills. With Bryan’s four rules of social context, you can as well. Let’s dig in!

Many of our job duties become mundane as we establish a routine and simply do things to get it done. While having a routine is good, fighting that urge to just get it done can be harmful to your career. Whether it is sharing a tweet, writing a new blog post, or just responding to messages. As an employee of a company or if you are an entrepreneur yourself, representing your brand is essential. Share things to educate your followers or simply to create engage in topics surrounding your industry.

For us at Near Me, we continue to focus on Content Marketing and cover a wide array of topics from educating how Marketplaces are evolving, how to become a successful entrepreneur, or simply to improve your marketing strategy. We continue to strive in educating our followers and those who are supporting us by thinking it through. From what topics to cover to when to publish and share our writings.

2. Skip to the last page first

While this may spoil the ending, it is a great way to understand what direction you are heading down. Knowing the ending can help lead your audience down the right path. I know for me, I start to lose attention once I get confused or flustered. Don’t do that to your audience as their interest will be lost and your audience will continue to shrink.

Whether you are reading a book or a blog post, skipping down to the last paragraph typically gives you a brief recap of what was discussed. If the title itself does not help you understand it and the end still does not, then the writer or author has done a poor job. As a writer, be consistent in your messaging throughout the whole process but more importantly always keep in mind your original purpose.

3. Slow down

We live in such a fast paced world where we are in a rush to finish our tasks at hand and move on to the next one. While it's good to get things done, but rushing through it takes away the creativity and experience for your audience. The best content is the one that resonates emotion not only from your audience but within the context itself. Slow down and take the time to put more effort into the moment.

As writers, we often feel as if we are on a time crunch especially when we have specific deadlines to hit. Ensure your context is understandable and read it out loud to yourself multiple times before sending the email or tweeting a message.

4. Get out of your head

Don’t assume everyone knows what you are talking about. Take the time to reflect on your audience and put yourself in their shoes. Understanding your target market and buyer personas are key for your writing. Working in a specific niche or industry, we tend to get stuck in our own little bubble. We must remember, many people who read your content don’t hear the same terminology or expressions that we are so accustomed to. Turn to a friend you isn’t in your industry to see if it makes sense to them.

As you continue to get familiar with these four rules of social context and look to implement them into your life, be patient as it will not happen right away. Establishing this habit will take lots of practice and more importantly discipline.

If you are looking for more ways to improve your social context, comment below or shoot us a tweet @NearMeCo!